M. Employee Retirement Plans and Post-Retirement Medical Benefits

The Company has one retirement plan covering substantially all non-union employees; two other retirement plans, one of which covers substantially all union employees, and the other of which covers employees of a specific union; and post-retirement medical benefits covering substantially all union employees.

Non-Union Plans

The Boston Beer Company 401(k) Plan (the “Boston Beer 401(k) Plan”), which was established by the Company in 1993, is a Company-sponsored defined contribution plan that covers a majority of the Company’s non-union employees who are employed by Boston Beer Corporation, American Craft Brewery LLC, A & S Brewing Collaborative LLC, or Angry Orchard Cider Company, LLC. All non-union employees of these entities 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 6% of compensation is taken into account in determining the amount of the match. The Company matches 100% of the first $1,000 of the eligible compensation participants contribute. Thereafter, the Company matches 50% of the eligible contribution. The Company’s contributions to the Boston Beer 401(k) Plan amounted to $3.5 million and $3.0 million in fiscal years 2016 and 2015, respectively. The basic annual administrative fee for the Boston Beer 401(k) Plan is paid by the Plan’s investment fund revenue. In addition, per the Service Provider Payment Agreement, a credit up to a maximum of two basis points multiplied by the total amount of assets under the Plan per year is available for paying eligible Plan expenses. Participant forfeitures are also available for paying eligible Plan expenses. The Company is responsible for the payment of any additional fees related to the management of the Boston Beer 401(k) Plan. Such fees are not material to the Company.

Union Plans

The Samuel Adams Cincinnati Brewery 401(k) Plan for Represented Employees (the “SACB 401(k) Plan”) is a Company-sponsored defined contribution plan. It was established in 1997 and is available to all union employees 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 2016 and 2015 were insignificant. The basic annual administrative fee for the SACB 401(k) Plan is paid by the Plan’s investment fund revenue. In addition, per the Service Provider Payment Agreement, a credit up to a maximum of two basis points multiplied by the total amount of assets under the Plan per year, excluding participant loans, is available for paying eligible Plan expenses. The Company is responsible for the payment of any additional fees related to the management of the SACB 401(k) Plan. Such fees are not material to the Company.

The Samuel Adams Brewery Company, Ltd. Local Union No. 1199 Pension Plan (the “Local 1199 Pension Plan”) is a Company-sponsored defined benefit pension plan. It was established in 1991 and is open to all union employees who are covered by the Company’s collective bargaining agreement with Teamsters Local Union No. 1199 (“Local Union #1199”), or persons on leave from the Company who are employed by Local Union #1199, and in either case who have completed 12 consecutive months of employment with at least 750 hours worked. The defined benefit is determined based on years of service since July 1991. The Company made contributions of $219,000 and $188,000 in 2016 and 2015 respectively. At December 31, 2016 and December 26, 2015, the unfunded projected pension benefits were $1.9 million and $1.6 million, respectively.

The Company provides a supplement to eligible retirees from Local #1, Local #20, and Local Union #1199 to assist them with the cost of Medicare gap coverage after their retirement on account of age or permanent disability. To qualify for this benefit (collectively, the “Retiree Medical Plan”), an employee must have worked for at least 20 years for the Company or its predecessor at the Company’s Cincinnati Brewery, 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 4.25% at December 31, 2016 and 4.5% at December 26, 2015 and a 2.5% health care cost increase based on the Cincinnati Consumer Price Index for the years 2016, 2015, and 2014. The effect of a 1% point increase and the effect of a 1% point 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 Local 1199 Pension Plan and the Retiree Medical Plan are as follows:


	Local 1199 Pension Plan						Retiree Medical Plan
	December 31,			December 26,			December 31,			December 26,
	2016			2015			2016			2015
	(in thousands)
Fair value of plan assets at end of fiscal year	$	2,733		$	2,471		$	—		$	—
Benefit obligation at end of fiscal year		4,611			4,105			708			671

Unfunded Status	$	(1,878	)	$	(1,634	)	$	(708	)	$	(671	)

The Local 1199 Pension Plan invests in a family of funds designed to minimize excessive short-term risk and focus on consistent, competitive long-term performance, consistent with the funds’ investment objectives. The fund-specific objectives vary and include maximizing long-term returns both before and after taxes, maximizing total return from capital appreciation plus income, and investing in funds that invest in common stock of companies that cover a broad range of industries. The Local 1199 Plan’s investments are considered category 1 assets in the fair value hierarchy and the fair values were determined by reference to period-end quoted market prices.

The basis of the long-term rate of return assumption of 6.5% reflects the Local 1199 Plan’s current targeted asset mix of approximately 35% debt securities and 65% equity securities with assumed average annual returns of approximately 3% to 6% for debt securities and 8% to 12% for equity securities. It is assumed that the Local 1199 Pension Plan’s investment portfolio will be adjusted periodically to maintain the targeted ratios of debt securities and equity securities. Additional consideration is given to the Local 1199 Plan’s historical returns as well as future long-range projections of investment returns for each asset category. The assumed discount rate in estimating the pension obligation was 4.25% and 4.50% at December 31, 2016 and December 26, 2015, respectively.

The Local 1199 Plan’s weighted-average asset allocations at the measurement dates by asset category are as follows:


Asset Category	December 31, 2016			December 26, 2015
Equity securities		66	%		67	%
Debt securities		34	%		33	%

Total		100	%		100	%