Updated w/ comment from VP of Sales, Arlan Arnsten: “We were just there doing preliminary scouting, nothing is set. Our decision to distribute in Kansas will depend on many factors including finding a like-minded quality distributor in the area. We won’t announce anything until there is something to announce.”
(Escondido, CA) – BeerPulse learned on Friday that Stone Brewing Company had people on the street in the Kansas last week. Reps were in the Sunflower State to meet several distributors with the intention of narrowing them down and eventually launching there as early as May.
One challenge facing Stone in Kansas, along with other large crafts, is that grocery and convenience stores cannot sell “full-strength” beer. The brewery currently has the best-selling craft 22 oz. bottle in U.S. supermarkets in Arrogant Bastard so this is a bit of a drawback. Lawmakers have been slow to move on legislation amidst pressure from special interest groups for some time now and this year looks no different.
Stone has filled in its Midwest states over the past few years. While Wisconsin turned into a failure, the company has remained in other markets it opened. That would include both Minnesota and adjacent Missouri in spring of 2011, Southern Illinois last fall and, most recently, Iowa as its 36th state.
Kansas would make 37.
A source also said that Stone is looking to open a second market in 2013. We are digging…
A company spokesperson did not return a request for comment.
Grocery and convenience stores cannot sell full-strength beer here in Colorado and we have a thriving craft beer scene that includes Stone. I can’t see why this is any more of a challenge than having to deal with the corporate bureaucracy of nation chain retailers in states that allow full-strength sales in grocery stores.
“thriving craft beer scene” – I think that’s where the two states diverge. Colorado’s beer scene is unreal. Can’t compare the two.
Perhaps the Arrogant Bastard bottle is right and Kansas just isn’t worthy.
I think it is interesting that full-strength beer restrictions are often mentioned as restricting access, but the positive outcomes such as in Colorado are rarely mentioned as a driving force for growth in the craft beer world.
Please come to kc as a bartender I NEED this behind my bar. Fell in love with everything about arrogant bastard including the obvious arrogance of it in Arizona and have been missing this beer for almost 8 years.