CLEVELAND — Cleveland’s own Platform Beer Co, the No. 1 fastest growing regional brewery in 2017, has joined Anheuser-Busch's Brewers Collective as their newest craft partner.
In the last three years, Anheuser-Busch has invested more than $130 million post-partnerships in its craft partners to hire new employees, open new facilities and expand it’s craft partner’s production volume, creating nearly 1,000 new jobs, according to a news release on the Anheuser-Busch website.
Platform Beer Co. will be opening it’s first dedicated sour beer brewing facility and on-site tasting room called “Phunkenship” in Cleveland, in addition to a brewery and tasting room in Pittsburgh scheduled to open in the near future, the release states.
"In speaking with the other craft brewery founders in Brewers Collective, we know partnering with Anheuser-Busch means we will have the resources and the autonomy to bring our vision for Platform Beer Co. to life,” said Platform co-founder Paul Benner. “Being able to continue leading the day-to-day operations was an important factor in our decision and we have no doubt that this partnership will benefit our loyal staff and passionate customer base."
Justin Carson, co-founder of Platform, said this partnership will help the company provide employees with “robust healthcare benefits including parental leave, 401K, and growth opportunities.”
Platform has created more than 600 recipes that include seasonals, sours, ciders and fruit ales, barrel-aged beers and hard seltzer.
The Cleveland brewery will join Elysian Brewing Company, Four Peaks Brewing Co. and Goose Island Beer Company among others in the Brewers Collective.
