According to a story by my friend and colleague, Brent Ainsworth, in today’s Marin I.J., Iron Springs Brewery in Fairfax will be shutting down operations on August 15 of this year, due to a protracted struggle with their landlord in which the rent was to be raised by 53% in this down market.

According to an article in the Corvallis Gazette-Times, Orgeon Trader Brewing located in Albany, Oregon has been sold and re-named Calapooia Brewing Co. The new owners, Mark Martin and Laura Bryngelson, opened about three weeks ago. Their best-seller so far is Yankee Clipper IPA. They also apparently offer an amber, a chile beer, a pale ale, a stout and a wheat beer. Best of luck to them both.

Two rival British brewers, Charles Wells and Young’s announced today that they will be merging, effective October 2 of this year. The new company will be named Wells & Young’s Brewing Company Ltd. All operations will be moved to Charles Wells’ Bedfordshire brewery and the Wandsworth Ram Brewery will be closed.

The Ram Brewery in Wandsworth (south London) is the oldest brewing site in England, having had a brewery at the location for over 400 years, since 1581, which was during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. The Young’s family acquired the brewery in 1831 and have operated it there ever since.

The BBC is reporting the closure will cost about ninety jobs and will leave London with only two brewing giants, Fuller’s and Anheuser-Busch.

Reports in This is Money, a UK financial site, and The Morning Advertiser, a website dedicated to licensee’s (pubs), both have additional details on the merger.

From the press release:

The company will be owned 40 per cent by Young’s and 60 per cent by Charles Wells, reflecting the assets being contributed by each shareholder, which for Charles Wells include the freehold land and production facilities of the Eagle Brewery.

Wells & Young’s will be operated as an independent company, at arms length from its two shareholders. Both Young’s and Charles Wells will continue to operate their pub estates independently of each other and both have entered into separate three-year rolling (five-year minimum) supply agreements with Wells & Young’s.

Paul Wells and John Young toast the merger of their two companies.

According to local Pittsburgh television station, WPXI Channel 11, a rally will be held today in downtown Latrobe, Pennsylvania by local leaders to build support for the Latrobe Brewery and “find a buyer for the Latrobe brewing company plant in an effort to save 250 jobs.”

Anheuser-Busch announced last week that it was buying Rolling Rock and would be moving production of the brand to Newark, New Jersey. A-B also plans to sell the Latrobe Brewery, which was founded in 1883. It will most likely close this summer, sometime in mid-July seems likeliest.

Channel 11 plans on running a live report on their five o’clock report by news reporter Katrina Owens.

The Latrobe Brewer in downtown Latrobe, Pennsylvania, seen here in 2001.