• 🧑🏻‍⚖️ Edward Teach Files 2 Defamation Lawsuits
• 🌎 Earth Rider Brewing Founder Tim Nelson
• 🌁 New Belgium Closes San Francisco Taproom
• 🪧 Teamsters: A-B Strike is 'Unavoidable’
• ⛪️ The Lost Abbey Holy Water Sparkling Hop Water
• ⚽️ A-B Releases Full Michelob Ultra Super Bowl Ad

Edward Teach Brewing (ETB) has filed a pair of lawsuits connected to a Facebook post that the Wilmington, North Carolina-based craft brewery claims defames it and its owner Gary Sholar. 

The complaints were filed against the author of the post, Madonna Nash, and former ETB brewer Erik Van Peterson, who allegedly affixed stickers with QR codes to ETB products on supermarket shelves. When scanned, the QR codes led consumers to Nash’s Facebook post, which was published on December 29 and has been shared more than 1,100 times as of February 1.

In the post, Nash shared her version of her daughter Asia Daye’s experience singing at ETB’s taproom on November 16. Nash claimed a “visibly intoxicated” Sholar tried to join Daye in a song, which scared her, so she stopped playing. 

Nash described an interaction between Sholar and Daye’s friend in which Sholar “became very angry, freak[ed] out and started cursing.” Nash alleged that Sholar was “visibly drunk off of his ass, erratic, aggressive, and terrorizing my daughter and the patrons of his own bar.”

The first complaint, filed on January 25 in the North Carolina General Court of Justice Superior Court Division for New Hanover County, focuses on Peterson, ETB’s head brewer from August 2017 through February 2022, who allegedly placed the QR code stickers on packages of ETB beer at two Harris Teeter grocery stores on January 2. 

ETB accuses Peterson of tortious interference with prospective economic advantage, libel per se and violation of the Unfair and Deceptive Trade Practices Act.

In its complaint, ETB claims that Peterson was “acting in his individual capacity” when he allegedly affixed the stickers to ETB products and “not in any official capacity on behalf of Flying Machine Brewing.”

The second complaint, filed on January 31 in the North Carolina General Court of Justice Superior Court Division for Brunswick County, is focused on Nash and accuses her of libel per se, libel per quod, tortious interference with prospective economic advantage, tortious interference with contract and business relationships and unfair or deceptive trade practices. 

ETB asked the court for a permanent injunction against Nash, a jury trial, compensatory damages in the amount of $25,000, punitive damages determined at trial and attorneys’ fees.

ETB’s complaint against Nash includes screenshots of a Facebook Messenger conversation between her and taproom manager Amy Cavasos, and affidavits from two employees and two patrons who were in the taproom on November 16.

Nash told Cavasos: “I mean no harm to your staff. At the same time, if these things were true then I would stand by what I said. It’s a shame if this was to affect them personally. But it wouldn’t be my fault in truth.”  

For its part, ETB published a rebuttal saying that “much” of the December 29 post was “totally false and slanderous” and has resulted in “a vicious and misguided campaign to destroy the brewery’s business and to throw its employees (and their families) out of work.”

Insiders can read more about the lawsuit, a video from the taproom on November 16, and alleged threats made against the brewery.

Welcome to Brewbound’s inaugural A Round With, a new weekly feature that grabs a round with beer industry leaders to discuss business challenges, wins … and maybe even have a little fun?

Want to be featured? Email news@brewbound.com. 

Our first guest is Tim Nelson, founder and CEO of Earth Rider Brewing in Superior, Wisconsin, which recently hosted President Joe Biden, Sens. Tina Smith and Amy Klobuchar (both D-MN), Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers. The elected officials gathered at the brewery for a press conference about a $5 billion project to upgrade the John A. Blatnik Bridge, which connects Wisconsin and Minnesota. 

What went through your mind when you were first approached about hosting the president?

A somewhat embarrassing thing was that I didn't trust the call when they said, "Hi Tim. This is ... from the White House." I thought it was a robocall and hung up. I didn't think any more of it until our events coordinator texted to see if I'd gotten his message and to call him ASAP! It was exciting for us to host a President. I especially didn't think they would have me personally greet and welcome him, let my family meet him, or invite me to ride in “the Beast” with him from the brewery to the taproom (two blocks). 

What kind of preparations did you have to do before the visit?

