Since its inception in 2012, Wicked Weed has created over 500 hoppy and sour beers.
Anheuser-Busch will add Wicked Weed Brewing – a craft beer maker based in North Carolina – to its craft business arm The High End.
The five-year-old company, which has created more than 500 different beers since its foundation, is now best known for its west coast-style IPAs, its Belgian blonde and a range of barrel-aged sour and farmhouse ales.
It operates four facilities in Asheville, North Carolina: its original Downtown brewpub, where they produce over 150 different beers a year; a dedicated sour beer taproom and barrel house; a 50-barrel production brewery; as well as a corporate headquarters with custom-designed brewhouse and training facility.
Both companies have agreed not to publicly disclose the terms of the agreement.
“This is an exciting time for the entire brewing team,” said Wicked Weed co-founder Walt Dickinson. “Our ability to create a wide range of really well-executed beers that are focused on creativity, quality and drinkability is what makes Wicked Weed great. We have chosen to partner with The High End to position ourselves to make Wicked Weed what we imagined it could be when we first sat at a craft beer bar and talked about opening a brewery. As a brewer, giving our team more resources to continue innovating our portfolio, and the ability to reach more craft drinkers, allows us to keep putting the beer and the people first.”
Felipe Szpigel, president of The High End business division for Anheuser-Busch, added: “We are excited to welcome… the entire Wicked Weed team into our High End family. It’s clear to me that Wicked Weed is redefining what sophistication in beer can mean, with their amazing offerings being relevant in a wide variety of occasions. Their ability to brew the highest quality beers, in a variety of styles, along with their exciting barrel programme, leads me to be optimistic about what our futures hold together.”
Wicked Weed co-founder Rick Guthy highlighted the importance of Asheville, North Carolina to the company’s operations, and reiterated its commitment to brewing beer in the city in the years ahead.
“Asheville has been our home for almost 30 years, and we believe this partnership will benefit our entire community, which has a deeply rooted passion for beer,” he added. “With our team’s heightened ability to innovate our hoppy and sour styles using the highest-quality ingredients around, we hope more and more beer drinkers will flock to Asheville to taste what we have to offer. Our pub and ‘Funkatorium’ will stay focused on producing creative beers and will be part of Asheville’s beer tourism for years to come.”
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