By Jeff Maisey
Anheuser-Busch/Inbev announced it will acquire Lexington, Virginia based Devils Back Bone Brewing Company.
“Through Anheuser-Busch’s network of distributors, Devils Backbone will soon be available nationwide,” said Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe in an official statement.
Devils Backbone was founded in 2008 by Steve and Heidi Crandall. The brewery started as a brewpub, which it still operates, in Roseland, Virginia. Due to demand, Devils Backbone opened a large scale production facility in Lexington and yet continues to struggle with demand for its award-winning brands such as Vienna Lager and Eight-Point IPA.
Devils Backbone is currently the largest Virginia craft brewery and is distributed in the Mid-Atlantic region. Demand for its products, however, is national due to its repeated successes at the Great American Beer Festival in Denver, Colorado.
Steve Crandall offered the following statement this morning on the company’s website.
Devils Backbone was built with a unique, adventurous spirit, and our job is to preserve that culture. That being said, our vision has now outgrown our means. We still know where we want to go, but we realized we needed a partner to get there. For the past year we’ve been exploring options for a long-term solution that would enable us to continue expanding our business of brewing consistent, high-quality craft beer. As I evaluated our options, ABI’s The High End rose to the forefront as a support team that believed in our dreams. We had many discussions and the more we spoke with ABI, the clearer it became that The High End shares our passion. All of our senior management are on board with this new direction and in it for the long haul. ABI will support our brand as we build out our dream of what Devils Backbone can become.
You are going to see many new exciting additions to Basecamp Brewpub & Meadows, located in beautiful Nelson County including permanent camping and RV locations, some added infrastructure, all which will enhance our customer experience. At the Outpost Brewery & Tap Room in Lexington, we are planning a 50,000 square foot expansion to include our new state of the art shipping and receiving facility along with additional packaging automation. All these improvements have been in the planning for many years and they will continue to have our own authentic DNA on them.
We will continue to encourage craft beer large and small to play fair, enjoy all things beer, support our employees and communities, love our fans and celebrate life. To all our family, friends and beer fans, we could not have made this journey without you and we look forward to sharing our future with you.
