Half Acre Beer Company and Maplewood Brewery & Distillery, two of Chicago’s largest craft breweries, are set to merge into a new beverage company, the businesses announced on Tuesday. Both breweries will operate independently at their respective taprooms, but the joint venture will consolidate their behind-the-scenes business operations to form an unnamed, “premier Chicago beverage company,” per the release.
The merger comes after a wave of shutterings in the Windy City’s craft beer scene. Five breweries, including Casa Humilde, have closed or announced closures in just the last six weeks. Half Acre president and chief operating officer Kevin McGillen tells the Chicago Sun-Times that the the formation of the new beverage company was predicated by the city’s weakening craft beer industry. “This is an opportunity to take advantage of a marketplace that is a bit tumultuous,” he says.
According to the announcement, Half Acre and Maplewood are complementary businesses with shared qualities and visions. Both breweries produce craft beer and THC-infused nonalcoholic seltzers. Maplewood’s portfolio also includes spirits, such as gin, rum, and bourbon. The companies envision looping in other beverage brands later on, but the new venture will not become “a collection of brands,” McGillen tells Brewbound.
Gabriel Magliaro founded Half Acre in 2007, and Adam Cieslak, along with brothers Paul Megalis and Ari Megalis, opened Maplewood in 2014. All founders will remain at the joint company and retain ownership, Brewbound reports. The companies have yet to complete the merger but are hoping to finalize it in the coming weeks, per the announcement on Instagram.
“Together, we’ll shape a new era of collaboration and creativity, rooted in the individuality of two of Chicago’s most prominent brands,” the announcement reads. “We unite with deep appreciation for our teams, partners, communities, and customers.”
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