Skagit Valley Malting has permanently closed and is expected to file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy liquidation, a now-former employee confirmed to Brewbound. 

The Burlington, Washington-based craft malthouse has yet to formally announce that it has ceased operations and filings have yet to appear on Washington bankruptcy court sites. However, the business is listed as “permanently closed” by Google. Messages left with the company were not returned as of press time. 

Washington Beer Blog first reported the closure and the anticipated bankruptcy filing, citing one employee who said, “The powers that be decided to pull the plug.” 

A follow-up report by Grow Skagit noted that the Port of Skagit was informed of the closure on Friday.

Eric Buist, Skagit Valley Malting’s marketing manager, told Brewbound that employees were informed of the closure and the planned bankruptcy filing last Thursday.

Become a Brewbound Insider to get the full story.

Stoup Brewing has shared plans to acquire Optimism Brewing, a fellow Seattle-based craft brewery.

The deal is scheduled to close in late August, with Stoup acquiring all the brewery’s assets and operating the brand under the Stoup name moving forward. Optimism owners Gay Gilmore and Troy Hakala will retain ownership of the brewery’s 16,000 sq. ft. building, which will become Stoup’s third location, according to a press release.

“After two years of building Optimism, nearly eight years of brewing and selling beer, including two years of COVID resiliency, we’ve reached a plateau and logical transition point,” Hakala said in the release. “We’re happy this opens doors and opportunities for Stoup to grow.”

Stoup plans to retain as many of Optimism’s 11 full-time and 10 part-time employees as possible, adding them to its own team of nearly 60 members across its two taproom locations. Gilmore and Hakala were also “purposeful in giving their own staff ample notice before the transition and providing severance pay to those who will not continue with Stoup,” according to the release.

Financial details of the deal were not disclosed. More details here.

Lucky Bucket Brewery is back in familiar hands.

The Omaha, Nebraska-based brewery and its sister brand Cut Spike Distillery have been acquired by Lucky Bucket founding partner Zac Triemert.

Triemert, who is also the owner of Brickway Brewery and Distillery, co-founded Lucky Bucket in 2008. He sold the company in 2012, opening Brickway the next year, KETV reported.

“As a founder of this brewery, and an early and current craft beer fan, my goal is to return Lucky Bucket to the place it once had, as a ubiquitous Nebraska craft beer that you can find in the bars, restaurants, and liquor stores in Nebraska from the Missouri River to the panhandle,” Triemert said in a press release.

“There will be some changes, moving from bottles to cans, returning our Pre-Prohibition Lager and Certified Evil to the amazing original recipes, and making the taproom an even better place to enjoy craft beer and spirits,” he continued. “No matter what, our goal is to be a place that local beer and spirits lovers and those from across Nebraska want to visit to find an old standby or a new favorite.”

Lucky Bucket will remain open for the next 30-45 days, before undergoing a planned eight-week renovation period. Renewed production and a “grand re-launch” is planned for the fall. More details here.

Beers With(out) Beards, a festival dedicated to showcasing and celebrating women in craft beer, is now Women in Beer.

The group, which also hosts meet ups and will soon launch a mentorship program, announced the name change on social media yesterday and said the main reason for the change was to be “as inclusive as possible.”

“A few reasons [for] that change, the main one being that we wanted our name to be as inclusive as possible and we felt the ‘without’ part was not reflecting this,” Women in Beer wrote in a Twitter thread.

“We also wanted to reaffirm that we’re inclusive of all women (including our trans sisters) and not allowing anyone to doubt about this,” they continued. 

Brewbound spoke to Women in Beer founder Grace Weitz last year for the Brewbound Podcast. Weitz was joined by Barrel and Flow co-founded Day Bracey to discuss creating welcoming, community-centric beer festivals. Listen to the full episode here, or on your favorite podcast platform, including iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher and Spotify (search “Crafting Community-Centric Beer Festivals”).

Maui Brewing Company is adding a third restaurant on the Hawaiian island as the anchor restaurant at Outrigger Kā‘anapali Beach Resort, the company announced Tuesday.

The location is slated to open in early August with “limited operations.” It will feature “expansive outdoor lanai seating, an open-air interior and family-friendly vibe” while also paying tribute to the brewery’s history. 

Once fully open, the space will offer 36 beers on tap and “island-inspired cuisine poolside, as well as room service and catering for large events on the resort grounds.”

Maui’s original restaurant in Kahana is slated to be remodeled in 2024.

Cape May Spirits Co., the spirits arm of Cape May Brewing Company, debuted this week with a line of vodka-based, ready-to-drink canned cocktails (RTDs).

The RTD line “Beach Blends” features two flavors – Orange Vodka Crush and Tropical Vodka Punch – available in single-flavor 12 oz. can 4-packs. The line is being distributed throughout New Jersey via Cape May’s distribution arm, Cape Beverage Distributing.

“Made for the art of day-drinking, these RTD canned cocktails, featuring all natural ingredients and premium spirits, are idyllic for warm summer afternoons, marathon beach days, and social hang-outs,” Cape May wrote in a press release. “Lasting all day in the sun requires a beverage that’s day-to-night friendly and Beach Blends are just that.”

More details here.

As Blake’s Hard Cider celebrates its tenth anniversary, the Armada, Michigan-based cidery is expanding its core lineup with two new year-round ciders. 

The first, Original, pays homage to “simplicity and approachability” with “bright acidity,” sweetness and 5.5% ABV. The second, Jam Session, is the 4.5% ABV “best friend” to the company’s 6.5% ABV Triple Jam, with a “jammy aroma and flavor,” 110 calories, 4g of sugar.

“We got excited about making delicious, flavor-packed yet light in body ciders to be enjoyed on any occasion when we talked about them internally,” Blake’s Hard Cider owner and founder Andrew Blake said in a press release. “And, as we spoke to consumers, we knew this was something they were eager for also.”

More details here.

Brewbound’s next Brew Talks meetup in Boston on July 12 will explore what’s next for the popular hazy IPA style. New England-style IPAs on a national basis have seen sales slow. How do New England brewers view the future of the style and innovation within it? 

The panel will feature: 

• Dino Funari, Vitamin Sea founder;
• Kimberly Golinski, Wormtown Brewery president and GM.
• Megan Parisi, head brewer of the Samuel Adams downtown Boston taproom;
• Naveen Pawar, co-founder of Mighty Squirrel Brewing Co.

Brew Talks will take place from 3-6 p.m. ET at the Samuel Adams brewery in Jamaica Plain. 

Additional speakers on the program include: 

• Kristen Burke, Burke Distributing chief corporate growth officer;
• Dave Williams, Bump Williams Consulting VP of analytics and insights;
• Sam Calagione, Dogfish Head co-founder;
• Adam Romanow, Castle Island co-founder.

Some of the proceeds will go to the Massachusetts Brewers Guild. Get your tickets today.