Goose Island and AB

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Revvy said:
Why? 'Cause he wants money? Because he wants to expand???? Maybe this article from Nov, will put it into perspective.



Maybe he's looking for a little security for his company and his line of beers in these uncertain times. Maybe he's tired, and worried like Fritz Maytag was, about ever finding a successor....
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slow down. i didn't say you should, I just said it was his decision, not AB's.
 
I don't like the idea of Goose Island changing, but no one made them sell their company.
 
Greg Hall said:
I’ve already done the beer stuff. I’ve created a new style in bourbon stout, I’ve brought wild fermentation beers to a food community and the masses, and there’s gotta be at least a dozen Goose brewers working as head brewers around the country and I’m terrifically proud of that. Now it’s time for something else.
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sad. i don't think the belgian line will be the same without greg.

wonder what he'll do?
 
http://beernews.org/2011/03/anheuser-busch-to-buy-goose-island-for-38-8-million/#more-18165

I knew AB had their hands in Goose Island. It was the only thing allowing me to buy 312 in BFE. At least it will still be brewed out of Chicago. We'll see how it develops in the future. I hope its a good move for Goose Island.

Edit: I wanted to point out that I found the link above by DFH posting it on facebook.

I also wanted to post the link to Goose Island's blog from the article. http://www.gooseisland.com/pages/special_announcement/133.php
 
motobrewer said:
sad. i don't think the belgian line will be the same without greg.

wonder what he'll do?
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Man, it could be anything, from the most banal like opening a restaurant to building custom surfboards. Imagine already have done something cool that you wanted to do, be successful at it, probably got a decent bit of money from this, and now having freedom to follow another dream? It's awesome.
 
Revvy said:
Man, it could be anything, from the most banal like opening a restaurant to building custom surfboards. Imagine already have done something cool that you wanted to do, be successful at it, probably got a decent bit of money from this, and now having freedom to follow another dream? It's awesome.
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There's a story in AZ's paper today about a local brewer who changed gears into the soda industry....

http://www.azcentral.com/community/...327scottsdale-cider-mill-soda-brewmaster.html
 
This is basically the Jake Leinenkugel story except Goose Island is working from a position of power. So the operation is saved and will remain in Chicago (Leinie - Chippewa Falls) and unlike Leinie, GI should be able to preserve the brand. That said, I'm going to be pissed if 312 wheat starts knocking off local brands here in PHX.

Side note, I don't think that Greg has "brewed" in several years, but I understand the anxiety.
 
I'm not GI's biggest fan, but I fail to see this as positive. At best, AB/In-Bev's move into the craft market will make it harder for others to start a brewery and gain distribution. Now that they have a good range of craft beers under their umbrella, don't think for one minute that AB isn't going to lean hard on their distributors to reduce distribution of other craft beers. AB just increased their supplier leverage and the customer is not going to benefit. I think one of my favorite parts about drinking craft beers is seeing the little guy win. That just got harder.
 
Arizona just recently started getting Bell's at places like Total Wine and BevMo.
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Yeah that's kind of weird when you look at the map of where they distribute, AZ is just sort of out there in the west by itself. I wouldn't mind getting some of that here!
 
just got a call from relatives in chicago . budweiser has bought goose island brewing. another one bites the dust. i hear the head brewmaster quit. lets hope he starts up another brewery somewhere else!
 
I'm not too happy about this move. I'm a big fan of GI's more limited beers. Not a huge fan of things like 312 and honkers, but I'll buy Night Stalker or BCS anytime.

I'm glad to see the two breweries in Chicago aren't being sold, but if AB bought the GI name, then how CAN they continue to operate under the GI name?

I'm just glad I have a local liquor store owner who refuses to sell BMC products. Thanks to this, I know I'll always have a place to get good craft beer that isn't owned by big beer.
 
You'll start seeing this a lot more. Since industrial lager sales are regressing while craft beer is growing, this is the only way for the factory breweries to increase their market share. It's like making the small breweries an offer they can't refuse. Bastards!
 
No complaining about distribution in Arizona! I get wowed everytime I'm there.

Your wal-marts have a better beer selection then our liquor stores. :(
 
Me, I do think it makes a diff.

SWMBO spilled coffee on the mac, and now the lette between "e" and "t" doesn't feaking wok.

This SUCKS.

don't have the patience to expand without a feaking " ".
 
