MIAMI -- Is Anheuser-Busch about to kill two birds with one stone?
Recent strategic moves suggest the company is looking to be part of the imported and craft-beer segments, the former the fastest-growing segment in the beer category and the latter appealing to the most dedicated beer connoisseurs. Now new reports suggest the company is tackling both subcategories at once.
A-B's High End division will launch the Veza Sur Brewing Co. in Miami this summer, tapping Colombia's Bogota Beer Co. and Oregon's 10 Barrel Brewing—both of which A-B partially owns—for the collaboration, according to a report in the Miami New Times.
The mix of Latin inspiration with craft-beer roots has the potential to hit a sweet spot with beer drinkers.
"We’ve always enjoyed visiting Miami, which has an amazing culture, and have had interest in starting a craft brewery that can meld multiple cultures," said Chris Cox, co-founder of 10 Barrel Brewing, about his twin brother and himself.
The new brewery comes on the heels of multiple steps by Anheuser-Busch to move beyond its domestic-beer roots.
Over the past few years, the St. Louis-based company has purchased several craft-beer brewers in part or whole, including 10 Barrel, Goose Island, Four Peaks and others. The moves were enough to drive A-B to create the High End business unit in 2014 to manage the brands.
The brewer also has taken aim at the popular and growing Mexican import subcategory by bringing Montejo to the United States in 2014 and launching imported Estrella Jalisco in March 2016.
Veza Sur is set to open early this summer with a 15-barrel brewhouse and a 5,000-square-foot taproom. No word if or when beers from the collaboration might hit retail shelves.
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