WA brewery at the forefront of Aussie craft beer sells to Coca-Cola Amatil in a 100% acquisition deal announced this morning.

Independent Australian brewery Feral Brewing Co. have sold to multi-national drinks giant Coca-Cola Amatil.

Swan Valley brewery Feral has been a firm favourite with Australian craft beer drinkers since it opened its doors in 2002, and was even crowned Australia’s favourite brewery in the 2016 Beer Cartel Australian Craft Beer Survey.

In a statement on the brewery’s Facebook page the company said:

“Today we’re announcing that we have agreed to sell 100% of Feral Brewing to Amatil, one of the country’s leading alcohol companies. Since we first flung open our doors back in October 2002, it’s been pretty much the best journey a brewer with a vision could have hoped for.”

“I’ve lost count of the number of different beers we brewed, how many of them we introduced to Australia for the first time, how many beer awards we have received, the great people who have joined our team and how many consumer or industry polls we have either topped or been recognized as standouts amongst our peers. The time has come for us to make a tough decision in the best interest of our future, our loyal craft beer consumers and the amazing team that we have within Feral brewing.”

As for the beer fans among us worried about what the future holds for the innovative brewery, they said:

“Our mission of making beer that we love to drink and that we have personal respect for remains the primary goal of the brewery. If I continue to be involved with the brewery it is because I want not because I have or am obligated to for any reason. This is not a decision that I have taken lightly and not one that I expect to regret one little bit. I have no doubt whatsoever that both our loyal craft beer consumers and the amazing team that we have within Feral brewing will look back in a few years’ time and realize this was the best thing for all. The beer business at Amatil is still relatively young. Due to that, their focus is very much about building brands, which is exactly what Feral needs currently. After lots of conversations I became comfortable that they understood exactly what they would be buying when it came to the Feral business.”

In terms of brews, Feral insisted it’s “business as usual” and the quality of the beer will not change. Instead, the move will open up more opportunity for experimental brewing, with saying:

“There will be no change or our existing beers or the brewers behind them and we look forward to being more prolific than ever before when it comes to new releases.”

Feral will join Yenda, Coors and Blue Moon as part of CCA’s growing craft beer portfolio.

Watch this space, Feral fans…