1. Editor's Picks

Wicked Weed Brewing Acquired by The High End, a Division of AB-InBev

By:

Share Post

Link to article
wicked weed brewing acquired
Wicked Weed Brewing's original Asheville brewpub.

Asheville, North Carolina-based Wicked Weed Brewing will be acquired by Anheuser-Busch’s The High End, a division of AB-InBev, according to a press release put out Wednesday.

Wicked Weed was founded in 2012 by Walt and Luke Dickinson and friends Ryan, Rick and Denise Guthy. 

(MORE: 2017’s Great American Beer Bars)

The brewery is known for its barrel-aged sour and funky beers, including Pernicious IPA and its Angel series and operates four facilities in Asheville: a brewpub downtown, the sour-dedicated taproom The Funkatorium on the brewery-dotted South Slope, a production facility and a brewhouse training facility.

Terms of the deal between the beer behemoth and Wicked Weed were not disclosed. It will be subject to regulatory approval.

The Asheville brewery is the latest small brewery to be purchased by The High End. The AB-InBev division’s portfolio includes Goose Island, Blue Point, 10 Barrel, Elysian, Golden Road, Four Peaks, Breckenridge Brewery, Devils Backbone and Karbach Brewing Co. Previous to today’s announcement, Karbach has been the High End’s latest purchase, announced in November 2016.

(MORE: Who Owns Maui Brewing? Misprint Concerns Owner Garrett Marrero)

The Brewers Association, the not-for-profit membership organization for brewers by brewers, defines a craft brewer as small, traditional and independent. The heart of the issue surrounding Big Beer buying craft brewers is that large conglomerates have better access to raw materials and an easier path to market than small and independent brewers.

According to recent statistics from the BA, craft brewers hold more than 12 percent volume share of the U.S. beer market. Of the 5,300-plus operating breweries in the U.S. as of late 2016, 99 percent are small and independent.

 

Jess Baker walked into a beer fest in 2010 and realized beer had come a long way from what her dad had been drinking since the 70s. She served as editor-in-chief of CraftBeer.com from spring 2016 to spring 2020, bringing you stories about the people who are the heartbeat behind U.S. craft brewing. She's a runner, a die-hard Springsteen fan, a mom who is always scouting family-friendly breweries, and always in search of a darn good porter.

CraftBeer.com is fully dedicated to small and independent U.S. breweries. We are published by the Brewers Association, the not-for-profit trade group dedicated to promoting and protecting America’s small and independent craft brewers. Stories and opinions shared on CraftBeer.com do not imply endorsement by or positions taken by the Brewers Association or its members.