USA: AB InBev purchases North Carolina’s Wicked Weed Brewing

Anheuser-Busch InBev is making its first U.S. craft brewery purchase of 2017, announcing on May 3 the acquisition of North Carolina’s Wicked Weed Brewing, Brewbound reported.

Specific financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed and the deal is subject to regulatory approval. Recall that last year, the U.S. Department of Justice promised to “carefully scrutinize any future craft acquisitions” by AB InBev.

“We have chosen to partner with The High End to position ourselves to make Wicked Weed what we imagined it could be when we first sat at a craft beer bar and talked about opening a brewery,” co-founder Walt Dickinson said via a press release. “As a brewer, giving our team more resources to continue innovating our portfolio and the ability to reach more craft drinkers, allows us to keep putting the beer and the people first.”

Wicked Weed, based in the popular craft beer-soaked mecca of Asheville, North Carolina, is the 10th U.S. craft brewery to sell to Anheuser-Busch InBev since 2011. It joins Goose Island (Chicago), Blue Point Brewing (New York), 10 Barrel Brewing (Oregon), Elysian Brewing (Seattle), Golden Road (Los Angeles), Breckenridge Brewery (Colorado), Four Peaks Brewing (Arizona), Devils Backbone (Virginia) and Karbach Brewing (Texas), in A-B’s craft and import focused “High End” portfolio.

Wicked Weed currently produces beer out of four breweries. Its fourth facility, built last year, is located on 17 acres in South Asheville and spans 57,000 sq. ft. It is entirely devoted to the production of sour, farmhouse and wild-fermented beers.

The company opened its third production space, a 40,000 sq. ft. brewery that features a 50-barrel brewhouse, in July 2015.

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