DENVER, Sept. 09, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Having converted to MicroStar’s shared-keg model in 2018, New Belgium will now add Kirin’s line of premium Japanese beers in order to benefit from a more cost-efficient, sustainable and flexible keg supply chain solution. Kirin brands will be available in MicroStar-branded kegs in the U.S. beginning in January 2025. These brands bring additional scale and growth to the New Belgium platform, complementing the #1 U.S. craft brand family by volume. Kirin joins the rapidly growing Voodoo Ranger portfolio, Fat Tire – America’s first certified carbon neutral beer and all of Bell’s highly-acclaimed brands including Two Hearted IPA - frequently voted the best beer in America - and Oberon Ale.  

“We are committed to adopting human-powered business practices in everything we do, and this extends to how we choose our supplier partners,” said Shaun Belongie, New Belgium’s CEO. “MicroStar’s teams share our values and operate like an extension of our breweries which is incredibly important as we continue to grow. Additionally, MicroStar’s dense global network of shareable kegs shortens the distance empty kegs travel compared to the traditional owned keg model, lowering our greenhouse gas emissions supporting our sustainability mission.”

“Having worked closely with New Belgium for years, it’s no surprise that Kirin has entrusted their teams to produce these iconic Japanese brands,” said Casey Dodson, MicroStar’s Senior Vice President, Global Commercial. “As the global leader in keg solutions, we are excited by the opportunity to play a larger role supporting Kirin’s and New Belgium’s continued success.”

New Belgium’s expanded portfolio benefits from MicroStar’s dense network of kegs and achieves dramatic cost and sustainability benefits compared to the traditional owned-keg model. By sharing a pool of kegs rather than owning their own, over 1,200 leading brewers reduce their collective carbon footprint by over 10 million kg of CO2e annually based on an ISO-14040 framework LCA conducted by Deloitte. 

About New Belgium Brewing

New Belgium Brewing was co-founded in 1991 in Fort Collins, Colo., by Kim Jordan, a social worker, who built her company the only way a social worker would: People first. Over the past three decades, New Belgium has turned that ethos into a unique Human-Powered Business model through practices that were and still are rare in the business world: fully paid healthcare premiums for coworkers who need the support, living wage compensation, open-book management, renewable energy sourcing, a free onsite medical clinic and physician, a deep commitment to philanthropy and advocacy, and much more.   

About MicroStar

Founded in 1996, MicroStar Logistics is the world’s leading provider of circular, outsourced supply chain solutions for the beer industry. MicroStar’s highly efficient and sustainable shared keg programs now include over 6 million stainless steel kegs (MicroStar-branded kegs in the US and Kegstar-branded kegs internationally). Its Network Services Division manages reusable assets including returnable plastic pallets. Its Quality Services division extends the life of reusable assets making the most efficient use of finite resources. Visit MicroStarLogistics.com or Kegstar.com to learn more.

Media: Dan Vorlage, Vice President of Global Marketing, 800-245-2200, info@microstarkegs.com