GRAND RAPIDS, MI – Jason and Travis Kelce are looking at some local breweries in Michigan to potentially be a leading contract brewer for the star football players’ beer brand, Garage Beer.
The Kelce brothers announced in a June 12 press release that they are significant owners and operators of the Ohio-based business, their home state.
Crain’s Grand Rapids initially reported that Founders Brewing Co. in Grand Rapids was tapped to become the contract brewer for the brand, according to filings with the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau.
But Lindsey Rodarmer, director of communications for Founders and its parent company Mahou USA, told MLive/The Grand Rapids Press that nothing has been finalized with Garage Beer yet.
“We are always exploring potential contract brewing partnerships,” Rodarmer said. “At Mahou USA and Founders, we prioritize quality and excellence in everything produced at our breweries. Contract brewing allows us to assist other breweries by sharing our expertise, techniques and procedures, and we occasionally enter into these partnerships.
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Regarding Garage Beer, nothing has been formalized yet — so we’re not ready to share more on that at this time.”
Rodarmer said the team at Founders is a bit frustrated with the leak from other media outlets, but hopes to continue being on the radar of the Kelces’ beer brand for any future interest.
Garage Beer was created in Cincinnati, Ohio, where the Kelce brothers played college football, with the business headquarters located in Columbus. The beer is currently sold in Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Missouri, West Virginia, Idaho, Montana, and New Jersey.
