Craft brewer Bell’s Brewery sold to Australia’s Lion

By DEE-ANN DURBIN
AP Business Writer

The U.S. beer industry has one less independent brewer. Michigan-based Bell’s Brewery said Wednesday it is being acquired by Australian brewer Lion, a subsidiary of Japan’s Kirin Group. Financial terms were not disclosed. Lion will join Bell’s with Colorado-based New Belgium Brewing, which it acquired in 2019. Together, the companies will vault to the top of the U.S. craft beer market in off-premise __ or non-restaurant __ sales volumes, edging out competitors like Sierra Nevada and Blue Moon. The move comes amid declining U.S. beer sales as younger drinkers flock to seltzers and other options.