Mahou San Miguel takes 30% stake in US craft brewer

Mahou San Miguel has bought a 30% stake in Colorado-based craft brewer Avery Brewing as part of its ongoing strategy to position itself as the leading Spanish producer in the craft beer sector, and strengthen its presence in the US.

Avery Brewing was founded in 1993 in Boulder, Colorado, by Adam Avery, a keen home brewer, who at the time was just 27 years of age. His father Larry helped fund the setting up of the brewery which today produces its flagship White Rascal – an unfiltered Belgian-style white ale spiced with coriander and Curaçao orange peel –  alongside a range of IPAs and bitter and barrel-aged beers.

“Dad and I decided two years ago that in order to fulfil our vision of the new brewery and all of Avery Brewing’s potential, it made a lot of sense to seek a partner,” said Adam Avery. “At that time, we established our criteria for our perfect partner: minority investor, privately held and family owned entity, long-term investment, strategic advantages, and good people with shared values. Mahou San Miguel emphatically checked all of those boxes for us and is our ideal partner for continued growth, remaining faithful to our beers and our culture.”

This is the second US craft brewer the Spanish producer has invested in, having acquired a 30% stake in the Michigan craft brewer Founders Brewing in 2014. While it has been present in the US market since 2011 with brands including Mahou Cinco Estrellas and Alhambra Reserva 1925.

“This new alliance, between two family companies, has been possible thanks to the passion we share for beer and tradition and that we have similar values,” said Eduardo Petrossi, CEO of Mahou San Miguel. We share the commitment with the communities in which we are present, our long-term vision, concern for the sustainability and well-being of individuals and our aim of doing things right, placing the consumer always at the centre of our decisions. This operation strengthens us as the driving Spanish brewer behind the craft sector and will reinforce our positioning in the United States.”

The financial terms of the deal, which is subject to approval by regulatory authorities, were not disclosed.

Avery Brewing’s range of beers