We needed to rent several tractor-truck trailers to load all of the contents out of the brewery. Most of the cans, kegs, and small equipment were moved out. The Secret Service conducted personnel checks, ran perimeter safety protocols, and blocked windows. The White House staff directed where we should forklift aging barrels and pallets of cans for visual barriers and backdrop.  

Which beer(s) did the governors and/or White House staffers sample? Any feedback?

Looking at the check now... It looks like "Tap Shack - Caribbean-style Lager" was the overall favorite. Sen. Amy Klobuchar said she was enjoying it while we spoke, and she was interested in hearing more about the ingredients we use. 

Insiders can read the rest of the conversation.

New Belgium shuttered its San Francisco taproom yesterday, after nearly three years in business, the company announced.

New Belgium said in a press release: “The San Francisco taproom and restaurant has suffered financially in recent years, and, after careful consideration, we have decided to focus and invest in our other hospitality operations.”

The taproom, located in the city’s Mission Bay neighborhood, opened in April 2021. Prior to that, Australia’s Little Creatures, a sibling brewery to New Belgium under the Lion Little World Beverages umbrella, occupied the 6,300 sq. ft. space. 

Little Creatures opened in July 2019, four months before Lion’s acquisition of New Belgium was announced and eight months before the COVID-19 pandemic forced the closure of the on-premise nationwide. Little Creatures closed the taproom in March 2020 and never reopened.

New Belgium announced it was rebranding the space in September 2020. 

All employees have been offered severance packages or, when applicable, jobs in other parts of the New Belgium ecosystem. Ramon Tomayo, who has been the taproom’s head brewer since it opened, will remain with the company, a spokesperson told Brewbound.

Insiders can read more about the closure and San Francisco’s post-pandemic recovery rate.

Teamsters general president Sean M. O’Brien said a work stoppage at Anheuser-Busch InBev’s (A-B ) U.S. production facilities “appears imminent and unavoidable,” according to a release from the union Thursday morning. 

O’Brien has demanded A-B to “deliver its last, best, and final offer,” following what the union called a “wasted” negotiating session” that yielded “an unacceptable proposal that threatens to kill Teamster jobs by closing breweries and permanently laying off Teamsters system wide.”

O’Brien said: “With its actions during negotiations this week, Anheuser-Busch made clear it is hellbent on destroying American jobs. They can throw billions of dollars at Super Bowl ads and Wall Street, but they can’t seem to bargain a contract that respects the Teamsters who do the real work inside these breweries. They have a harsh reality awaiting them when Anheuser-Busch breweries are empty, and Teamsters are on the streets.”

Jeff Padellaro, director of the Teamsters Brewery, Bakery, and Soft Drink Conference, added: “I want to be very clear that our members will not work a minute past the February 29 expiration of our current contract without an agreement in hand that is worthy of their labor.”

A-B’s contract with the Teamsters expires February 29. The union, representing 5,000 A-B Teamsters members, has promised to strike on March 1 should a new deal not be reached.

According to the Teamsters, A-B denied union negotiators' request for Juneteenth as a paid holiday during negotiations this week, and the company proposed that Teamsters give up an existing contractual holiday.

An A-B spokesperson released the following statement: “The Teamsters’ social media posts are false – we have not made a decision regarding our breweries and beer production will continue uninterrupted – and we invite union leadership to return to the bargaining table to reach an agreement that continues to recognize and reward our brewery employees."

The Lost Abbey is now offering Holy Water non-alcoholic sparkling hop water in its taprooms. The Vista, California-based craft brewery is offering Holy Water in 4-packs of 16 oz. cans for $8.99. 

Lost Abbey founder Tomme Arthur told Brewbound that the hope was to have it in time for Dry January, but didn’t get it out until a couple of days ago. Arthur added that the goal is to offer consumers who aren’t interested in beer an alternative within the brewery’s tasting rooms.

The first round of Holy Water features Simcoe hops, with lemongrass and orange blossom flavorings to amplify the hop notes. Arthur anticipates trying different flavors in future batches.

Holy Water will be available in Cardiff-by-the-Sea, downtown San Diego and Vista.

A-B released the full Super Bowl ad for Michelob Ultra yesterday, starring futbol star Lionel Messi, actor Jason Sudeikis, and former Miami Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino.

The 60-second spot is a departure from the Caddyshack parody last Super Bowl, which starred a diverse cross-section of athletes and actors, including tennis legend Serena Williams, Succession star Brian Cox, basketball players Jimmy Butler and Nneka Ogwumike, soccer player Alex Morgan, former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo and boxer Canelo Alvarez. 

Watch the spot here.