By THOMAS GRILLO
LYNN — It might be a little harder to buy Bent Water Brewing Co. beer next year.
The local beer maker that launched last spring with a $200,000 city loan could be banned from all of Craft Beer Cellar’s (CBC) stores.
In an internal memo to its 29 franchisees in 13 states, including the shop on Paradise Road in Swampscott, CBC founders Kate Baker and Suzanne Schalow listed brands that will be removed from store shelves and a list of breweries whose beer was “not fit for consumption.”
Several Bay State breweries, including Bent Water on Commercial Street, were named in the memo that was briefly posted on Twitter.
“We are perplexed,” said Bent Water co-founder Aaron Reames. “Our beer is sold in nine CBC stores where they are the top selling brand in some. What’s driving this decision? We’re getting lots of support from those franchise owners who are unhappy about this. I don’t know what will happen on Jan 1.”
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Scott Claussen, owner of the CBC in Swampscott, said his store is awaiting final word from the Belmont-based franchisor on how to proceed. He declined further comment, but acknowledged that franchise law could govern his next move.
Baker and Schalow declined a request for an interview.
Mark Goodman, a CBC spokesman, said the company objects to the words “banned” and “blacklisted” that have been used on social media and in news stories to describe the beers that are being pulled.
“The information that was in the internal memo was for franchise owners only,” he said. “It was leaked to the public and sparked everything we’ve seen in the last few weeks.”
Goodman declined to provide the memo to The Item or discuss Bent Water, except to say they sampled the brew and had an “open and honest and positive dialogue” with them about it and “our doors are always open.”
On whether franchisees can continue to sell a specific brew when they have been told not to, Goodman said franchise guidelines is not a new concept.
Since the controversy erupted a few weeks ago, they replaced their “do not buy” or “required beers” memo with an approved list for store owners that will feature thousands of beers nationwide, he said.
“The approved beers list is also an internal document that is still being worked on,” he said. “There are more beers available than there is shelf space in anyone’s stores. Our number one motivation is to vet brand-wide guidelines to carry the best beer available.”
Still, Goodman declined to say whether Bent Water was on the approved list, but noted the tally is not set in stone.
“There are beers that are not on the list now that will be, and there are beers on there now that won’t be,” he said. “It’s a constantly reevaluating process.”
Thomas Grillo can be reached at [email protected].