Manly’s famous beer brewery 4 Pines has been bought out by global alcohol giant AB InBev for an undisclosed sum.
The new Belgian owners already control a spate of Aussie brands under the Carlton & United Breweries umbrella — including Victoria Bitter, Carlton Draft, Pure Blonde and Great Northern.
The deal will allow 4 Pines to expand its craft beer operations while still retaining all of its employees based at its Manly and Brookvale breweries.
AB InBev is planning to take the 4 Pines brand to the world, with the first step in the process being a huge renovation to the Brookvale facility to boost brewing capacity.
4 Pines co-founder Jaron Mitchell said all employees will retain their jobs and the precious beer recipes will stay the same.
“When AB InBev first approached I was sceptical and didn’t think much more of it than an opportunity to nab some grand final tickets,” he said.
“We’ve spent the last 10 years building a business with ideals that have worked for us so far and we weren’t willing to compromise on anything. And we haven’t.”
Mr Mitchell said the takeover by AB InBev will give 4 Pines access to capital and a global distribution platform to help take the Aussie beer brand to the world.
“We will keep doing what we’ve always done, except now we are able to realise our long-term goals even sooner and immediately roll out some plans that are seriously epic,” he said.
AB InBev’s president of the Asia Pacific South Zone Jan Craps said he was excited about signing the deal.
“We will support their ambitious plans for the future, using our expertise and capability to help them get their exceptional beer to more people in Australia and globally,” he said.
The 4 Pines team reportedly drank a case of Crown Lager — an AB InBev owned beer — in celebration.
By Edward Boyd
Source: The Daily Telegraph
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