Craft brewers Panhead sold to Lion
Upper Hutt brewery Panhead Custom Ales has been sold to international brewing giant Lion Group.
However, former owner Mike Neilson will stay involved and plans to continue in the role.
‘‘It will be business as usual; I will hand over the running of the company to businesspeople,’’ he said. ‘‘The best part is I will get back to brewing.’’
He would give up engineering, accountancy and logistics to concentrate on writing recipes and brewing award-winning beer.
The price Lion paid for Panhead has not been revealed.
The business will employ Josh Drake as its general manager, giving Neilson more time with his wife, Anna, and their children.
All other roles within the Panhead business would remain unchanged.
‘‘The chance to have Panhead’s future supercharged by a merger with the big boys was too good to pass up,’’ Neilson said.
‘‘Lion’s backing will help Panhead grow to a point where anyone, anywhere in the country, will be able to experience our beer.’’
Lion is owned by Japanese beverage giant Kirin, which produces beers including Stella Artois, Steinlager, Guinness and the Mac’s range.
Neilson broke the news about the sale on the Panhead Facebook page yesterday.
After three years in business, demand was so high a decision had to be made on the future of the brewery and how to get it to a larger size and scale, he said.
‘‘You guys have made us so damned successful, we either try to control this growth thing or strap in and go to the next level.
‘‘No prizes for guessing which way the decision went,’’ the Facebook post said.
It was a ‘‘very big call’’ that would take effect from July 1 this year and was an idea the owners would have ‘‘laughed about’’ when they first started.
The deal was not Lion buying out a competitor, Neilson said.
‘‘At our current volumes, we’re no threat to them. They’re smart enough to see that the ground is shifting and – just as wine did 30 years ago – beer is growing up and moving out.’’
Lion New Zealand managing director Rory Glass said Panhead was ‘‘a phenomenally successful brewery, with a fantastic range of award-winning beers, and some big growth aspirations’’ and the new owners had no interested in changing that.
‘‘Lion’s investment in Panhead will free Mike and the Panhead team to do what they do best: brew great beer,’’ Glass said.