Telegraph Brewing of Santa Barbara sold to Utah company

Utah-based Epic Brewing has purchased Telegraph Brewing Co., Santa Barbara’s first craft brewery.

Brian Thompson founded the Belgian-inspired brewery in 2006. Thompson said competition from Belgian company Anheuser-Busch InBev’s “crafty beers” and several startups is putting stress on the market.

“So much has changed in the craft beer world since I started Telegraph, back when hazy beers were just called unfiltered and there were fewer than 1,500 brewers nationwide,” Thompson said. “Today, with the number of breweries approaching 6,000, the craft-brewing landscape is radically different.”

“Earlier this year, I began looking for ways to strengthen our legacy, and entering into a transaction with Epic was the right fit, both strategically and culturally,” Thompson said.

Telegraph Brewing will continue brewing its beer, but the ownership will allow Telegraph to increase its production capacity and offer new packaging options, including several new 12-ounce cans under the Telegraph brand.

Epic will also move seven of its large wooden vessels for aging sour beer from its Denver brewery to Santa Barbara.

“It’s a long-term dream come true” said Dave Cole, co-founder of Epic Brewing, in a statement. “I fell in love with craft beer living in California, and that love didn’t diminish when I moved to Utah despite the beer scene at the time. I feel like I’ve come full circle.”

Cole said his company has been looking for great breweries to purchase for the past 18 months.

This story was originally published December 12, 2017 at 6:35 PM with the headline "Telegraph Brewing of Santa Barbara sold to Utah company."