Who owns KARBEN4 BREWING?

KARBEN4 BREWING is independently owned!

First Brewed

2012

Origin

Wisconsin, United States

Karben4 Brewing was founded in 2012 in Madison, Wisconsin by Ryan Koga, his brother Zak Koga, their father John Koga, and their friend from high school Alex Evans. The brothers each own 20% of the company, while their father owns 10%, with the remaining 50% owned by Evans. Zak and Evans had written business plans together since they were teenagers, and came up with the idea to start the brewery while Evans was studying for his masters in creative writing at University of California, Los Angeles.

However, by 2020, the relationship with Evans and the Kogas had deteriorated. Evans stepped away from the company after talks for the Kogas to purchase his stake broke down, though he retained his ownership stake. In 2023, the Koga brothers purchased the intellectual property of Ale Asylum, which closed the prior year, with the intention of having Karben4 brew the beers. Later that year, Evans sued the brothers, alleging that the deal was improperly done outside of the corporate structure of Karben4, and that they had misappropriated corporate opportunities to enrich themselves at the detriment of the company. Evans claims that he did not know that Ale Asylum was purchased outside of the Karben4 structure. The lawsuit is ongoing.

In 2024, Karben4 filed for bankruptcy, citing the ownership dispute as well as lagging demand for craft beer.