Mashing-In News: Columbia Point Blank Deal, Beer Legends Turn 30
GOOD MORNING, SOUTH PUGET SOUND!
Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026 — Mikhail Baryshnikov turns 78 today!
Today’s craft beer news pours a heady mix of consolidation, celebration, and innovation — from a major Oregon distribution shakeup to milestone anniversaries at Firestone Walker, Stone, and Half Acre, plus new hop tech chasing the NA and hop-water boom.
Columbia Distributing to Acquire Point Blank in Major Oregon Craft Shakeup
Columbia Distributing has agreed to acquire Oregon’s craft-focused Point Blank Distributing in a deal expected to close March 31, 2026, with Point Blank set to operate as a dedicated craft division inside Columbia, promising continuity for brands and retailers while raising questions about consolidation, staffing, and long-term impacts on Oregon’s independent beer ecosystem. (The New School)
Firestone Walker Turns 30 with Anniversary Beers, Events, and a New Generation at the Helm
Firestone Walker is celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2026 with special beer releases, refreshed heritage packaging, an anniversary IPA mixed pack, major events including its Invitational Beer Fest, and a renewed future-facing vision led by second-generation CEO Nick Firestone. (BrewPublic)
Stone Brewing Turns 30 with Yearlong Celebration of Classics, Collabs, and Sweepstakes
Stone Brewing is celebrating its 30th anniversary throughout 2026 with limited-edition Stone IPA packaging, sweepstakes trips to San Diego, collaboration brews, classic rebrews, archive releases, fresh-hop specials, and a late-summer festival designed to honor its legacy and longtime fans. (San Diego News)
Half Acre Marks 15 Years of Daisy Cutter with Sierra Nevada Collaboration
Half Acre Brewing is celebrating the 15th anniversary of its iconic Daisy Cutter pale ale with a special summer collaboration double IPA brewed with Sierra Nevada, honoring the beer that helped ignite Chicago’s modern craft beer renaissance and cemented Half Acre’s community-driven, West Coast–inspired legacy. (All About Beer)
Hopsteiner Unveils Modern Hop Tools for the Hop Water and NA Boom
Hopsteiner is pitching its new generation of water-soluble, 100 percent hop-derived products like LLZ, SalvoPlus, and precision hop oils as an easy, clean-label way for breweries to profitably expand into hop waters, mocktails, NA beer, and RTDs without tying up tanks, adding bitterness, or sacrificing aroma and creativity. (Craft Beer & Brewing)
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