Is the US beer industry ready for Red Truck?
As Porchdrinking reported on Friday, Fort Collins brewery is merging with Red Truck Beer out of British Columbia, Canada. In an uncharacteristic turn of events for brewery acquisitions, Red Truck has decided to phase out Fort Collins Brewery and use the facility for a Red Truck brewpub. A source tells us that Red Truck had nothing to do with the reported layoffs, but the FCB ownership instead. Check out their filing on the Colorado Secretary of State website:
So the question beckons—is the US ready for Red Truck? Or more appropriately, does the US need Red Truck?We reached out to Red Truck to see their reasoning behind buying and shutting down FCB, but haven't replied. According to a source close to the deal, their statement is coming out next week. From what we can gather, the buyout was unexpected by the staff. According to reporting by The Coloradoan, Red Truck is "excited to become a part of the community," but it does beg the question whether they'll be welcome. So...What should the beer industry feel about a foreign brewery buying up a local place just to shut it down? I can tell you, I'm not sure what to think just yet. No, it isn't quite the same as an ABInbev acquisition, but it's something different altogether. It'll take some time to see what happens and how the Fort Collins community responds. Let us know what you think in the comments. We will keep updating this if we hear from either FCB or Red Truck.
