Cheers! Short’s Brewing To Bring Back Arcadia’s Whitsun Ale

The problem with Arcadia Ales' beers was never the quality of its brews. It was bad business decisions that sank the Southwest Michigan after over twenty years in business. So, here's some good news if you loved those beers. Short's is going to bring some of them back.

The Bellaire and Elk Rapids brewer's alter-ego beverage business, SuperFluid has signed a deal, that will see them bring back Arcadia Whitsun Ale, and it should be available by July 4th. Happy Fourth of July! (Whitsun was reminiscent of Bell's Oberon).

In legal terms, Short's bought the intellectual property, says MiBiz.com. In real terms, they bought the recipes and the brand names. And they say they don't want to mess with those recipes. Again, beer wasn't the problem at Arcadia, which finally went out of business late in 2019.

“There are very few brands that are historical enough that have a particular brand in Whitsun that resonates with consumers,” (Arcadia was) “one of the pioneers in the craft beer industry.” - Short’s Brewing CEO Scott Newman-Bale via  MiBiz

We don't know yet what other Arcadia beers will return to the shelves, but according to the story, the initial plan is to brew about 1000 barrels of Whitsun, but the brewer has enough orders in place to think they'll beat that goal. Beer lovers in this area would probably welcome a return of Cereal Killer, Loch Down, Angler's Ale and several others. But baby steps first; cans and barrels.

Here's some interesting business trivia. One of Short's stakeholders is Lagunitas Brewing, which is owned by Heineken.