The Gold Coast brewery was founded in 2016 by a group of childhood friends, including Fanning and Parkinson, and has since won the top spot in the last two years straight in Australian craft beer awards, the GABS Hottest 100.
It will now join craft brands such as 4 Pines and Pirate life under Carlton & United Breweries.
Increased distribution
Balter’s brewers include XPA, strong pale ale, pilsner and IPA. The name is taken from the verb balter: ‘to dance artlessly without particular skill or grace, but usually with enjoyment’.
The Balter team and management, including its pro-surfers and head brewer, will remain with the brewery after the acquisition.
It pledges to keep its ingredients, recipe and attitude the same after the deal: saying that the main change will be increased distribution. “On the back end, we’ll also have more resources and therefore less stress at night knowing the lights will stay on. For regular Balter lovers though, it’ll look the same,” says the brewery.
“We get to take the Balter message of “good beer is for everybody” much farther than we ever could on our own. We get to secure the future of our entire crew who have made us what we are today. We get to fast track our sustainability goals. And, really importantly, we’ll be able to repay the friends and family who invested in us when we were just an idea on a piece of paper. That’s the guts of it.
“There was also the question of whether a buyer would change the beer and what we stand for. We weren't going to compromise the values that have made Balter what it is. The simple fact is CUB don't want to do that either. And, they can’t. We have that in writing.”
Carlton & United Breweries says the deal will help it expand its presence in Queensland, where it already has its Yatala brewery employing 250 people.
