New Belgium Brewing merges with Bell’s Brewery
Acquisition is one of the largest craft beer conglomerates in the nation
The parent company of New Belgium Brewing Co. has acquired Michigan-based Bell’s Brewery, merging two of the country’s pioneering craft breweries under one umbrella.
Bell’s Brewery founder Larry Bell announced the deal with Australia’s Lion Little World Beverages, which acquired Fort Collins-founded New Belgium in 2019, and his plans to retire during the company’s all-employee meeting, according to an announcement Wednesday. Lion is a subsidiary of Kirin Holdings Co.
Once the deal is complete, it will create the fifth-largest craft brewery control group, Brewbound reported, behind Anheuser-busch’s Brewers Collective, D.G. Yuengling & Son, Molson Coors’ Tenth & Blake, and Boston
Beer Co.
New Belgium and Bell’s Brewery are production powerhouses. In 2020, New Belgium brewed 975,000 barrels of beer among its facilities in Fort Collins, Denver, Asheville, N.C., and San Francisco, according to the Brewers Association.
With two breweries in Michigan, Bell’s produced 466,539 barrels in 2020, making it the sixth-largest independently owned manufacturer in 2020, the BA reported.
“In Bell’s, we see a like-minded group of people dedicated to making the world’s best beer — doing business in a way that improves the well-being of the people who power our success,” said Steve Fechheimer, New Belgium’s CEO and a Michigan native, in a statement.
“Joining together will immediately strengthen our ability to serve and expand the craft community, deliver more value for our partners, and continue to redefine how business is done in a world facing historic economic, social and environmental challenges,” Fechheimer stated.
As part of the merger, Bell’s