As reported in the Wall Street Journal and all over the twitterverse, InBev (Anheuser-Busch InBev aka Budweiser) has just acquired the Goose Island Brand and Brewery here in Good 'ol Chicago. InBev paid a hefty $39 million dollars for the brand, which has been rapidly growing in popularity and distribution reach in the past year. While the beer segment as a whole has seen decreased sales in the past year, distributors and brewers have seen new market opportunities in craft and private label beer.

While it is not always apparent on the surface, InBev, MillerCoors, and the other big boys have at one time or another been behind or have had a sizeable interest in many craft beers like Shock Top, Blue Moon, and Red Hook's brews. While King Bud still reigns supreme, the smart business strategy is to buy up these craft breweries to ensure they keep their customers as people look for a different experience, and greater variety, when it comes to beer.

Of course, some people are probably worried that this will have some horrible implications or a decrease in quality; however, that is very unlikely. The brew masters and MBAs know the importance of craft beer and the big money it can bring in for the shareholders. Bud Light is a lowest common denominator beer and they know that. Just because Coke makes most of its money off its "cola" doesn't mean they don't experiment and get behind craft-sodas or odd flavors like "kiwi-guava" with other parts of its brand portfolio. If anything, this is probably a good thing for lovers of the Goose and those far from the 312. InBev was already the distributor for Goose Island, and might now increase distribution in order to compete with Sam Adams, Fat Tire, and Sierra Nevada. The purchase shouldn't be the shocking anyway, Goose Island was already part of the Craft Brewers Alliance (Red Hook, Widmer, Goose Island, Kona), and we know Red Hook's history with A-B. The only real downer in the deal is that Greg Hall will be stepping down. Goose Island will still independently own its two brew-pubs here in Chicago.

As we discussed multiple times in the past, an association with big beer doesn't automatically imply a simple beer. Craft beer is not distinguished by ownership; it's about creativity and careful attention to ingredients. At the same time, corporate mentalities can often focus on driving down costs and branding rather than quality. In today's world of social networking, hipsters, hundreds of beer bloggers, and thousands of netizens on Beer Advocate, the big boys know they have to give the craft breweries and their internal craft lines freedom and independence. So, if you've never had a Honker's Ale, 312, Matilda, or any of their premium-premium brews – I hope they come to a store near you soon.

Addendum: 
Obviously, a big buy-out like this has triggered a flurry of comments on the intertubes. I think a lot of people are confusing the facts, making the typical mom and pop, growing to big, etc, yada yada, arguments. Let's pause for a minute and look at the stock market, ticker symbol HOOK. While the market was down about 1/2 a point, HOOK was up about 12%. Why should you care? Because HOOK is the corporation which is.... the Craft Brewers Alliance! That's right, most major breweries, including the major craft brewers, are corporate operations, with CFOs, accounts, lawyers and all that good stuff. Goose Island and the rest of the alliance have already been operating strong in the face of pleasing the shareholders. You are really missing the point whenever you forget that while these guys do what they love, it isn't a hobby, it's a businesses. You can drive profits by keeping the costs low or buy convincing people to pay a premium price for your product. Regardless of who owns the brewery, if people are no longer willing to pay the premium, then quality may have to decline in order to price competitively However, A-B makes the three-tier systems its bitch, so this will enable greater distribution at a lower cost, allowing for expansion and cash flow to fund creative work. They didn't buy out goose island to eliminate competition, they bought Goose Island because what they do works and will make them money. What's good for the goose, is good for the Bud.