Duvel Moortgat acquires American craft beer pioneer

Duvel Moortgat is acquiring the American beer brand Stone—one of the pioneers of the American craft beer movement—from the Japanese brewer Sapporo. A few weeks ago, the brewer also acquired the American lager brand Trumer.

Acquisition opportunities

It is Firestone Walker, the American subsidiary of the Belgian company Duvel Moortgat, that is acquiring Stone Brewing from Sapporo, which wants to focus on its own brand. Stone, founded in 1996, is known for beers such as Stone IPA, Stone Pilsner, and Stone Hazy IPA. Duvel Moortgat will now brew the beers at two of its existing American breweries, reports De Tijd.

This marks the Belgian brewer’s second U.S. acquisition in just a few weeks, as earlier this month Duvel Moortgat purchased the American pilsner brand Trumer from The Gambrinus Company. This is noteworthy because the U.S. beer market is struggling. The U.S.’s share of the Belgian company’s revenue has dropped from 36% to 30%, but CEO Michel Moortgat sees opportunities to snap up bargains.