South Bend Beer Maker Expands
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowDrewrys Brewing Company in South Bend has announced an alliance with Bartholomew County Beverage for southern Indiana distribution. The beer maker says it will serve Columbus, Bartholomew and Jackson counties.
February 12, 2015
News Release
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Drewrys Brewing Company, a recently revived historic beer maker from South Bend, Indiana, has entered into a distribution agreement with Bartholomew County Beverage to serve communities in the Columbus, Indiana region, including Bartholomew and Jackson counties in Indiana.
The company relaunched the classic Drewrys lager during a gala event in October 2013, with nearly 400 attendees eager for the first taste of a beer that was absent for the last 40 years. The Drewrys brand continued to gain local momentum through its nostalgic appeal, quality taste and grassroots marketing campaign, and early this month Drewrys announced plans to open a new brewery, tasting room and caf?, and small museum in a historic South Bend, Indiana location.
Now, with several investors already on board, Drewrys has moved forward with its capital raise and plans to expand its reach to customers throughout the Midwest. Investors take an active role in the future of Drewrys as stockholders help to shape and share their visions for the company, which continues its return to Indiana, Michigan and Illinois markets. The classic Drewrys lager should be on the shelves in area stores in plenty of time for the holidays.
“Everyone we talk with has a Drewrys memory, and so does the team at Bartholomew County Beverage,” said Dan Blacharski, Drewrys vice president of marketing. “The historic brand is so embedded in the Midwest region's culture that we now expect Drewrys to become Indiana's beer of choice once again.”
Known for the lager as well as new small-batch products, Drewrys was originally founded in 1877 in Canada, coming to Indiana immediately after the end of Prohibition. It was the 10th-largest brewer in the country and a mainstay in Midwest homes until 1972, when it was purchased during the “beer war” and ultimately shut down in the 1990s. The brand was revived by Chicago businessman Frank Manzo and returned to the market in 2013.
“The timing was right for the return of Drewrys,” said Manzo, the Drewrys president. “The acquisition of various regional brews by big beer giants resulted in the loss of many hometown favorites. Unfortunately, some of those excellent recipes and flavors were lost forever, but not ours. Now the market is shifting and people are growing tired of mass-produced adjunct lagers and over-priced microbrews alike. That's where we fit in.”
For more information about the beer, the investment opportunities, online merchandise and more, see www.drewrysbrewing.com or Facebook, or @DrewrysBrewing on Twitter.
Source: Drewrys Brewing Company