Boston Beer to buy Pennsylvania brewery
Boston Beer Co., the brewer known for its Samuel Adams brand of beer, said today it has agreed to buy a Pennsylvania brewery for $55 million.
The purchase is expected to take place late next spring, and if the transaction goes as planned, Boston Beer said it will "discontinue exploring the option of building a new brewery in Freetown, Mass."
The seller is Diageo North America Inc., whose British parent is a beverage company known for such brands as Smirnoff vodka, Johnnie Walker Scotch, and Guinness Stout, Boston Beer said.
The company estimated that the Pennsylvania brewery, which is located about 60 miles from Philadelphia, will initially increase Boston Beer's brewing capacity by about 1.6 million barrels of beer annually, with the potential for expansion to over 2 million barrels.
The facility would complement company-owned breweries in Boston and Cincinnati, Boston Beer said.
(By Chris Reidy, Globe staff)
