The Great Lakes Brewing Co. Employee Stock Ownership Plan and TrustESOP: employer contributions, fees and assets
2025Form 5500 for plan year 2025
The filing shows $491 of employer contributions for each active participant in the plan year that ended 31 Dec 2025. Form 5500 does not state the match formula.
- Sponsor
- The Great Lakes Brewing Co., Cleveland, OH
- EIN and plan number
- 34-1554625, plan 003
- Plan type
- ESOP. Single-employer plan
- Plan year
- to
- Filing received
What this filing shows
At the end of the plan year that ended 31 Dec 2025, the plan had 173 participants.
Net assets were $597,844 at the end of that plan year.
Employer contributions were $491 for each active participant in that plan year.
By participants, it was number 2,350 of 3,005 defined contribution plans with 100 or more participants and a filing address in Ohio.
By net assets, it was number 2,817 of 2,877.
This page gives no change from plan year 2024, because the site has no filing of the plan for that year.
Its administrative expenses for each participant were $0.17 in plan year 2025.
The median of defined contribution plans with 100 to 249 participants was $176 in plan year 2024.
Form 5500 does not state the match formula.
What Form 5500 does not show
- The match formula. The form gives the total of the employer contributions for a plan year.
- Fund expense ratios. The fees on the form are the administrative expenses of the plan and the Schedule C compensation.
- The account of a person. The form gives totals for the plan.
While applicable plans are required to file a Form 5500 or Form 5500-SF annually, multiple filings may exist for a plan’s single form year if a plan amends their original filing or if a duplicate filing was erroneously submitted.
The dataset listed as “Latest” includes only the latest filing received for a plan with a filing status of “FILING_RECEIVED”.
EBSA wrote these sentences. Copied from Employee Benefits Security Administration, Form 5500 Datasets Guide on .
In plain words: this page shows the latest filing on record for each plan. A plan can amend a filing, and an amended filing replaces the earlier one at the next update. Source of the figures: the Form 5500 datasets, filings received through . The Department of Labor received this filing on .
Contributions
Position among plans of the same type and size. The group: 22,108 defined contribution plans with 100 to 249 participants, plan year 2024. The percentiles set the latest figures of this plan against the group of plan year 2024.
- Employer contributionsPlan year that ended 31 Dec 2025. Cash from employers, Schedule H line 2a(1)(A)
- $70,148
- Active participants31 Dec 2025
- 143
- Employer contributions for each active participant
- $491
The plan is at the 9th percentile of the group. The quartiles of the group are $1,250, $2,447 and $4,395. Among plans of the same sector, the plan is at the 8th percentile.
- Participant contributionsPlan year that ended 31 Dec 2025
- no figure
- Rollovers and other contributions
- no figure
- Participant contributions for each active participant
- no figure
The site gives no percentile for this line.
- Total contributionsPlan year that ended 31 Dec 2025. Schedule H line 2a(3)
- $70,148
A percentile gives a position in the group. It does not grade the plan. Groups: plans with 100 to 249 participants, Manufacturing sector.
Fees that the filing shows
The fees on this page are the administrative expenses of the plan and the Schedule C compensation. Fund expense ratios are not in Form 5500.
- Contract administrator fees
- $29
- Administrative expenses, Schedule HPlan year that ended 31 Dec 2025
- $29
The plan is under the 1st percentile of the group. The quartiles of the group are $53.32, $176 and $310. Among plans of the same sector, the plan is under the 1st percentile.
- Direct compensation
- $0
- Indirect compensation
- $0
- Schedule C compensation to organisationsPlan year that ended 31 Dec 2025
- $0
The site gives no percentile: Schedule C of this filing has no amount.
The group for a fee line has only the plans that report an amount. Guide: how to read Schedule C fees
Assets and participants
- Net assets at the start of the plan year
- $664,145
- Total income, with the result of the investments
- $3,876
- Benefits paid
- $70,148
- Total expenses
- $70,177
- Net income
- -$66,301
- Net transfers
- $0
- Net assets, 31 Dec 2025
- $597,844
- Active participants
- 143
- Retired or separated, with benefits now
- 0
- Retired or separated, with benefits later
- 30
- Participants with an account balance
- 171
- Participants, 31 Dec 2025
- 173
The plan is at the 2nd percentile of the group. The quartiles of the group are $32,536, $60,164 and $105,654. Among plans of the same sector, the plan is at the 1st percentile.
Net assets for each participant is an average of the plan. Form 5500 has no account balance of a person.
Plan years on file
Plan year 2024 has no column. The site has no filing of this plan for it, or the filing has no figure.
Plan year 2024 has no column. The site has no filing of this plan for it, or the filing has no figure.
| Plan year | Participants | Net assets | Employer contributions | Participant contributions | Schedule C compensation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 173 | $598K | $70K | no figure | $0 |
| 2023 | 199 | $777K | $51K | no figure | $0 |
| 2022 | 198 | $764K | $89K | no figure | $0 |
| 2021 | 198 | $766K | $42K | no figure | $0 |
| 2020 | 213 | $580K | $39K | no figure | $0 |
| 2019 | 227 | $493K | no figure | no figure | $0 |
| 2018 | 224 | $314K | no figure | no figure | $0 |
The site has no filing of this plan for plan year 2024.
