Drake’s Brewing Acquires Bear Republic Brewing

(San Leandro, CA) – The Full Pint has learned that California heritage craft brewery Bear Republic Brewing has been acquired by Drake’s Brewing. While details of the transition are emerging, we know that Drake’s has possession of the beers, the intellectual property and will begin brewing and distributing Bear Republic brands. Other breweries with capacity were considered for this transaction. This news comes over a month after Bear Republic’s Rohnert Park Taproom  closed. Bear Republic has seen market share and market present shrink over the past ten years, where we have seen them retract from markets and regions. We hope to share more info as we receive it here on the website and our podcast. Here is an email we have obtained that was sent out to members of the Drake’s supply chain.

Hello Drake’s Team!

We are writing today to announce some exciting news. Our company has agreed to acquire the brands of the well-known and greatly respected, Bear Republic Brewing Company. This acquisition includes the brands only and does not include the brewery itself.

This acquisition represents a significant step forward in our company’s future growth and our mission to bring people together over craft beer. With the addition of the Bear Republic brands, including the iconic Racer 5 IPA, their other recipes, and the brand’s wide recognition, we are now better positioned to achieve that goal.

We understand that changes like this can be concerning, but we want to assure all of you that our commitment to maintaining the high standards of quality and creativity that you have come to expect from our brewery remains unchanged. The Production &

Sales teams are working diligently to integrate the acquired brands in a way that builds on our strengths and creates new opportunities for growth.

We also want to acknowledge the many years of hard work and dedication of our good friends the Norgrove family and their employees at Bear Republic. Their contributions to the craft beer industry have been vast, and we look forward to honoring their legacy and continue to build upon it in the future. Rich Norgrove will become a team member in the Drake’s organization.

As we move forward, we are confident that we will be able to successfully integrate the Bear Republic brands into our facilities and deliver even more delicious and innovative beers to customers to California and beyond.

You may receive calls or inquiries from the media, if you do, please direct them to email their questions to [email protected].

Thank you all for your continued commitment to Drake’s and the craft beer industry!

Regards,

John & Roy