Today, Boston Beer Company and Dogfish Head announced their $300 million mega-merger. From their press release circulated this afternoon:
Together, Boston Beer and Dogfish Head will create a powerful American-owned platform for craft beer and beyond. The new entity will possess more than half a century of Craft brewing expertise, a balanced portfolio of leading beer and “beyond beer” brands at high-end price points, and industry leadership in innovation and quality. Following the transaction, the combined company will have a leading position in the high end of the U.S. beer market, bringing together Boston Beer’s craft beer portfolio and top-ranked sales team[i] with Dogfish Head’s award-winning portfolio of IPA and session sour brands.
When the Brewers Association’s second-largest craft beer maker and the 13th largest craft brewery merge, is the merged brewery still considered craft? The brewing duo responded with:
The combined company will maintain its status as an independent Craft brewery, as defined by the Brewers Association. It will be better positioned to compete against the global beer conglomerates within the craft beer category that are 50- and 100-times its size, as well as other craft brewers, while still representing less than 2% of beer sold in the United States.