Brew Hub Announces Partnership With Toppling Goliath

ST. LOUIS, April 13, 2015  Brew Hub, a company led by a team of beer industry executives and craft-brewing experts, has signed an agreement with Toppling Goliath that will allow the Decorah, Iowa-based craft brewery to immediately expand distribution and grow volume.

With this partnership, Toppling Goliath will brew its award-winning craft beers, including PseudoSue, Dorothy’s New World Lager, Golden Nugget IPA and Rover Truck Oatmeal Stout, in Brew Hub’s Lakeland, Florida, brewery. Toppling Goliath then will ship the beer back to its brewery in Iowa to be distributed throughout Iowa and Wisconsin, where the company has been unable to meet to consumer demand for some time. Toppling Goliath also will immediately expand distribution to Minnesota where the demand for high-quality craft beer has been growing in recent years.

Toppling Goliath produced approximately 3,200 barrels (45,000 cases) of beer in 2014. The partnership with Brew Hub will allow the company to increase its volume to nearly 20,000 barrels (275,000 cases) annually. Brew Hub will package the beer in cans, bottles and kegs.

"Toppling Goliath is one of the most exciting and cutting-edge craft breweries in the country, and this agreement will allow them to almost immediately grow their business exponentially," said Tim Schoen, CEO of Brew Hub. "Over the past few years, craft beer drinkers throughout the country have heard about the legendary beers these guys brew in Decorah, Iowa, but acquiring the beers has been very difficult. All of that is about to change, which is great news for craft beer consumers and the overall craft beer industry."

"We began brewing our beer in 2009, and the positive response from consumers was almost immediate, but it has been overwhelming," said Clark Lewey, CEO and co-founder of Toppling Goliath. "It’s been really gratifying to brew craft beer that people love, but we have been unable to meet consumer demand for several years, which has really been frustrating for us, retailers and consumers. Our partnership with Brew Hub will allow us to grow Toppling Goliath the way we always dreamed, and we could not be more excited."

Toppling Goliath was invited to participate in Cigar City Brewing’s annual Hunahpu’s Day craft beer festival in Tampa in 2014. Attending Brew Hub team members noticed the lines for Toppling Goliath beers were some of the longest at the festival. A week later Toppling Goliath and Brew Hub team members began discussing a potential partnership.

Clark Lewey and other members of the Toppling Goliath team returned in early 2015 to tour Brew Hub’s Lakeland, Florida, brewery and discuss a potential partnership. During that meeting, Toppling Goliath asked Brew Hub to brew their two flagship brands, PseudoSue and Dorothy’s New World Lager. Lewey wanted to see for himself how well Brew Hub could brew their beer.

"Once I tasted our beers brewed by the Brew Hub team, I got really excited," said Lewey. "Brew Hub’s brewing team led by Dr. Paul Farnsworth and Jim "Otto" Ottolini is second to none in the craft beer industry, and they brewed PseudoSue and Dorothy’s New World Lager flawlessly. That was the proof I needed to know this partnership was the way forward for Toppling Goliath."

"Once we brewed PseudoSue and Dorothy’s New World Lager, we wanted to take the next step and see how craft beer drinkers inFlorida would respond, so, without announcing it, we put the beers on draft in the Tasting Room of our Florida brewery," said Schoen. "Keep in mind, our tasting room features roughly 30 of the best craft beers in the country, but the Toppling Goliath beers almost immediately became best sellers, which was the last piece of evidence we needed to know this was a perfect fit for Brew Hub."

This summer Brew Hub will begin brewing the Toppling Goliath brands for distribution throughout Florida, and negotiating distribution agreements with wholesalers. Toppling Goliath beers will be available at retailers in Florida beginning in September. This move follows similar partnerships Brew Hub has established with other craft brewers, which has allowed them to expand distribution inFlorida and eventually will allow them to expand throughout the Southeast.

In 2016 Toppling Goliath will be the inaugural brewing partner at Brew Hub’s second brewery, which is scheduled to open just west ofSt. Louis in 2016. This agreement will give Toppling Goliath and other Brew Hub partners the capacity to expand their distribution throughout Missouri and eventually throughout the Midwest.