Hey, don't worry, Bourbon County Stout will still be around in 5 years. It'll just be brewed with corn leavings, watered down to 3.2% ABV, and sold by belching frogs.

Overall, it could have been worse. Better that GI drink the koolaid - er, cyanide-flavored ricewater - than 3 Floyds, Founders, or Bell's.
 
Suthrncomfrt1884 said:
I'm not too happy about this move. I'm a big fan of GI's more limited beers. Not a huge fan of things like 312 and honkers, but I'll buy Night Stalker or BCS anytime.

I'm glad to see the two breweries in Chicago aren't being sold, but if AB bought the GI name, then how CAN they continue to operate under the GI name?

I'm just glad I have a local liquor store owner who refuses to sell BMC products. Thanks to this, I know I'll always have a place to get good craft beer that isn't owned by big beer.
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I wondered the same thing. How can they operate under the GI name if they were not part of the deal?

Who is this local store you mention? I get to Rockford now and then and would be quite happy to stop in.
 
SickTransitMundus said:
Hey, don't worry, Bourbon County Stout will still be around in 5 years. It'll just be brewed with corn leavings, watered down to 3.2% ABV, and sold by belching frogs.
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GeoGirl said:
I wondered the same thing. How can they operate under the GI name if they were not part of the deal?
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Why do you guys wonder about it, or think any of their beers will change???

Has Leffe Blonde changed since it was snapped up by inbev? It's still a damn fine beer.

Both Greg and John have said, the brands and decisions will still be in the hands of GI...Greg said it in the interview posted above...

We said "Before we talk, we want to make sure you know we want to keep brewing in Chicago, management in Chicago, decision-making in Chicago and we want to grow brands and add capacity." And they said "Great, that works for us."
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Revvy said:
Both Greg and John have said, the brands and decisions will still be in the hands of GI...Greg said it in the interview posted above...
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i personally don't think the beers will change, at least not in the short term....

but to think that a fortune 100 exec will keep his word in 5 years is pretty naive.

these guys' mantra is: "things changed"

if an executive isn't messing with things, he isn't doing his job.
 
olllllo said:
That said, I'm going to be pissed if 312 wheat starts knocking off local brands here in PHX.
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This is my thought as well. I like local beer, cause its fresh, and just cause its produced close to home. IMO most beer doesn't deserve or need to travel. Its not that hard to make a good beer. We don't need GI in the back pocket of AB. Eventually this will become a bad thing. Their big beers, say "niche beers" will certainly not be the focus of mass distribution, it will be the smaller, popular stuff and will direcly effect shelf space to your local brewer.
 
Just received word that Goose Island has sold out to AB for roughly $30 mil. Sadly, the end of an era.
 
Lots of good discussion here, I'll weigh in with my .02

I personally don't support AB/In-bev and would like as little of my money and support going to them as possible. I'll probably steer clear of GI because of this. Regardless of whether the product loses quality or changes, I just plain don't want to support AB.
 
Although it does make complete business sense; physical plant expansion, increased distribution, and enough marketing resourses to put GI on every shelf in the US, it feels like a bit of a downer. Will quality change, probably not soon, but eventually GI will be another line of products. Like others have said, it just feels like the little guy sold out, it would have been a lot cooler if several breweries across the nation would have formed some kind of alliance, for pooling resources and distribution. I just hate thinking that eventually every decent brewery could get bought up by a medium sized company then by a large company and then by a huge company.
 
Revvy said:
Why do you guys wonder about it, or think any of their beers will change???

Has Leffe Blonde changed since it was snapped up by inbev? It's still a damn fine beer.

Both Greg and John have said, the brands and decisions will still be in the hands of GI...Greg said it in the interview posted above...
Click to expand...

We think it will change for several reasons:

First, the GI brewmaster is stepping down as part of this deal. This is a huge, huge indicator of things to come. We've read his official, vague statement in which he states that he wishes to pursue "other things" but he could have pursued "other things" yesterday, tomorrow, or next year. The timing makes this suspicious. In addition, he cannot very well come out and say, "AB will not allow me to continue to pursue my experimental style, artistic style of brewing and commitment to only the highest quality and quantity of ingredients and production methods, which they believe are simply too expensive."

