Sam Adams maker: Beer makers don’t leave distribution deals, they wait ’em out

In his 35 years of running Samuel Adams beer, Boston Beer Co. Founder Jim Koch said he has never left a distribution agreement. It is easier to wait for an owner to die than it is to leave a contract with a distributor, he said. His comments came as brewers and distributors showed up in force to a hearing at the State House in front of the Joint Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure on Monday, facing off over how to change so-called “franchise laws.”