Magic Hat Founder is Starting a New Venture

Alan Newman, who founded Magic Hat in Burlington, Vermont, is now working with Jim Koch at the Boston Beer Company to develop fun beers for Sam Adams, kind of.

His story is interesting, as an entrepreneur jumping around and his adventures in the business world. In his book he describes how he lost Magic Hat and where it stands now.

But since the craft beer industry is the place to be, Jim Koch has signed him to a contract to develop beers, recipes, brewpubs, breweries, whatever. He will try to remain in Burlington but have ties to Boston.

How does this affect the Midwest? It doesn't, I guess, except that I personally have liked Newman's Magic Hat, and they came up with some really special brews and ideas and I look forward to that same thing from Sam Adams.
Lately I have been sampling the smaller beers from Sam Adams, like in their Brewmaster's Collection (Coastal Wheat, Cream Stout, Latitude 48 IPA) and their Imperial Series (Wee Heavy, Imperial Stout), and while I like them, I get the feeling they are produced in the same ways and quantities as SABL but thanks to marketing they are brought to us differently.

Will this change for Sam Adams? I don't know.

But I think it won't hurt them to produce something smaller and more defined, instead of bombarding the marketplace with so many different recipes (there are currently 28 different beers with an additional 14 seasonals added to that). You can expect to buy them in 6 packs, 4 packs, bombers and even their Trippel which I have seen for $10 for a 10 ounce bottle.