Overview
International law firm McDermott Will & Emery has won The Deal’s “Retail, Consumer, Food & Beverage Deal of the Year” award for its representation of Dogfish Head in its strategic merger with Boston Beer, the producer of iconic brands Samuel Adams lager, Angry Orchard hard cider and TRULY hard seltzer. This transformative transaction in the craft beer industry was valued at approximately $300 million and closed in June 2019. McDermott was fortunate to work with former Firm associate and Dogfish Head chief lawyer, Shauna Barnes as well as former Boston Beer lawyer and now McDermott counsel, Nichole Shustack. Nixon Peabody represented Boston Beer.
“This Dogfish Head-Boston Beer merger united two of the great names in the craft beer industry—Jim Koch and Sam Calagione,” said McDermott partner Tom Conaghan, who served as the lead lawyer on the transaction. “We were honored to help the Calagione family find a new home for the amazing brands they have built, and we’re excited to watch how the business combination will fuel even more creative brews from Dogfish Head in the future.”
The McDermott team advising Dogfish Head was led by Tom Conaghan, Marc Sorini (ret.) and Christine Kretkowski. Patrick McCurry led the tax team, with assistance from Dan Zucker, Tom Young and Kevin Hall. Jennifer Mikulina advised on intellectual property matters, and Jon Dubrow led the antitrust effort with assistance from Ryan Leske and Matt Evola. Additional assistance was provided by Andrew Kim, Art DeCelle, Daphne Trotter, Maureen O’Brien, David Lipkin, Aimee Lin and Beth Hatef.
McDermott’s top-ranked and widely recognized Alcohol Industry Group, then led by Marc Sorini, served as advisor to Dogfish Head on several regulatory and transactional matters for nearly 20 years. In July 2020, Sorini retired from the Firm and is succeeded by Alva Mather, a well-known industry veteran.
About McDermott
McDermott Will & Emery partners with leaders around the world to fuel missions, knock down barriers and shape markets. Our team works seamlessly across practices, industries and more than 20 locations to deliver highly effective—and often unexpected—solutions that propel success. More than 1,200 lawyers strong, we bring our personal passion and legal prowess to bear in every matter for our clients and the people they serve.
