Photo | Courtesy of Hop Forward Equality
Dan Kenary, president and co-founder of Mass. Bay Brewing Company
January 2, 2025
Wachusett Brewing parent to merge with Harpoon’s owner, in latest craft beer shakeup
Photo | Grant Welker
The Wachusett Brew Yard at Worcester Public Market
Wachusett Brewing in Westminster is set to be under its third different ownership group in three years, as the New Hampshire-based company that purchased it in January 2024 is set to merge with the company behind Harpoon Brewery.
Together, they will form the largest craft beer company in New England. Financial details and the estimated closing date of the merger were not disclosed.
Boston-based Mass. Bay Brewing and New Hampshire-based FinestKind Brewing will merge into a single entity known as Barrel One Collective, the two companies announced in a press release issued Tuesday, bringing well-established craft beer brands like Harpoon, Wachusett, and Smuttynose under one roof.
Dan Kenary, a Worcester native and Mass. Bay Brewing’s co-founder and CEO, will lead the new entity as CEO. Barrel One Collective will be headquartered out of Harpoon’s existing Boston office.
FinestKind CEO Steve Kierstead will serve as the new entity’s chief commercial officer, with Mass. Bay President Nathaniel Davis taking on the role of chief operating and strategy officer.
Barrel One Collective will have an estimated combined production volume of nearly 165,000 barrels (5.12 million gallons), which it says will make it the largest craft producer in New England and the 14th largest in the country.
For comparison, Tree House Brewing Co. in Charlton, another prominent New England craft brewer, produced 39,172 barrels (1.21 million gallons) in 2023, according to data provided to the WBJ Research Department. Hendler Family Brewing Co., the Framingham-based parent company of Jack’s Abby, Wormtown Brewing, and Night Shift Brewery, is set to brew approximately 100,000 barrels (3.1 million gallons) in 2025, according to an October press release.
“FinestKind Brewing is a fellow Northeast craft trailblazer that shares our passion for brewing excellence, innovation, and creating quality brews our communities can be proud of,” Kenary said in the Tuesday press release. “With a combined 75 years of craft brewing expertise, this merger represents our commitment to setting these companies on an exciting growth trajectory and continuing to bring the very best products to our fervent customer base.”
Both Harpoon and Smuttynose represent some of the oldest craft brands in New England; Mass. Bay Brewing was the first craft brewery in Massachusetts when it opened its doors in 1986, while Smuttynose Brewing opened in 1994 before being bought at auction by FinestKind in 2018. Wachusett is the oldest active craft brewery brand in Central Massachusetts, founded in 1994.
In addition to purchasing Wachusett Brewery in January 2024, FinestKind purchased Brooklyn-based Five Boroughs Brewing in October 2023.
Barrel One Collective's physical presence in Central Massachusetts will now include the Wachusett Brewery taproom at the Worcester Public Market and Wachusett’s original taproom and restaurant in Westminster.
Photo | Courtesy of the College of the Holy Cross
The College of the Holy Cross and Harpoon teamed up to launch a beer in August.
Mass. Bay’s Harpoon has beer branding partnerships with the Holy Cross Crusaders and the Worcester Red Sox. The company formerly operated a beer garden at Mercantile Center, but that space was taken over by Salem-based Notch Brewing in May.
Barrel One Collective said it plans on a temporary pause of brewing operations at the Smuttynose location in North Hampton, New Hampshire, but did not disclose any additional downsizing, headcount reductions, or other changes potentially occurring due to the merger. The company’s North Hampton taproom and restaurant will remain open.
In addition to its Central Massachusetts locations, Barrel One Collective will have breweries and/or taproom locations in Boston, Brooklyn, New Hampshire, and Vermont.
The sale signals a potential continuation of the mergers, closures, and relocations the craft beer industry saw in 2024, as brewers try to keep up with changing consumer spending and consumption habits.
As larger companies in the space have conducted mergers and acquisitions, some smaller microbreweries like Redemption Rock Brewing Co. in Worcester have been forced to shut their doors, while others like Exhibit 'A' Brewing Co. in Framingham have shifted their operations elsewhere.
Eric Casey is the managing editor at Worcester Business Journal, who primarily covers the manufacturing and real estate industries.
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