Assets by Schedule H category, 31 Dec 2025
- Employer securities
- $591K 95.1%
- Cash (interest and non-interest bearing)
- $30K 4.9%
The form shows the type of the investment vehicle. It does not list the funds of the plan.
Service providers on Schedule C
Schedule C of this filing names no service provider organisation.
Schedule C lists a provider only when the plan paid it $5,000 or more. The site does not show persons that Schedule C names.
Other answers in the filing
- Opinion of the accountantSchedule H line 3a
- Unmodified
- Accountant performed an ERISA section 103(a)(3)(C) auditSchedule H line 3b
- No
- Accounting firmSchedule H line 3c
- Hobe & Lucas, CPAS, Inc.
- Failure to transmit participant contributionsSchedule H line 4a
- No
- Fidelity bondSchedule H line 4d
- Yes, $1,000,000
- Blackout period in the plan yearSchedule H line 4m
- No
- 2IStock bonus
- 2OESOP other than a leveraged ESOP
- 2QThe employer maintaining this ESOP is an S corporation
- 3IPlan requiring that all or part of employer contributions be invested and held in employer securities
Plan characteristics codes of line 8a, with the labels of the Form 5500 instructions. Business code 312120: Breweries.
The plan administrator gives these answers on Schedule H. The site shows the answers as filed. It draws no conclusion from them.
Line 3a. The attached opinion of an independent qualified public accountant for this plan is (see instructions):
The form has four choices: unmodified, qualified, disclaimer and adverse. Glossary
Line 4a. Was there a failure to transmit to the plan any participant contributions within the time period described in 29 CFR 2510.3-102? Continue to answer “Yes” for any prior year failures until fully corrected. (See instructions and DOL’s Voluntary Fiduciary Correction Program.)
A “Yes” answer carries an amount. The line does not say why a transfer was late. Glossary
Form text copied from Department of Labor, Schedule H (Form 5500), editions 2024 and 2025 on .
Other plans of The Great Lakes Brewing Co.
| Plan | Participants | Net assets |
|---|---|---|
| The Great Lakes Brewing Co. 401(k) Profit Sharing Plan | 252 | $19.5M |
Plans of similar size in the same industry
| Plan | Sponsor | Participants |
|---|---|---|
| Night Shift Brewing 401(k) P/s Plan | Night Shift Brewing | 181 |
| Compania Cervecera de Puerto Rico Retirement Plan - Administrative | Compania Cervecera de Puerto Rico, Inc. | 165 |
| Blake's Management Company LLC 401(k) Plan | Blakes Management Company LLC | 191 |
| Belching Beaver Brewery 401(k) Plan | Belching Beaver, Inc. | 157 |
| Eagle Distributing, Inc. 401(k) Plan | Eagle Distributing, Inc. | 197 |
| Brewery X 401(k) Plan | Brewery X, LLC | 151 |
| Odell Brewing Company 401(k) Plan | Odell Brewing Company | 199 |
| Short's Brewing Company 401(k) Profit Sharing Plan | Short's Brewing Company, LLC | 147 |
| Iron Hill Brewery Retirement Savings Plan | Iron Hill Brewery | 201 |
| Great South Bay Brewery 401(k) Plan | Great South Bay Brewery Corp. | 137 |
Official channels
- Form 5500 Filing Search, U.S. Department of Labor, EFAST2
The search of the Department of Labor for filed Form 5500 reports.
To find this plan there, look for: EIN 34-1554625Plan number 003
- EBSA publication about retirement plans, for participants, U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration
The publication explains how a retirement plan works.
The links open the sites of the Department of Labor in a new tab. The site confirmed the links on .
Cite this page
My Plan Facts. "The Great Lakes Brewing Co. Employee Stock Ownership Plan and Trust." https://myplanfacts.com/plan/341554625-003-the-great-lakes-brewing-co-employee-stock-ownership-plan-and-trust/. Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration, Form 5500 datasets, filings received through 24 Oct 2026.
Where this page gets its figures
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration, Form 5500 datasets (Form 5500, Schedule H, Schedule C), plan years 2009 to 2025. The datasets are in the public domain. This page shows the latest filing on record for EIN 34-1554625, plan 003. An amended filing replaces it at the next update. The site calculates the figures for each participant, the quartiles and the percentiles. How the figures are made. Report an error.
Search engines do not list this page. The site asks for 500 participants or more, a second filing on record, and net assets and an employer contributions line on Schedule H.
Questions
Does the filing show the employer match?
No. Form 5500 does not state the match formula. The filing shows total employer contributions of $70,148 for the plan year that ended 31 Dec 2025.
What fees does the filing show?
The plan reported $29 of administrative expenses for the plan year that ended 31 Dec 2025. Schedule C shows no compensation to service providers. Fund expense ratios are not in Form 5500.
Which organisations give services to the plan?
Schedule C of the filing names no service provider organisation. Schedule C lists a provider only when the plan paid it $5,000 or more.
How old are these figures?
The figures are for the plan year from 1 Jan 2025 to 31 Dec 2025. The Department of Labor received the filing on 13 Oct 2026. A filing is due by the last day of the 7th month after the plan year ends. An extension allows up to 9.5 months after the plan year ends.