Anheuser-Busch InBev to Buy Goose Island

YankeeFan · Mar 28, 2011

President Obama's favorite brewery -- and my neighbor -- has been swallowed up by a giant.

http://blogs.wSportsJournalists.com/deals/2011/03/28/behind-anheusers-goose-island-beer-acquisition/?mod=google_news_blog

Yeah, it's a little sad, but I'm happy for the owners who got to cash in on their investment.

I know they were looking for a bigger brewing brewing facility in order to grow their production and that would have cost them a fortune. (They were also outsourcing some of their production to other breweries through contract brewing.)

Kind of funny too that they announced this right after Craft Beer Week ended and the Craft Brewers Conference in San Francisco was finished. Would have been a lot of broken hearts at that event if the news had broken during it.

bumpy mcgee · Mar 28, 2011

I had a few Goose Mild Winters yesterday, excellent beer. Hopefully they can grow the reach of the product without losing quality.
Congrats to the owners.

YankeeFan · Mar 28, 2011

They've put out a statement here:

http://www.gooseisland.com/pages/special_announcement/133.php

But, what's interesting to me -- given my enthusiasm for small business startups -- is to look back on its founding:

After traveling extensively in his career in the packaging industry, John Hall was always amazed at how few beer choices Americans had. "When I traveled in Europe, everywhere I went there would always be a local beer… but not in the U.S."

Then, in 1986, fate struck John Hall in the form of a thunderstorm in Dallas, Texas. His flight delayed by the inclement weather, Hall flipped through an in-flight magazine to pass the time. There he found his future in the form of an article on boutique beers. "I must be the only person in history who made a major career decision on the basis of a Delta Sky article," Hall chuckles.

Fascinated by what he’d read, Hall began to toy with the idea of starting a brewery. "I just loved the idea," John remembers. "I mean, what could be better than making a product that I was passionate about, and nearly every American adult liked?" After two years of thinking, researching, and planning, Hall scrapped his 20-year career with Container Corporation and opened the original Goose Island Brewpub at 1800 North Clybourn Avenue, introducing the city of Chicago to distinctive craft beer.

http://www.gooseisland.com/pages/john_hall/149.php
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The guy chucked his corporate job and took a risk. It paid off pretty big today.

joeggernaut · Mar 28, 2011

One of my favorites. I love almost every beer they produce. I'm glad for them and I hope this means more people can enjoy Goose Island.

JJMace · Mar 28, 2011

I love Goose Island and worry that InBev will "mainstream" the flavors and the brewing process, thus killing its uniqueness. That has happened to so many beers that have been bought out by the big boys, especially InBev.

YankeeFan · Mar 28, 2011

JJMace said:

I love Goose Island and worry that InBev will "mainstream" the flavors and the brewing process, thus killing its uniqueness. That has happened to so many beers that have been bought out by the big boys, especially InBev.
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That's certainly the fear.

They do so many good, unique beers.

They've been doing a lot of collaborations with local chefs. Creating beers to pair with their food or using flavors profiles that fit with that chef's sensibilities.

The article says that the Brew Pubs are not a part of the deal. I'm hoping that the son continues to brew at the original pub. Maybe he'll rename it and start all over.

YankeeFan · Mar 28, 2011

Interview with the son of the owner:

http://chicago.eater.com/archives/2011/03/28/greg-hall-discusses-future-of-goose-island-and-himself.php

YankeeFan · Apr 2, 2011

Article on the growth of craft beer in Chicago:

When it was announced last week that Goose Island is being sold to Anheuser-Busch for $38.8 million, it set the blogosphere atwitter with concerns that a local beer apocalypse was brewing.

For the burgeoning ranks of breweries and aficionados, the Chicago craft beer scene is a lot closer to the beginning than the end.

With double-digit growth across the craft beer industry, several new entrants are opening for business, while established local favorites such as Half Acre, Three Floyds and Two Brothers are all furiously ramping up production in a seemingly futile effort to meet increasing demand.

"We just can't make enough beer," said Gabriel Magliaro, 32, a former magazine advertising director who opened Half Acre Beer Co. in a converted North Lincoln Avenue warehouse in Chicago in 2008. "Our goal every week is just to try not to run out of beer."

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-0403-craft-beers-20110402,0,2724985,full.story
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Anheuser-Busch InBev to Buy Goose Island

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