Texas’ Revolver Brewing has become the latest small brewery to be acquired by Tenth and Blake Beer Company, a division of MillerCoors.
MillerCoors made the announcement in a press release Thursday, saying Tenth and Blake would be taking a majority interest in the Granbury, Texas, based brewery.
Revolver joins Georgia’s Terrapin Beer Co. and Oregon’s Hop Valley as the third brewery in less than a month to be purchased by Tenth and Blake.
(MORE: California Craft Brewers Association Exec. Director: “Know Who Brews Your Beer”)
Known for its Blood & Honey American Wheat Ale, Revolver was founded in 2012 by father and son Ron and Rhett Keisler, along with master brewer Grant Wood, formerly of Boston Beer Co.
According to the Brewers Association, an American craft brewer is small, traditional and independent.
- Small – Annual production of 6 million barrels of beer or less (approximately 3 percent of U.S. annual sales). Beer production is attributed to the rules of alternating proprietorships.
- Independent – Less than 25 percent of the craft brewery is owned or controlled (or equivalent economic interest) by a beverage alcohol industry member that is not itself a craft brewer.
- Traditional – A brewer that has a majority of its total beverage alcohol volume in beers whose flavor derives from traditional or innovative brewing ingredients and their fermentation. Flavored malt beverages (FMBs) are not considered beers.
“In differentiating craft and other brewers, it is important to recognize that entrepreneurs generally run craft breweries. By contrast, global banking conglomerates run large brewers,” writes Julia Herz, director of the Craft Beer Program at the Brewers Association.
(MORE: Why are IPAs Still So Popular?)
The heart of the issue surrounding Big Beer buying craft brewers is this: Conglomerates have better access to raw materials and an easier path to market than small and independent brewers, which continues to complicate issues for America’s independent craft brewing businesses.
CraftBeer.com’s mission is to educate beer lovers about craft beer, as well as share the stories of America’s small and independent breweries. We want to celebrate the successes, while being honest and open about the challenges indie breweries face.
Terms of the deal between Revolver and Tenth and Blake were not disclosed.
CraftBeer.com is fully dedicated to small and independent U.S. breweries. We are published by the Brewers Association, the not-for-profit trade group dedicated to promoting and protecting America’s small and independent craft brewers. Stories and opinions shared on CraftBeer.com do not imply endorsement by or positions taken by the Brewers Association or its members.
Share Post