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Serial bev-alc entrepreneur Josh Landan, who will lead the newly merged parent company of Ninkasi Brewing and Ashland Hard Seltzer, went deeper into the details of the merger and future plans for the brands with Brewbound this week. 

Landan shared how the deal developed from a contract brewing relationship (85% of Wings & Arrow’s production was done at the Eugene, Oregon-based craft brewery) to an equity rollup under the new Great Frontier Holdings umbrella. 

A few highlights:

• Ninkasi, Ashland and the other Wings & Arrow brands will have 250,000 barrels of capacity at their disposal, which Landan expects to fill by the end of 2024;
• Great Frontier is shopping for a San Diego brewery and is kicking the tires of several;
• Ashland doubled its business last year to just under 40,000 barrels;
• A Ninkasi brand refresh is coming in August;
• Great Frontier is developing a cider brand for the Pacific Northwest;
• And the “lion’s share” of the 60,000 barrels dedicated for contract brewing will be used by Montucky Cold Snacks and Mother Road Brewing Company.

Insiders can read the full Q&A here. 

Hard seltzer brand Willie’s Superbrew will be resurrected this summer in New England, with industry vet Mark Hegedus as CEO. 

The relaunch will start with two flavors: Juicy Tangy Zesty “ginger-lemon hard seltzer with a dash of turmeric” and Mango Tango made with mango and passionfruit. 

Additional offerings and seasonal flavors are expected to follow in the coming months.

Hegedus comes to Willie’s after stints at Untitled Art, Founders, Magic Hat, Anheuser-Busch’s craft division and Red Bull. 

The Willie’s brand was acquired in September after a spring of tumult that saw it cease production.

Saucy Brew Works closed its Detroit taproom yesterday with no notice, citing “various factors” in its announcement on the location’s Facebook page. 

The taproom opened in early 2021 as Saucy’s fourth location and first facility outside of its home state of Ohio. Saucy CEO Brent Zimmerman gave more details about the closure in an interview with Cleveland.com, saying the taproom “never caught any steam,” and faced several hurdles from the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Several other breweries announced closures recently:

Brewery 85 will serve its last beer Saturday after more than a decade in Greenville, South Carolina. The family-owned brewery – self described as a cross of “Southern culture with craft beer spirit” and “traditional German brewing techniques” – announced the news Tuesday on social media and did not give a reason for the closure, but thanked everyone that “made our dream possible.” 

Fish Tale Brew Pub in Olympia, Washington, is closing after more than 40 years, the brewpub announced last week in an Instagram post. The company was unable to reach an agreement for a lease renewal and will have its last day June 25. The Olympian has more details.

Cliffside Brewing, a Wallingford, Connecticut-based nanobrewery, ceased taproom operations on Saturday, May 27. The brewery is changing to a distribution-focused model, according to a post on Facebook. 

Georgia’s Burnt Hickory Brewery is also transitioning its business strategy. The brewery paused all operations and closed its Kennesaw taproom indefinitely on May 31. 

Burnt Hickory cited the drastically changing craft beer industry for the decision, writing in an Instagram post that it plans to focus on “our community and on our taproom,” and will be taking its time to find a new “top-tier” location.

And Portland, Oregon-based Hammer & Stitch Brewing Co. has closed after five years, the company announced Tuesday on Facebook. Ownership is looking to sell the business and equipment, preferably as a turnkey acquisition. Details on the space and equipment are available to download on the brewery’s website. 

Michigan’s Saugatuck Brewing Company has made a pair of c-suite hires , tapping John Miller as president and CEO and Brad Mixan as CFO. 

Miller and Mixan join a craft brewery that has been acquisitive in recent years, plucking Kalamazoo-based Gonzo’s Biggdogg Brewing in 2019 and Grand Rapids-based Creston Brewery in 2021.

Saugatuck produced 12,312 barrels of beer in 2022, a -7% decline, according to the Brewers Association's New Brewer Magazine.

Miller’s experience includes serving as general manager and operating partner of Double Eagle Distributing in South Florida and 22 years in various sales and marketing leadership roles at Anheuser-Busch. He succeeds Ric Gillette, who had served as president and CEO since 2009.

Meanwhile, Heineken has appointed Joanna Price as chief corporate affairs officer , effective July 1. Price will supplant Stacey Tank, who is leaving the company August 4 to rejoin her family, which moved to the U.S. a year ago.

Price joins Heineken from Coca-Cola, where she served as senior VP for public affairs, communications and sustainability for North America. She will report to Heineken CEO and chairman on the executive team. Her role will encompass government affairs and public policy, sustainable development and global communications.

The Brewbound team and special guest Weekend Insider newsletter writer Sean McNulty review the Brewers Association’s annual craft beer volume data and discuss the latest craft brewery deals. 

Follow the link to listen.

Brewbound Insiders are reading the full interview with Ashland Hard Seltzer founder Josh Landan on his company's merger with Ninkasi. Insiders are also getting all of the insights from the latest 3 Tier Beverages quarterly scan data breakdown. They're also reading why flavor is the present and future of bev-alc and much more. Become an Insider today .