Anheuser-Busch InBev has bought the Australian craft brewer 4 Pines with the aim of boosting production and expanding the 10-year-old brand abroad, 4 Pines announced on its website.
Terms were not disclosed, though ABI said it took a 100 percent stake in the New South Wales company via its New York-based ZX Ventures arm and aims to boost production and expand the brand abroad.
New South Wales-based 4 Pines, which operates four venues in the Sydney area including breweries in Brookvale and Manly, says the deal will enable it to expand its brand in Australia and in overseas markets while retaining its employees, culture and identity. 4 Pines, known for its ESB, pale ale, Kolsch, stout and hefeweizen, says its recipes will stay the same and management team will remain intact.
It’s another step by Belgium-based ABI, the largest global brewer, to build a portfolio in Australia, where it already owns Melbourne-based Carlton & United Breweries, which make brands such as Victoria Bitter, Crown Lager and Carlton Draft.
Jan Craps, president of ABI’s Asia Pacific South Zone, said in a statement the company will support 4 Pines’ “ambitious plans for the future, using our expertise and capability to help them get their exceptional beer to more people in Australia and globally.”
Through its subsidiaries, ABI continues its quest to roll up craft brands around the world. Its U.S. brands organized under the banner, The High End, include Goose Island Beer Co., Blue Point Brewing Co., 10 Barrel Brewing Co., Wicked Weed Brewing and Elysian Brewing.
The company also has made a string of acquisitions via its venture arm ZX, which ABI launched in 2015 to invest in the beer category. ZX has purchased breweries and other beer-related concerns in Spain, Belgium, Italy, China, Brazil, Colombia, the U.S. and the U.K.