Second, we've Googled AB's mission statement, and notice the stark contrast between its stated goals and the goals we know have lead to the beers we love (and yes, dont love) from GI. AB's mission statement mentions beer ONCE, and its in the context of MARKETING and SELLING beer, not in actually MAKING GOOD BEER. "Be the world's beer company," is the exact quote. It talks about logistics, marketing, and return to shareholders. Nowhere does it mention having a commitment to creating great beers, experimenting with new ingredients, rare, lost, or new styles, valuing quality over quantity, or accepting the bottom line risk associated with such experimentation that everyone on this board knows is necessary in a craft brewery.

Third, those of us who have lived through a buy out or two, know that the parent company ALWAYS says, "Nothing Will Change (tm)" and it is always a lie. The parent company's culture, methods, and goals are always imprinted on the child to some extent. Already something has changed. The brew master is stepping down.

Finally, Id rather have a single BCS once a year than all bud lite + black food coloring year round.
 
EricScott said:
We think it will change for several reasons:

First, the GI brewmaster is stepping down as part of this deal. This is a huge, huge indicator of things to come. We've read his official, vague statement in which he states that he wishes to pursue "other things" but he could have pursued "other things" yesterday, tomorrow, or next year. The timing makes this suspicious. In addition, he cannot very well come out and say, "AB will not allow me to continue to pursue my experimental style, artistic style of brewing and commitment to only the highest quality and quantity of ingredients and production methods, which they believe are simply too expensive."

Second, we've Googled AB's mission statement, and notice the stark contrast between its stated goals and the goals we know have lead to the beers we love (and yes, dont love) from GI. AB's mission statement mentions beer ONCE, and its in the context of MARKETING and SELLING beer, not in actually MAKING GOOD BEER. "Be the world's beer company," is the exact quote. It talks about logistics, marketing, and return to shareholders. Nowhere does it mention having a commitment to creating great beers, experimenting with new ingredients, rare, lost, or new styles, valuing quality over quantity, or accepting the bottom line risk associated with such experimentation that everyone on this board knows is necessary in a craft brewery.

Third, those of us who have lived through a buy out or two, know that the parent company ALWAYS says, "Nothing Will Change (tm)" and it is always a lie. The parent company's culture, methods, and goals are always imprinted on the child to some extent. Already something has changed. The brew master is stepping down.

Finally, Id rather have a single BCS once a year than all bud lite + black food coloring year round.
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Well said, sir. I think that pretty much sums up our side in this thread. They ALWAYS say nothing will change, but it almost always does.
 
I had some Goose Island last night. Man, their beer was a lot better before they were bought out by Budweiser.

I'm kidding. This sucks, though.
 
"Gee, I wish we could continue brewing beer here in Chicago, but sales have just gone through the roof! We'll have to shift production to St. Louis. It's ok though, we have extra capacity since "Bud Micro Light Clear Sparkling Spring" didn't sell too well... I know we told you that nothing will change, but what can we do?

By the way... There's going to be a couple of large trucks delivering some corn this week. We have an idea for a new recipe that we think people are going to love!"
 
Revvy said:
Has Leffe Blonde changed since it was snapped up by inbev? It's still a damn fine beer.
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Yes, Leffe is still a good beer, though there are better examples of the style pre- and post-acquisition.

My concern is more specific to Anheuser-Busch. I lived in Oregon in the late '90s and early 00's. Widmer Hefeweizen was an excellent beer that was only available in the Northwest. When AB bought a large share of the Widmer Brewery, Widmer got access to AB's distribution network (good for them!) but also began brewing at AB plants. You could truly taste the decrease in quality before and after. So, now that I live in Chicago, I can get Wid-Hefe, but it's just isn't worth it. A similar situation occurred with AB's investment in Red Hook - vastly wider distribution but degraded product.

Now, of course the situation here is different. Widmer existed in a different time and market. This was before the widespread experimentation in "extreme beers", which GI has been at the forefront of. Widmer also did not have a wide array of good product - indeed, their hefe was the only standout among their stable. I really hope AB doesn't futz with GI's high-end beers like Bourbon County Stout, Pepe Nero, Matilda, etc, as they are the best thing about GI. History has suggested otherwise.

In any case I'm happy for the Hall family - they have built an excellent brewery with diverse and interesting brews, they have strongly supported the craft and homebrewing community in Chicagoland, and they deserve their success. Hopefully GI's quality and traditions will persevere, but I am skeptical given AB's track record of investing in microbreweries.
 

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