BrewDog backlash over Camden Town Brewery’s AB InBev deal

22-Dec-2015 - Last updated on 17-Apr-2024 at 14:42 GMT

Camden Town Brewery's sale to AB InBev has caused a craft beer backlash

Related tags Ab inbev Beer Stella artois Brewing

Scottish craft brewer BrewDog has pulled Camden Town Brewery’s beers from its bars, after the north London craft brewer was acquired by global beer giant AB InBev.

BrewDog’s co-founder James Watt said the firm would no longer sell Camden Town’ s beer – including Hells Lager and Gentleman’s Wit – because it chose not to stock AB InBev products.

The deal, which will see Camden Town Brewery become a wholly-owned subsidiary of AB InBev, comes just weeks after the brewer announced it was planning to offload craft brewer Meantime.

AB InBev acquired London-based Meantime as part of its mega buyout of SABMiller for £68bn.

Camden Town would “complement” AB InBev’s existing portfolio of brands, which includes lager brands Budweiser, Beck’s, Corona and Stella Artois, its European director of specialities and craft Iain Newell claimed.

‘Global distribution network’

“We will support their ambitious plans for the future, using our expertise and global distribution network to help them get their great beer to more people,” he said.

Camden Town said the deal would allow it to expand its operations to provide its products to more people and grow from a London brewer to a “world famous one”.

It is planning a bigger brewery, to employ more people and to expand internationally, the firm confirmed.

The brewer’s founder Jasper Cuppaidge, who also owns the Horseshoe Pub in Hampstead Camden Town, said he believed he must have the ambition to grab the opportunity to work with AB InBev.

‘Expanding our brewery capacity’

“Our growth has been phenomenal. To keep up with the demand for our distinctive beers we’ve had to look at expanding our brewing capacity and team,” he said.

“AB InBev is going to be our strategic partner, helping us maintain the character and quality of our beers, while giving us access to the investment we need to drive Camden to being ever more successful at home and abroad.

Founded in 2010, Camden Town has grown from a business with just three staff to one that now employs 95 and has sold 12M pints over the past five years.

Meanwhile, AB InBev is struggling to sell its Peroni and Grolsch brands, also acquired in the SABMiller deal, with potential buyers at risk of facing competition issues or lacking the capital, a leading business expert warned.