Anheuser-Busch plans to add another Western brewer to its craft beer portfolio with the acquisition of Breckenridge Brewery.
Breckenridge, one of the largest independent brewers in craft beer-laden Colorado, will sell about 70,000 barrels across 35 states this year.
The deal with Anheuser-Busch includes the company's restaurant and a new $35 million brewery at its Littleton headquarters, along with facilities in the ski resort town that inspired its name.
The announcement follows Anheuser-Busch's acquisitions of Arizona-based Four Peaks Brewing Company earlier this month and Los Angeles-based Golden Road Brewing in September. The company's The High End craft unit also includes 10 Barrel Brewing, Blue Point Brewing, Elysian Brewing and Goose Island Beer Company.
(Image credit: Breckenridge Brewery)"I'm a believer in what The High End is focused on accomplishing and we are flattered that our team was chosen to help guide that journey," said Breckenridge President Todd Usry. "We're looking forward to utilizing resources like decades of research and brewing expertise as we continue to create new beers."
The deal — whose terms were not disclosed — continues the pattern of larger breweries making increasing inroads in the fast-growing craft sector, but the announcement was largely met with scorn by Colorado craft enthusiasts.
Usry assured fans in an open letter that the “passion for quality and culture that got us where we are today isn’t going anywhere.”
Breckenridge's current management will continue to own its other operations, including Denver's Wynkoop Brewing Co. and Phantom Canyon Brewing Co. in Colorado Springs.
