Mahou boosts ties to craft beer with €11m brew hub

Mahou San Miguel is to invest €11 million in the creation of a “brew hub” in Spain, offering a collaborative space for domestic and international brewers to come together to share ideas and develop new beers using the latest technology.

The brew hub will offer a space for brewers to come together to share ideas and develop new ideas

The space will be available to “nomadic” beer makers, that do not have their own brewery but are in search of growth, created with the needs of the craft beer industry in mind. The project has been conceived in collaboration with Javier Aldea, the founder of Nómada Brewing – a Spanish craft brewer that Mahou bought a 40% stake of in 2016.

The brewer hopes that the new Mahou San Miguel Brewhub will become a “reference centre” for new beer makers, not only domestically but also internationally, with its facilities capable of producing a wide variety of styles, batches of any size. Notably, it will offer the facilities needed for adapting to new beer trends, including oxidative ageing, cold storage of unpasteurised products, and lager, ale, hybrid or mixed fermentations.

It will also feature a multi-option packaging line that will offer a variety of formats, such as bottle, keg or the can, as well as label design facilities.

“The craft movement is a clear example of collaboration and the spirit of innovation, two values that govern our daily activity at Mahou San Miguel,” said Benet Fité, managing director of Mahou San Miguel’s New Business Unit. “As industry leaders, our mission is to continue promoting creativity and the beer culture in our country, therefore we have listened to the craft segment, one of the ones adding the greatest value to the domestic and international beer scene.”

The facility will be located next to the beer company’s production centre in Córdoba (Spain) and will be promoted by Cervecera Independiente, within the Mahou San Miguel New Business Unit, and will start operations in 2019, with plans for gradual expansion over the next six years.

Mahou San Miguel has been working to strengthen its ties to the craft beer market for several years, as have many large brewers, having most recently bought a 30% stake in US craft brewer Avery Brewing. 

In 2014, the brewer acquired a 30% stake in the US craft beer company Founders, tapping into the fast-growing market in a bid to “lead innovation in brewing trends worldwide.”