Old Dominion Brewery sold to "Coastal Brewing" - Joint Venture with Fordham and A/B

[acroyear]

Md. Firm, Anheuser-Busch Buy Old Dominion Brewing - washingtonpost.com:

Old Dominion Brewing, whose pub is a favorite of the high-tech crowd near Dulles International Airport and whose microbrews are sold throughout the Mid-Atlantic region, will soon have new owners from the Free State.

The company has been sold to a joint venture of Maryland-based Fordham Brewing and Anheuser-Busch of St. Louis, the new owners announced yesterday.

The new company, to be called Coastal Brewing, will sell and market Old Dominion and Fordham brands, including Dominion Ale, Dominion Lager, Oak Barrel Stout, Fordham Copperhead, Fordham Lager, Oyster Stout and others.

Potential impacts:

One question remains at this point will Dominion continue to have the facilities to produce on-demand contract beers like Tuppers, Dubliner, JPauls '89, etc, given that Fordham may want to use those facilities to increase its own production for the wider distribution, since the Annapolis facility doesn't have nearly enough real estate for that sort of thing, especially not for bottling.

The second question, one that affects ALL of us (rennies), is MDRF's distribution deals.  MDRF gets Fordham for the White Hart, as they are a sponsor.  However, MDRF's larger distribution deal is with Coors, and with Fordham now in bed with A/B that may impact whether or not Fordham beers would be allowed on site.  Granted, that's for the Festival owners to figure out based on exclusivity contracts, existing long-term contracts, and the legal eagles out there.  But for myself I'd hate the idea that the only Oktoberfest I could get would be Sam Adams.

Meanwhile, Dominion is expanding and franchising the brewpub, with the first one opened by the DC Convention Center.  They all seem to love the market around the Convo Center, as Gordon Biersh and RFD are both there, and Cap City has one by the original Convo Center.  "Travel Globally, Drink Locally" indeed.

Comments

[mistressfetch.livejournal.com]

Also, Hardcore Cider...It's a Fordham product I believe or sold by the same distributor...Aeeeeeeeee...Faire wouldn't be Faire (to me) without Hardcore Cider ;-(

[acroyear70.livejournal.com]

Well, we could always go back to "Fred's"!

(ok, i'm running away now...)

[thewhitedragon.livejournal.com]

[glare]

[blueeowyn.livejournal.com]

Maybe you guys will get The King of Beers (and host of the cute Clydes). I can see the desire for a Clydesdale Petting Zoo at Fest.

[acroyear70.livejournal.com]

highly unlikely, but my knowledge of the festivals relationship (or lack thereof) with A/B is strictly off the rumor mill and i'm not repeating it here, even if locked.

[acroyear70.livejournal.com]

Hardcore is technically from Boston Brewing, aka Sam Adams. It's attached to any contracts that get us Sam Adams beers on draft. I know the Dragon Inn gets them as does the Dragons Tale. I can't remember what other pub/stands get their stuff vs. the coors/rolling rock stuff. I never pay attention to the regular beer stands at all, if you couldn't tell. :)

[blueeowyn.livejournal.com]

I'm more looking at the Clydesdales and what most people seem to think of Budweiser. Personally, I couldn't care less what beer they have at fest since I don't drink the stuff.

[scaleslea.livejournal.com]

Please, if we're going to have beer at Faire, at least let it be good beer.

Doc