Craft Brew News – 02/28/20
(Courtesy of Brewbound.com)

Adam Lambert to Join Roak Brewing and Dark Horse as President

Long-time beer industry sales exec Adam Lambert is on the move.

After more than a year as chief revenue officer for BrewDog USA, Lambert is joining Michigan’s Roak Brewing Company and Dark Horse Brewing Company as president. The two microbreweries announced a deal in September that finally closed last week, leading to the formation of the
Michigan Brewers Union platform.

Lambert’s last day at BrewDog is February 28, although he plans to offer guidance on an as-needed basis.

Lambert started at Scottish craft beer maker BrewDog’s U.S. division in December 2018. In that time, BrewDog’s U.S. volumes increased 46%, to 53,000 barrels.

In his note to industry friends, Lambert called the last two and a half years working for BrewDog as a consultant and a full-time employee “one of the most challenging yet rewarding times” in his career.

According to Lambert, it’s unclear how high the ceiling is for Roak and Dark Horse, which was founded in 1997. Both breweries possess about 20,000 barrels of capacity but neither was close to hitting its maximum.

Untappd’s Parent Company Acquires Beer Advocate

Two of the largest remaining beer rating platforms are joining forces.

Next Glass, the parent company of popular beer rating app Untappd, has reached an agreement to acquire Beer Advocate. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Beer Advocate co-founder Todd Alström announced the deal on the Beer Advocate forum, adding that Next Glass has acquired “the brand, trademarks, website, data, etc.”

Although Next Glass has acquired Beer Advocate’s assets, users’ Beer Advocate and Untappd accounts will remain separate, according to a press release posted to Untappd’s website.

Beer Advocate had derived “a large portion” of its business from advertising income from the print magazine. But the company scaled back publication frequency from monthly to quarterly in January 2018, and then ceased publication entirely in April 2019. The switch in frequency was “not enough to overcome some of the larger trends in the market.”

Untappd offers a more broad rating experience for users, who “check in” beers they drink and rate them on a five-point scale, with the option to add flavor descriptors, and receive news from breweries and retailers.

Untappd has monetized its platform and data by offering breweries as many as 1.5 million impressions with users per month. Among advertising opportunities on Untappd are sponsored badges ($2,000 per month for a nation-wide badge), in-app promotions ($10,000 per month for a national promotion supported with an email to subscribers) and paid placements on its home screen ($30,000 per month for a national tile).

Diageo Settles With SEC

Diageo, the London-based parent company of Guinness, will pay a $5 million fine to settle charges filed by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for pressuring wholesalers to accept more products to boost its shipment numbers, according to Reuters.

The company wrote in a press release “Diageo is pleased to have resolved this legacy matter, which relates back to fiscal years 2014 and 2015,”. “Diageo regularly reviews and refines its policies and procedures and is committed to maintaining a robust and transparent disclosure process.”

In addition to Guiness, Diageo’s portfolio also includes Captain Morgan, Ketel One and Smirnoff, among other brands.

Famous Dave’s Parent Company to Acquire Granite City Food & Brewery

BBQ Holdings, parent company of chain restaurant Famous Dave’s BBQ announced an agreement to purchase Bloomington, Minnesota-based Granite City Food and Brewery, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in late 2019.

Minnetonka, Minnesota-based BBQ Holdings’ brands include Famous Dave’s BBQ, Clark Crew BBQ and Real Famous BBQ with 126 locations in 33 states. Granite City, founded in 1999, operates 25 locations, mostly in the Midwest.

In 2018, Granite City ranked fifth in volume among national brewpub chains, despite sales declining 12%, to 13,493 barrels, across 32 locations, according to trade group the Brewers Association.

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