Employee Retirement Plans and Post-Retirement Medical Benefits

12 Months Ended

Dec. 30, 2023

Retirement Benefits [Abstract]

Employee Retirement Plans and Post-Retirement Medical Benefits

P. Employee Retirement Plans and Post-Retirement Medical Benefits

The Company’s workforce comprises mostly of non-union employees who are employed by Boston Beer Corporation, American Craft Brewery LLC, or Angry Orchard Cider Company, LLC. As of December 30, 2023, the Company had three unions at its Cincinnati Brewery: Local 1, Local 20, and Teamsters Local Union. No. 1199 (“Local Union 1199”). The Company has different retirement and post-retirement plans available to each group of employees. The Boston Beer Company 401(k) Plan (the “Boston Beer 401(k) Plan”) covers most non-union employees and all members of Local 1 and Local Union 1199. The Samuel Adams Cincinnati Brewery 401(k) Plan for Represented Employees (the “SACB 401(k) Plan”) covers members of Local 20. The Company additionally provides a supplement to eligible retirees from Local 1, Local 20, and Local Union 1199 to assist with the cost of Medicare gap coverage after their retirement on account of age or permanent disability (collectively, the “Retiree Medical Plan”). The Company previously offered a pension plan (the “Local 1199 Pension Plan”) to members of Local Union 1199 until the plan was terminated effective January 1, 2020.

Boston Beer 401(k) Plan

The Boston Beer 401(k) Plan, which was established by the Company in 1993, is a Company-sponsored defined contribution. Most non-union employees and all members of the Local 1 and Local 1199 unions are eligible to participate in the Plan immediately upon employment. Participants may make voluntary contributions up to 60% of their annual compensation, subject to IRS limitations. The Company matches each participant’s contribution. A maximum of 5% of compensation is taken into account in determining the amount of the match. In January 2020, the Company amended the Boston Beer 401(k) Plan to update the Company match as follows: 100% of the first 3% of the eligible compensation participants contribute. Thereafter, the Company matches 50% of the next 2% of the eligible compensation participants contribute. Beginning April 1, 2023, for Local 1 union members specifically, the Company match is 100% of the first 5% of the eligible contribution. The Company’s contributions to the Boston Beer 401(k) Plan amounted to $8.8 million, $7.6 million, and $7.4 million in fiscal years 2023, 2022, and 2021, respectively.

SACB 401(k) Plan

The “SACB 401(k) Plan”, which was established by the Company in 1997, is a Company-sponsored defined contribution plan. It is available to all members of Local 20 upon commencement of employment or, if later, attaining age 21. Participants may make voluntary contributions up to 60% of their annual compensation to the SACB 401(k) Plan, subject to IRS limitations. Company contributions for fiscal years 2023, 2022, and 2021 were insignificant.

Retiree Medical Plan

To qualify for this benefit, an eligible employee must have worked for at least 20 years for the Company or its predecessor at the Company’s Cincinnati Brewery as a part of one of its three unions, must have been enrolled in the Company’s group medical insurance plan for at least 5 years before retirement, and, in the case of retirees from Local 20, for at least 7 of the last 10 years of their employment, and must be eligible for Medicare benefits under the Social Security Act. The accumulated post-retirement benefit obligation was determined using a discount rate of 5.03% at December 30, 2023 and 5.22% at December 31, 2022 and a 2.50% health care cost increase based on the Cincinnati Consumer Price Index for the years 2023 and 2022. The effect of a 1% increase and the effect of a 1% decrease in the assumed health care cost trend rates on the aggregate of the service and interest cost components of net periodic post-retirement health care benefit costs and on the accumulated post-retirement benefit obligation for health care benefits would not be significant.

In addition, the comprehensive medical plan offered to currently employed members of Local 20 remains available to them should they retire after reaching age 57, and before reaching age 65, with at least 20 years of service with the Company or its predecessor at the Company’s Cincinnati Brewery. These eligible retirees may choose to continue to be covered under the Company’s comprehensive group medical plan until they reach the age when they are eligible for Medicare health benefits under the Social Security Act or coverage under a comparable State health benefit plan. Eligible retirees pay 100% of the cost of the coverage.

The funded status of the Retiree Medical Plan is as follows at:

	Retiree Medical Plan
	December 30, 2023		December 31, 2022
Benefit obligation at end of period	$	828	$	757
Unfunded Status	$	828	$	757