USA, MI: Upper Hand Brewery being sold to California-based Seven Beverages, Inc.

Bell’s Brewery’s Upper Peninsula offshoot, Upper Hand Brewery, is being sold by the Bell’s parent company in a deal expected to close in early 2025, MLive.com reported on December 3.

New Belgium Brewing informed Upper Hand employees of the pending sale of the Escanaba-based brewery on Nov. 19.

The buyer, California-based Seven Beverages, Inc., is in the process of securing its alcohol license in Michigan, according to a statement from New Belgium.

Once the company has obtained its license, it will assume operations of Upper Hand Brewery, which was opened by Bell’s founder Larry Bell in 2014.

New Belgium will continue to operate the 20-barrel brewing facility and the Escanaba taproom until that time.

Upper Hand, which began distributing in the Lower Peninsula in 2020, has since expanded its footprint into northern Wisconsin and Minnesota.

The brewery was last sold as part of the 2021 sale of Bell’s Brewery to Australian-based beverage company, Lion, which is owned by Kirin Holdings, of Japan.

Lion acquired New Belgium two years prior to obtaining Bell’s and Upper Hand. Bell’s and New Belgium merged leadership teams initially, with Bell’s later becoming a division of New Belgium in 2023.

“Thank you to the Upper Hand team for their years of hard work, creativity and innovation,” New Belgium CEO Shaun Belongie said in a statement. “The ownership, pride and dedication to brewing exceptional craft beers have resonated within the local community and are a testament to their dedication and talent.

“We’re excited to see the new owners continue the legacy of incredible craft beer in Northern Michigan.”

New Belgium’s priority, moving forward, he said, is to focus and invest deeper in the hospitality operations within its biggest markets and hospitality centers. Those include the Bell’s Brewery facilities in Kalamazoo County, along with New Belgium facilities in Colorado, North Carolina, California and Virginia.

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