Brewscape: The Latest Craft Beer Brand News

Brewers Association Taps Bart Watson as Next CEO

The Brewers Association (BA) has named Bart Watson as the trade group’s next president and CEO.

Watson succeeded Bob Pease, who retired from the organization on January 3. His first day in the new role was January 6.

“I am honored to be chosen to lead the Brewers Association, and I look forward to building on the strong foundation laid by the leaders before me,” Watson said in the announcement. “Craft has been going through a difficult period and I am committed to finding ways to help our members navigate those challenges. Our members are incredibly innovative and adaptable entrepreneurs, and I’m ready to work with them and for them to support their businesses and bring excitement back to the category.”

The BA board of directors confirmed his appointment at a December 12 board meeting.

“Bart’s in-depth understanding of the craft beer industry and landscape and his decade-plus of experience within the Brewers Association makes him uniquely poised to step into the president and CEO role on day one with a strategic vision and plan,” Leah Cheston, board chair, said in the announcement. “The board of directors is excited for the next chapter and looks forward to working with Bart to chart the path forward for our members and our industry.”

In his new role, Watson will be tasked with addressing “legislative and regulatory issues impacting independent craft breweries and producers,” championing brewers in the media and across industries, overseeing the development of events and member resources and supporting the organization’s board in its “ongoing development as a strategic governing body.”

Watson has served as chief economist of the BA since 2013. He was promoted in April to VP of strategy and later was named as VP of strategy and membership in a staff reorganization last month.

Pease announced plans to retire in July, after 32 years with various versions of the trade group.

Harpoon and Smuttynose Parent Companies Merge to Form Barrel One Collective

Two New England legacy craft houses are merging in a deal that unites 14 brands.

The parent companies of Harpoon and Smuttynose – Mass. Bay Brewing Company and FinestKind Brewing, respectively – have merged to form Barrel One Collective, the companies announced in news first shared with Brewbound on December 31.

Barrel One Collective is poised to become the largest maker of craft beer in New England and the 14th largest in the country by Brewers Association (BA) data. Combined, the brands produced 165,000 barrels of beer in 2023, according to the release.

“This merger is about much more than just growth,” Mass. Bay founder Dan Kenary said in the announcement. “It’s about honoring our legacy while writing an exciting next chapter for our companies and the Northeast craft beer industry at large.”

Mass. Bay and FinestKind each bring a wide portfolio of brands to the new roll-up. Mass. Bay’s book includes Harpoon, UFO, Long Trail, Clown Shoes, Otter Creek, The Shed, Catamount, Dunkin’ Spiked and Right Coast Spirits, while FinestKind makes and sells Wachusett, Five Boroughs and Island District Cocktails, in addition to Smuttynose.

Kenary will lead Barrel One Collective as CEO and FinestKind CEO Steve Kierstead will serve as chief commercial officer, according to the release.

“FinestKind Brewing is a fellow Northeast craft trailblazer that shares our passion for brewing excellence, innovation, and creating quality brews our communities can be proud of,” Kenary said in the release. “With a combined 75 years of craft brewing expertise, this merger represents our commitment to setting these companies on an exciting growth trajectory and continuing to bring the very best products to our fervent customer base.”

With the combination of companies there are “unfortunately, some redundancies,” Kenary told Brewbound and declined to specify how many jobs have been eliminated.

The new company’s name pays homage to Harpoon’s brewing permit, which was numbered #001 as the first the Commonwealth of Massachusetts had issues for commercial brewing after several dormant decades. Harpoon was founded in 1986, two years after fellow Boston-based craft pioneer Samuel Adams, which was contract brewed elsewhere.

Cynthia Fisher, Jim Koch’s Wife, to Inherit Controlling Interest in Boston Beer

Cynthia Fisher, the wife of Boston Beer founder and chairman Jim Koch for more than three decades, will one day inherit his controlling interest in the company, Koch told the Wall Street Journal.

“She doesn’t hit anybody’s radar screens, but she is a force of nature,” Koch said of Fisher, a Boston Beer board member who became a successful healthcare entrepreneur, founding cord blood stem-cell banking company ViaCord in 1993 and selling it for $300 million in 2007.

The actual succession plan is a marked change from 75-year-old Koch’s typical answer of “don’t die.”

Koch holds the entirety of Boston Beer’s Class B voting shares, which will transfer to Fisher in the future, he told the outlet.

When the succession plan will unfold is still unknown since Koch has no plans to retire, he told the Journal.

California Craft Brewers Association Picks Kelsey McQuaid-Craig as Next Executive Director

The California Craft Brewers Association (CCBA) has appointed Kelsey McQuaid-Craig as the state trade group’s new executive director.

McQuaid-Craig succeeds Lori Ajax, who announced plans to exit the role at the end of the year. The leadership transition has already begun, which the trade group described as “collaborative and overlapping transition” that “ensures the CCBA will remain at the forefront of advocating on behalf of its membership, as well as ensuring strategic partnerships with allied organizations will continue.”

Ajax had held the executive director role since January 2021, taking over for long-time executive director Tom McCormick, who retired.

McQuaid-Craig joins the CCBA from outside of the beer and bev-alc industries. She most recently served as director of policy and programs with the California Chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians. She holds a master’s degree in Public Administration and is a Certified Association Executive.

“As a dedicated association professional who enjoys a good craft beer, I look forward to learning from and engaging with the CCBA Board and members to strengthen the California craft brewing industry,” McQuaid-Craig said in the announcement.

CCBA board chair Sierra Grossman added: “The Board knows that Kelsey will focus on ensuring the CCBA’s organization is as strong as it can be as we continue to be challenged in our ever-changing economic climate. With a strong association, we can continue to play a pivotal role in being the voice of craft brewers at the state Capitol.”

The CCBA is the largest and oldest state trade organization representing craft breweries in the U.S. having formed in 1989. California ranks first in the nation with 987 craft breweries and more than 3.245 million barrels of beer produced, according to national trade group Brewers Association.