USA & Australia: Lagunitas Brewing to pave its way into the Australian market

Leading US craft beer brand Lagunitas Brewing will be exploring all its international options with its new co-owner Heineken, says founder Tony Magee.

Lagunitas Brewing is one of America’s top ten craft beers but is not currently available in Australia through official channels, unlike Samuel Adams, Sierra Nevada, Deschutes and Stone.

Drinkers have speculated that Heineken’s involvement paves the way for local distribution, so Australian Brews News asked Lagunitas Brewing’ Tony Magee for his thoughts on the matter.

“We are definitely interested in presenting our beers to beer lovers down under but have not yet decided when that will be,” Magee said.

“We will be exploring all our international options with our new partners in the weeks and months to come.”

Heineken is brewed under licence and distributed in Australia by Lion, which would be unlikely to want an international craft beer brand to add to its already expansive portfolio.

The Dutch brewer also has local ties through Drinkworks, a wholly owned subsidiary of New Zealand’s DB Breweries, which itself is owned by Heineken Asia Pacific.

Drinkworks is the Australian distributor of DB brands including Tui and Monteith’s, as well as Heineken-owned brands Tiger and Bintang.

11 September, 2015