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.