Beer lovers express mixed reactions to Fuller's Dark Star takeover
The deal, which will see Fuller’s take a 100% stake in the business, gives Dark Star access to the funds to invest in new markets and increase sales of its beer brands, which include Hophead, APA, Dark Star Original and Revelation, as revealed by The Morning Advertiser's sister title MCA.
Dark Star will continue to operate as a stand-alone business brewing at its Partridge Green site, while managing director James Cuthbertson will remain at the helm. Cuthbertson will work on a three-year strategy to grow the business firstly in Sussex then nationally.
New thinking
Shortly after the announcement people took to Twitter, with some excited and praising the move and others not so convinced.
Whereas some see it as a "bit of heritage and a bit of newer brewing thinking" mixed together, others are concerned "nothing good will come" from the partnership.
And, while The Morning Advertiser columnist Sophie Atherton said she "never saw the move coming", others were less surprised stating something like this was "inevitable".
Below The Morning Advertiser looks at a range of tweets that demonstrate the beer world's mixed feelings towards the acquisition.
Reading up on @Fullers@Darkstarbrewco purchase has me thirsting for cask; been too long since I was last in the UK. One result of this should be finding Dark Star ales in Fullers pubs, no? Because, I'm cool with that.
— Joe Stange (@Thirsty_Pilgrim) February 20, 2018
It will kind of take the magic away if Dark Star beers are brewed as a brand out of the Fullers Brewery for distribution and not Sussex.
— Foleybräu (@foleybrewing) February 20, 2018
Sounds like a great year to carry on being a Dark Star Beer Club member then :) Best of luck to you all.
— David Brockley (@DavidBrockley) February 20, 2018
Fuller's has a good - not perfect, but good - track record of supporting a diverse range of beers, and the Dark Star range feels genuinely complementary. For what it's worth, I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt.
— John Porter (@Pieandapint) February 20, 2018
@Fullers and @Darkstarbrewco what a great combination. Bit of heritage and a bit of newer brewing thinking.
— glynn davis (@GlynnDavis) February 20, 2018
My bite sized take: Fullers is an independent brewery with an annual barrel production of around 274,000, around one quarter that of a brewery like Sierra Nevada. So this does not feel like a "big brewery" takeover to me.
— Matthew Curtis (@totalcurtis) February 20, 2018
HOLY SHIT! I repeat... HOLY SHIT! @Fullers buys @Darkstarbrewco! I’m so scared and excited. I feel so alive! #NationWideHophead? pic.twitter.com/kklCa2qqE7
— john robins (@nomadicrevery) February 20, 2018
These things happen - I'm not up in arms about it. Successful start-ups will inevitably mostly end up being bought out by bigger players
— Pub Curmudgeon (@oldmudgie) February 20, 2018
