Comments on: Magic Hat and Pyramid To Merge

By: Left Coast Boy

Left Coast Boy — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 20:56:07 +0000

I had never heard of Magic Hat until I tried their #9 beer, and was wildly impressed with the complexity of taste. When I got home I couldn’t find anyone on the west that carried the stuff and shipping from the midwest was like paying $21 for a six pack. I was stoked to find out about the Pyramid takeover and hope that it goes through so that I can buy a case.

By: Brent

Brent — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 15:54:03 +0000

We have enough great beer on the Left Coast, but I was impressed with Magic Hat when I first taste a few of their ales at the GABF about five years ago. When I was in Rhode Island visiting relatives, Magic Hat was one of the few excellent brews I could find at the local “package stow-ah.” I haven’t bought any Pyramid for a long time now, but this news intrigues me.

By: sailbretthd

sailbretthd — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 15:26:37 +0000

Have had most beers each makes. Pyramid makes more solid beers but Magic Hat is more experimental–both good and bad. Circus Boy lives down to its name and Pyramid Apricot is much better than #9 but Magic Hat is always willing to try something new and does keep things interesting. I believe Magic Hat would need more help with distribution on the west coast than Pyramid would here–I live in PA which has arcane case laws and still can get anything Pyramid releases. Good luck to the merger.

By: JJ

JJ — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 05:01:32 +0000

Machiasman: you’re against Magic Hat for their beer names? Without even giving them a try? I’ll make fun of something like that about a beer if I’ve already tried their brew and hate it. When I saw the merger announcement at first I was anxious, and I still am a bit, but I felt a little better after seeing that Magic Hat bought Pyramid and not the other way around. The Magic Hat #9 knocks the Pyramid Apricot Weizen out of the park any day, and I love Magic Hat’s experimental streak. They really do innovative stuff. Pyramid has always struck me as very corporate feeling. I’ll be psyched if they start distributing Magic Hat out here on the west coast.

By: machiasman

machiasman — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 16:57:59 +0000

Without any further knowledge of the deal itself, and little of Magic Hat at all, this deal seems odd to me. Perhaps Magic Hat was sitting on some cash and decided to buy a brewing facility, not a brand, at a reasonable price. I love Pyramid beers, but they have lost money every year since at least 2002.
http://finance.google.com/finance?fstype=ii&q=NASDAQ:PMID

On the operational side, what direction will the new company go? Is this to bring Magic Hat brand beer to the West Coast, or Pyramid brand beer to East?

Regarding branding, I frankly loathe Magic Hat’s beer names. Have I tried any of their beer to gauge its quality? No. But I am certainly not going to try a “Circus Boy” hefe when there’s a Pyramid, SN, or even Widmere hefe on the self next to it. Why? Because Circus Boy sounds like sweat, hay and exotic animal dung. This seems like something simple, but I think the company must consider this if they want to bring Magic Hat to the virgin PNW market. We have a ton of established brands here, and unclear brand/marketing will not help a new brand establish itself.

By: MJ

MJ — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 14:55:36 +0000

Interesting that Martin was the previous CEO of Pyramid, especially during the time when they bought Portland out. The following piece is from a Pyramid press release when they first hired on Martin. Interesting background.

Martin Kelly joined Pyramid with over 15 years of beverage industry experience, earned at Miller Brewing Company, Coca Cola Enterprises, and Coca Cola USA. At Miller, he served as Region Vice President for twenty three western states, and oversaw the operations of The Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of Miller. Kelly commented, “I am very excited to be taking the reigns of Pyramid Breweries at this time. We have positive sales trends, strong brands, great beers, a strong Alehouse business, good cash reserves and, above all, a motivated team of great people who want to win. It is an outstanding opportunity.”