This time around it’s Ohio’s Platform Beer Co., which fills in another hole in AB InBev’s U.S. craft beer map, in terms a path to regional dominance.
Platform was founded in Cleveland in 2014 by “local entrepreneurs” Paul Benner and Justin Carson, and before long focused on fast expansion of their footprint. Current products include everything from sours and cider to “fruit ales, barrel-aged beers and a line of hard seltzer,” because. The company operates no fewer than four different facilities: A flagship tasting room and separate brewery in Cleveland; a Columbus tasting room; and a Cincinnati tasting room and coffee shop called “LOCOBA.
The fact that the co-founders are staying on after the acquisition should not be a surprise to anyone at this point, as AB InBev has employed a very clear strategy for retaining local support after acquisitions, focused on retaining brand figureheads under the wider mantra that “nothing will change.