Is Heineken seeking to take a stake in Beavertown?

29-May-2018 - Last updated on 29-May-2018 at 14:37 GMT

Gossip or true? Heineken refuses to confirm or deny talk of Beavertown investment

Related tags Beer Heineken Craft beer

Beer and cider giant Heineken is rumoured to be in talks to take a stake in craft brewer Beavertown.

The Morning Advertiser (MA) understands Dutch brewer Heineken is set to buy into the brand, which was founded in 2012 by Logan Plant.

If true, the deal could be similar to the beer behemoth’s recent 49% stake in Brixton Brewery last year.

Beavertown did not respond to an MA request for comment, however, a Heineken spokeswoman said: “It’s our policy not to comment on rumour and speculation in the marketplace.”

Beavertown announced plans

Earlier this month, Beavertown announced plans to move the brewing of some of its flagship beers to Belgium, ahead of a move to a new “large-scale production facility” in 2019.

Gamma Ray and Neck Oil will be brewed at Brouwerij De Brabandere, Belgium, and exported to the UK in kegs.

The move was announced in a post on Beavertown’s website, which read: “Over the past four years we haven’t always been able to be immediately forthcoming with beer due to not growing beyond our production means and capacity constraints on site.

“It’s been update after update, new FV’s after new FV’s, hop cannons, centrifuges and brewing at Redchurch to help provide temporary respite from a lack of beer.

‘Needed more space’

“We knew a few years back that we needed more space to brew and to grow so that we could keep pushing the boundaries of where craft beer is seen and drunk. After all, there is no good reason to drink bad beer any more in the UK!”

Beavertown hopes to create a new large-scale production facility and “visitor experience” at the new site, which is being designed from scratch by the brewer.

“Over the course of the next 18 months, brewing with Brouwerij De Brabandere will allow us to organically grow the amount of beer available to the trade,” the post continued.

“But also, very importantly, it will mean that when Beaverworld is fully operational we will have spent serious time learning how to brew on a kit the same size and specification as we are investing in, helping us to transition seamlessly into our new home and hit the ground running.”