Small Beer acquisition: Mammoth Brewing plans to buy Great Basin Brewing this summer

Mammoth Brewing Co. (MBC) has signed an asset purchase agreement (APA) with an intent to acquire Great Basin Brewing Co. (GBBC), with the goal to close this summer. Once the deal is finalized, MBC and GBBC will have the opportunity to immediately increase sales from approximately 15,000 bbls of beer a year to 40,000 bbls collectively.

“MBC has always been so limited by our production ability due to the size of our brewpub equipment,” said Sean Turner, co-owner and president of MBC. “This deal will allow us to grow and fulfill the demand for our craft beers.”

By cementing MBC and GBBC annual production beers at the Taps and Tanks facility, this deal will allow both breweries greater experimentation at the other three locations.

In addition to more efficient production, benefits include streamlining each other’s marketing, sales and distribution channels, enhancing buying power, sharing expertise between brewers and key leadership and improving utilization of resources.

This deal will allow the new combined company to better promote the MBC and GBBC brands independently and become a regional player in the highly competitive marketplace that is craft beer. It will also allow MBC and GBBC to survive and thrive in an ever changing craft beer landscape.

“We want to make it known that Mammoth Brewing Co. will not replace Great Basin Brewing Co., its brand or any of its facilities, or vice versa,” Turner said. “In fact, it is our intent to distinctly and uniquely grow both brands independently.”

Both breweries are known pioneers in the brewing industry in their respective regions. GBBC is the oldest and largest brewing company in Nevada, and MBC is the oldest and most award-winning in the Eastern Sierra.

“I like to think that we’re representing the Eastern Sierra and leading the charge to show what two independent brewers can do,” Turner said.

MBC and GBBC are located in the Eastern Sierra near outdoor recreational areas, Mammoth Mountain and Lake Tahoe respectively. Both breweries’ most popular beers pay tribute to their regions, including MBC’s IPA 395 that represents its location off of US-395, and GBBC’s “ICKY” IPA which is short for Ichthyosaur, Nevada’s state fossil. The breweries are united in their want to continually reinvent themselves to appeal to the next generation of craft beer drinkers while holding true to the traditions that have been in place for years.

“We are two true craft breweries looking to merge our brands together because of our passion and love for the industry, and our constant effort to make great beer that represents our region,” said Tom Young, brewmaster, GBBC.

“The goal is to close this deal before the 24th annual Bluesapalooza & Mammoth Festival of Beers in Mammoth Lakes, Calif., on August 1 through 4, and we have many tasks to complete before then,” Turner said.