California’s Bear Republic Brewing, a mainstay of the West Coast craft beer scene, is set to return to the North Carolina market following a brief hiatus. Picking up the distribution task is none other than Craft Central, a craft-dedicated beer distributor. Drought conditions in California forced Bear Republic to scale back production and pull out of several markets last year, but as availability of water has increased, Bear Republic is slowly returning to temporarily closed markets. Craft Central has now taken over the task of distribution and will return Bear Republic beers to thirsty residents in cities such as Greensboro, Winston-Salem, Charlotte, Asheville and the surrounding regions.
Craft Central CEO Chris Caffey is proud to see a return of Bear Republic to North Carolina.
“The absence of Bear Republic from our markets left a hole in the region’s craft beer scene. The only way to fill that hole was to bring them back. We’re fortunate to work with Bear Republic in the return of their brands to loyal fans in North Carolina and look forward to a promising future as partners in craft,” said Caffey.
Bear Republic Brewing is a well- established California craft brewery. It brewed its first beers in 1995 and witnessed steady growth in the late 1990’s, followed by rapid growth over the past few years. In 2014, Bear Republic achieved record sales, enough to place it in the Brewers Association rankings of the largest craft breweries in the United States, coming in at 39th overall. Bear Republic has enjoyed much critical recognition too, with 22 Great American Beer Festival® medals and other awards. The company is still family- owned, Sonoma County-based, and wholly dedicated to brewing fresh, never filtered hand-crafted beer. The deal with Craft Central will bring draft Racer 5 IPA, Grand Am American Pale Ale, and Tartare, Bear Republic’s limited edition interpretation of the Berliner Weisse style, to North Carolina markets beginning this month. In December, Big Bear Black Stout and Hop Shovel IPA will be added to draft offerings and Racer 5 IPA and Big Bear Black Stout will be available in bottles.
“We’re excited to be working with Craft Central,” said Richard R. Norgrove, CEO of Bear Republic Brewing Company. “And we look forward to bringing Bear Republic beers back to the people of North Carolina.”
To learn more and interact with Craft Central, please visit CraftCentralBeer.com or find them on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
About Craft Central
Craft Central is a dedicated craft beer distributor and division of Caffey Distributing and Carolina Premium Beverage headquartered in Greensboro, NC. It serves the greater part of central and western North Carolina, including the major cities of Charlotte, Greensboro, Winston-Salem, and Asheville. Craft Central distributes local, regional and national brands while continuing to grow its portfolio. For more information visit, craftcentralbeer.com.
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