MILWAUKEE (WTAQ) - The company that makes Miller beer in Milwaukee is about to own the nation’s third-largest maker of apple cider.

Miller-Coors says it will buy the Crispin Cider Company of Minneapolis.

The purchase price was not disclosed.

Joe Heron started the firm in 2008 with a drier-tasting apple cider than the sweeter brands which dominate the market.

Crispin Cider is now available in 18 states, with annual sales of around $5 million.

Miller-Coors says it will operate the cider company as an independent entity within its craft brewing division. That division is called 10th and Blake – and it includes Leinenkugel beer made in Chippewa Falls.