An investment group led by J. Smoke Wallin has finalized the purchase of Napa Smith Brewery & Winery, making it part of a family of companies which includes Pelican Brands. Napa Smith Beer is currently in 17 states, and will be available nationally by the summer of 2011. Earlier this year, Napa Smith appointed Pelican Brands as its exclusive sales representatives in the United States.

For the press release announcing the deal had closed:

J. Smoke Wallin, Chairman & CEO of Pelican Brands and Napa Smith Holdings, said, “The craft beer business is the fastest growing category of beverage alcohol in America. Napa Smith has all the right attributes to become one of the few truly global brands of craft beer – amazing beer from one of the most respected names in the craft brewing industry, distinctive packaging, Napa terroir. These attributes combined with our Pelican Brands global distribution capability, experienced management team and our access to capital give us all the necessary elements to achieve great success.” Wallin continued, “This acquisition is a great strategic fit combined with Pelican Brands as we build a global sales and brand platform, of both owned and agency brands. We look forward to building Napa Smith into an iconic craft beer brand with President Steve Morgan and Master Brewer Don Barkley.”

Steve Morgan, President & COO of Napa Smith Holdings stated, “This is a very positive development for our business. In 2010 Napa Smith – through Pelican’s sales and distribution platform – has expanded into 17 states. With the capital, resources and relationships that Pelican brings to the mix, our beer will be available nationally by mid 2011. Napa has become known world-wide for great wines, and deservedly so. We are proud to hand-craft our beer here in Napa Valley with the same level of quality and attention to detail that built Napa’s global reputation.”

Don Barkley, Master Brewer said, “I’m doing what I love to do – brewing great beer. Smoke and the whole Pelican team are my kind of people. They appreciate the importance of brewing beer right. At the same time, they bring scale and resources that will help Napa Smith reach many more thirsty consumers, which is something I’m passionate about!”

The Tsingtao Brewery — China’s largest — has agreed to buy the Shandong Yinmai Beer Co., the third brewery it has taken over in two years.

Wang Fan, vice chairman of Tsingtao Brewery, said the deal would consolidate Tsingtao Beer’s dominance in the market in Shandong amid fierce competition. Yinmai will continue to make Yinmai beer. This is different from Tsingtao’s takeover of two other local breweries of Yantai Beer and Baotu Spring Beer, whose trademark beers disappeared.

Tsingtao Brewery, which was founded in 1903 in Qingdao City, is best known for the internationally distributed Tsingtao beer.

The parent companies of two Denver-based breweries, Wynkoop Holdings and Breckenridge Holding Co., announced they will enter into a 50-50 joint venture early next year.

Spokespersons emphasized that Wynkoop, which owns the Wynkoop Brewing Co. and six other restaurants, and Breckenridge, which operates Breckenridge Brewery and five brewpubs, will not merge their identities, their brands or their staffs. The new joint venture will have one board of managers overseeing it.

The agreement will allow the two companies to leverage each other’s facilities and expertise as both look to expand certain aspects of their businesses.

Wynkoop will use Breckenridge’s brewing facility to grow its year-old beer-canning efforts, and Breckenridge will employ Wynkoop officials’ expertise in the restaurant business as it seeks to increase the number of ale-house restaurants it operates.

“We get to each develop our own identities and continue to grow and improve them,” Wynkoop spokesman Marty Jones said. “Together we have more power to do good things for the craft-brewing industry in the state.” He said leaders of the two companies began talking about a joint venture as long as four years ago.

Wynkoop Holdings also operates five other Denver restaurants — Wazee Supper Club, Goosetown Tavern, Cherry Cricket, Pearl Street Grill and Gaetano’s — and Phantom Canyon Brewing Co. brewpub in Colorado Springs.

Breckenridge Brewing opened in Breckenridge in 1990 and expanded shortly thereafter to Denver. Breckenridge Holding Co. now operates the brewery, a Breckenridge brewpub, a brewpub nears Coors Field, a brewpub on Kalamath Street and an ale house restaurant in Grand Junction, all bearing the Breckenridge name. It will open a second ale-house restaurant in Denver’s Lower Highlands neighborhood in the spring.

“It’s not a merger. We will not be co-branding beers. We do want to maintain our individual brand identities,” said Terry Usry, Breckenridge public relations manager. “We’ll feed off the synergies we have. In many ways, the two concepts are very much alike.”

Breckenridge president Ed Cerkovnik made the same point. “This is a marriage of opportunity and not necessity,” he says. “Both companies want to grow and expand. The combined company provides us with a platform to more effectively and rapidly do that.”

Oregon’s Deschutes Brewery captured six medals in the 2010 European Beer Star competition, including gold medals for Obsidian Stout and Twilight Ale. Beers were judged last month in Germany and the awards handed out today in Nürnberg.

Straslunder Brauerei from Straslund was the 2010 European Beer Star brewery of 2010, winning three gold medals.

Deschutes won silver with Bachelor ESB, Black Butte Porter and Jubel 2010, bronze with Mirror Pond Pale Ale.

The competition, held by the Association Private Brauereien, attracted a record 955 entries. “There have never been so many participating breweries and so many breweries that made it into the winner lists,” said Dr. Werner Glossner, managing director of the Association Private Brauereien Bayern. “This shows how prestigious the award has become worldwide.”

A press released stated, “This trend is effectively demonstrated by breweries from the highly innovative ‘beer country’ Italy, which was more successful than ever with two gold medals, three silver medals and one bronze medal.”

First-time winners include breweries from like Japan, Peru, Sweden, Romania, Singapore and Myanmar.

Organizers thought the result unique enough to point out that in the typically German category “German-Style Märzen” (and about half the entries were from Germany), the Spoetzl Brewery from Shiner, Texas, received the gold medal and the Coedo Brewery from Japan the silver medal.

American breweries captured 26 medals. Gold medal winners beyond Deschutes and Shiner (which also won silver with Shiner 101) included Caldera Pale Ale, Oskar Blues Dale’s Pale Ale, Ballast Point Sculpin IPA, Left Hand Black Jack Porter, Alaskan Smoked Porter, Firestone Walker’s Mission Street Honey Blond, and Moylan’s Hopsickle IPA.

Not surprisingly, Americans swept the Ultra Strong Category, but surprisingly they did not take home all three in India Pale Ale (Three Towns Independent Brewers from Sweden took bronze).

The complete results.

Chris Myers from Madison, Wis., has become the second American to win the title of Stella Artois World Draught Master in 14 years the competition has been held.

Australian Siobhan Kathleen Mullins was the first runner-up at the finals held in London. Third place went to Keith Cuveele from Belgium and fourth to Canadian Marc Pronovost.

“Among the 24 other competitors, it was an absolute honor to represent my country in the World Draught Masters finals,” Myers said for a press release. “It’s been an amazing, whirlwind experience – from qualifying in Madison, on to New York, Boston and finally London. Now, that experience will continue as I travel the world representing Stella Artois!”

The annual Stella Artois World Draught Master competition focuses on the importance of the perfect pouring ritual.

Myers will travel to more than 10 different countries around the world as the ambassador for Stella Artois.