Columbia Distributing Adds Craft Lines
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Tuesday, April 14, 2015
Jesse Cornett, GoLocalPDX Contributor
Columbia distributing announced this week they are adding two new out of state craft lines to their portfolio: Almanac Beer Co. and Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project.
Fresh on the heels of the exciting announcement that craft beer both produced and consumed in Oregon, Columbia distributing announced this week they are adding two new out of state craft lines to their portfolio:
Almanac Beer Co. and
Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project.
San Francisco based Almanac Beer Co. was founded in 2010. They produce seasonal artisan ales and bill themselves as a “farm to beer” product.
Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project considers their beers to be artistic creations, all of which use Brettanomyces yeast and mature in oak, result in beers of extraordinary complexity.
Columbia Distributing, probably best known for selling Miller Genuine Draft and Red Bull, also carries an impressive array of craft brews as well, most notably Deschutes Brewing.
Distribution in Oregon is a statutorily protected monopoly and brewers exercise great caution in making their decision on whom to have distribute their product. If Almanac or Crooked Stave became unhappy with Columbia Distributing’s representation of their brands, they may have to pay an exorbitant amount to break their contract.
The other major distributor in the Portland area is Maletis Distributing, which started as an offshoot of Columbia. Until a recent acquisition of Columbia, both companies, located just hundreds of yards apart, were owned by brothers. There are a variety of smaller distributors in Portland, with Point Blank Distributing being the most prominent.
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