Craft Brew News – 2/22/19

Courtesy of Brewbound.com

Receiver Reaches Agreement to Sell DME Group’s Main Business

Court-appointed receiver Alvarez & Marsal filed a report Thursday saying it had reached an agreement to sell financially troubled Canadian brewing equipment manufacturer DME Group’s manufacturing and fabrication headquarters in Charlottetown.

According to the receiver’s second report filed with the Superior Court of Prince Edward Island, Alvarez & Marsal said it executed a purchase agreement with CIMC Enric Tank and Process Ltd. on February 13. Now, the receiver is asking the court to approve the sale.

According to CIMC’s website, the company is “one of the largest suppliers for the beverages and liquid food industries,” with operations around the globe.

Alvarez & Marsal said CIMC plans to continue the DME Group’s operations in Charlottetown, employ a majority of the employees currently working at the facility and potentially rehire others.

Backlash Over Boston Beer Gardens

A pair of Massachusetts lawmakers are attempting to rein in Boston’s popular outdoor beer gardens, according to the Boston Globe.

Driven by the Massachusetts Restaurant Association, state Sens. Ed Kennedy (D-Lowell) and Nick Collins (D-South Boston) are co-sponsoring a bill that would prevent any person or company from obtaining more than 14 one-day licenses a year. Beer companies such as Trillium and Wachusett, among others, have used those licenses to operate outdoor beer gardens from the spring into the fall.

Currently, the law allows applicants to obtain up to 30 one-day licenses. However, beer companies have used a loophole that allows multiple applicants to request licenses on their behalf. Last year, the city issued 82 one-day licenses, up from 39 in 2017, the Globe reported.

Speaking to the Globe, Massachusetts Restaurant Association president and CEO Bob Luz said the law is being abused to the detriment of his organization’s members.

The states brewers have said they’re willing to work with lawmakers to evolve the law.

Meanwhile, Notch Brewing founder Chris Lohring pointed out that the bill as written wouldn’t just hurt craft brewers, but would also affect nonprofits that rely on one-day licenses.



Jim Koch Responds to #Corntroversy

It’s been nearly two weeks since Anheuser-Busch launched its Bud Light Super Bowl ads pointing out MillerCoors’ use of corn syrup in its flagship Miller Lite and Coors Light offerings and upsetting
corn farmers. Now, Boston Beer Company founder Jim Koch has trudged into the cornfield with a blog post on the Samuel Adams website titled “Corntroversy — Deja Vu?”

Koch wrote “It’s like McDonald’s and Burger King arguing about grilling vs. broiling their burgers,” he wrote. “Who cares? Fast food is still fast food.” Koch also predicted that the next phase of A-B’s fight with MillerCoors would be either the latter’s use of hop extract or an attack on imports such as Corona and Modelo, which “use the same industrial brewing techniques and ingredients”

Koch also wrote “How safe is the quality image and premium price point of imported beers if drinkers realize that their fancy, upscale image hides less expensive ingredients and industrial brewing practices, just as happened in 1986?”

Drizly Partners with BevMo! in California

Boston-based on-demand alcohol delivery company Drizly is expanding its reach in California via a new partnership with retailer BevMo!, according to a press release

BevMo has 166 beer, wine and liquor stores on West Coast.

The deal will make Drizly’s 60-minute delivery service available in 45 of BevMo!’s stores, including those in the Bay Area, Silicon Valley, Los Angeles and San Diego.
With the addition of BevMo!, Drizly now partners with more than 1,000 retail locations in more than 100 cities across North America. The company recently secured $34.5 million as part of a Series C fundraising round.

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Michael Potorti is the Host of Craft Beer Storm and Founder/Brewer at Beara Brewing Co. in Portsmouth, NH

Michael Potorti
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michael@bearairishbrew.com

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