Keystone Brewing Group has been named the exclusive distribution partner for the Hofmeister beer brand in England, Scotland and Wales.
The private-equity backed beer business said that the owners of Hofmeister signed the agreement “with the aim of tripling its production output over the next three years”. The brand, which was previously owned by Heineken, will be able to “significantly scale” its Great Britain on- and off-premise operations off the back of the tie-up, according to Keystone.
First brewed in the UK in the 1970s, Spencer Chambers and Richard Longhurst relaunched Hofmeister after acquiring the brand from Heineken in 2016 and moving its production to Bavaria in Germany. Currently, the range includes Helles Lager (5% ABV) and Weisse (5.1% ABV), a Bavarian wheat beer as well as its ‘Bearly Any’ 0.5% ABV Helles.
“Keystone is excited to welcome such an iconic, international beer brand to the group,” said CEO Steve Cox. “There has been a gap in our portfolio for a world lager, and … Hofmeister is the perfect addition.”
Cox was appointed CEO earlier this month, having most recently served as head of In Good Co, the drinks business from which Keystone acquired the Magic Rock and Fourpure beer brands earlier this year.
Keystone, which has purchased four brewers, including Black Sheep Brewery, over the past couple of years, added another UK craft brewer to its roster last month as North Brewing Co moved across for an undisclosed fee.
