What this means is that we will not be able to lend our name to the unfinished collaboration beer currently aging in Asheville, NC. Unfortunately, we don’t feel that having any connection with ABInBev is something we can do while still maintaining our mission, values, and core beliefs. At this stage, we don’t feel we are able to have a business relationship with Wicked Weed because that connection, ultimately, is one with ABInBev. We had a decision to make – to continue a business relationship with Wicked Weed now that they will be owned by ABInBev, or to cut ties and hopefully remain friends.įor us, the choice is clear. We also had plans, and were looking forward to attending, the Wicked Weed Funkatorium Invitational this July. – Black Project Spontaneous & Wild Ales statement on Wicked Weed deal:Īs some of you may know, and something many people have asked us about today, we have two collaboration beers with Wicked Weed currently in-progress one beer at our facility and one at theirs. So in the minds of many, when Wicked Weed decides to sell itself, it’s also deciding to join the dark side. What’s also shared is a disdain for big macrobrewers like Bud who make inferior products yet still dominate the market. Like a lot of successful products, craft beer is a movement, a community of makers and consumers who feel like they’re part of something good and shared. Still, there’s an aftertaste to this sale, especially in this industry. It’s a dream of a lot of small businesses – including brewers and retailers – to get successful enough to be bought by someone bigger. There’s an important thread in these decisions: Few are begrudging Wicked Weed owners their decision to take the Anheuser-Busch windfall. From There’s a Wicked Weed beer in my fridge. We choose not to support these large brewers because of their political stances, and in some cases, their economic practices as well.īecause of this core principle, it pains us to say that we won’t be carrying Wicked Weed anymore at Jester King. In Texas, large brewers (and their distributors) routinely oppose law changes that would help small, independent brewers. We’ve chosen this stance, not because of the quality of the beer, but because a portion of the money made off of selling it is used to oppose the interests of craft brewers. One of our core principles is that we do not sell beer from AB In-Bev or its affiliates. With that said, we have some core principles that define who we are as a brewery, and those principles must not be compromised. Regardless of what has transpired, we’ll always consider the people of Wicked Weed friends, and want the best for them and their families. It’s no secret that Wicked Weed has been one of our closest friends in the beer industry. – Jester King Brewery’s statement on the deal: – Anheuser-Busch Shares Spike After Company Beats Expectations, Acquires Brewery Anheuser-Busch shares spiked yesterday on news of the acquisition some bottle stores started pulling Wicked Weed off its shelves and a couple of collaborating breweries announced they would no longer work with Wicked Weed. It opened its third production space in an Enka business park in 2015 and last year bought 17 acres in Arden that includes a 57,000-square-foot warehouse devoted to the production of sour, farmhouse and wild-fermented beers. In Asheville, Wicked Weed produces beer out of its original location, a restaurant and taproom on Biltmore Avenue in downtown, as well as the Funkatorium featuring sour beers on Coxe Avenue. It must still meet approval by the Department of Justice. The deal is Anheuser-Busch’s 10th craft brewery acquisition since 2011. The other takes issue with the fact that Wicked Weed sold out to a beer behemoth that has actively worked to suppress craft competition, whose success has chipped away at BUD’s bottom line. One side applauds the Wicked Weed founders ( Walt and Luke Dickinson and lifelong friends Ryan, Rick and Denise Guthy) for a job well-down in making delicious beer and creating a desirable brand. Opinions have been pouring out over social media networks, and over sipped craft beers, and have generally fallen into two camps. Asheville start-up craft brewery Wicked Weed Brewing has been hot topic of conversation since Wednesday’s announcement that big beer’s Anheuser-Busch InBev would acquire Wicked Weed.
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