New Belgium Brewing, the US beer maker owned by Japan’s Kirin Holdings, has bought a stake in local start-up Open Brewing.

The level of funding has not been disclosed. New Belgium Brewing said in a brief statement it made a “small minority investment” in the California-based business, which was founded last year.

In the statement, New Belgium Brewing added the “partnership ... includes contract brewing, consulting and a few other shared resources as they make their entry into the industry”.

According to LinkedIn, Open Brewing's managing director is Keir Dillon, a former CEO at cannabis branding agency Dillon Agency

Three weeks ago, Open Brewing advertised on LinkedIn for an area sales manager, a position that would “establish and nurture the sales infrastructure of Open Brewing from the ground up”.

In published statements online, Open Brewing describes its Open Beer as a “light-bodied, crisp pilsner-style lager”. It has a 4.4% abv and comes in 12 oz (355ml) cans.

The packaging will feature artwork by artists that will change over time. The first batch of cans display work by Meryl Smith, Joe Roberts and Katsu Sawada.

An Instagram post made last week by Open Brewing nodded at its brewing deal with New Belgium Brewing. A post made before Christmas listed a number of Los Angeles and Long Beach outlets where Open Beer was being sold.

New Belgium Brewing has production facilities in Fort Collins, Colorado and in Asheville, North Carolina. The company also has a taproom and pilot brewery in San Francisco and owns Bell’s Brewery in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

Last year, New Belgium Brewing struck a deal with Constellation Brands to acquire one its production facilities. The Voodoo Ranger brand owner added a brewery in Daleville in the US state of Virginia to its roster.

In November, the company appointed former marketing chief Shaun Belongie as CEO. Belongie, chief marketing officer for five years, succeeded Steve Fechheimer, who stepped down.