Benchmark Beverage Co. in Livonia has acquired Altes Beer from Detroit National Brewing Co. and is planning to bring back a brand that at one time rivaled Stroh’s for Motor City beer market leadership.
Altes Beer started more than 100 years ago and became a Detroit and Michigan institution until the 1990s, when it disappeared from the market. At various times from the 1940s through the 1970s, Altes served as the beer sponsor for the Detroit Tigers and the Detroit Lions.
Detroit National’s Eric Stief, Carl Erickson, and Pat Kruse, the three local partners who returned Altes Beer to Michigan in 2019, will remain part of the Altes team. The beer will continue to be brewed in Michigan.
“We have been working on this since 2014,” says Stief. “We are excited to see Altes move forward, and we can’t think of a better company or better individuals to take Altes under their wing than Benchmark. They add all the resources needed to make Altes a household name again in Michigan.”
Auday Arabo, CEO of Benchmark beverage, says, “We are committed to growth and the addition of Altes gives us another successful beer that’s a local favorite with potential for growth. Bringing Altes into Benchmark adds a classic Detroit brand to our portfolio of Michigan-made beers.”
In addition to Altes, Benchmark’s family of brands includes Dark Horse, Roak, and Brew Detroit, as well as Great America, a flavored malt beverage, with all brewing operations now in Marshall, east of Battle Creek.
Altes will be brewed alongside longtime Dark Horse Brewing Co. and its signature beer Crooked Tree, and Brew Detroit’s Cerveza Delray, and new additions such as Limonata, a Sicilian-style pilsner with a hit of lemon.
“Dark Horse and Brew Detroit are the only brewers who’ve made today’s Altes,” says Stief. “Roak has been brewing it in Marshall under contract since 2020, and Brew Detroit started making it for us in Corktown before that. So, nothing has to move and it’s being kept, essentially, in the same family.”
Benchmark’s plans include bringing new Altes products to market and expanding its manufacturing and distribution footprint in Michigan and beyond. Erickson adds, “This is our baby, and we trust Benchmark as its new caretaker.”
