10 Barrel & AB Inbev

So, the big beer news this week (perhaps the biggest story this year) is 10 Barrel's pending sale to Anheuser-Busch Inbev. Everyone's got a lot to say about the issue, and I want to weigh in, myself.

First, I suggest you read Jeff Alworth's posts at All About Beer and a followup on Beervana.

Details of the new ownership structure are forthcoming, but from all accounts, AB Inbev is going to keep the current brewing and management staff and allow 10 Barrel to have most of the same creative control. So it appears that the only visible, practical change on the horizon is that 10 Barrel's beer will soon have a national reach through AB's unmatched distribution network. But really, this isn't the heart of the issue.

Many friends and acquaintances of mine have stated that they're no longer going to buy from 10 Barrel purely as a result of this ownership change. I understand. One of the first things I noticed about Eugene upon moving here was that chain restaurants and major appliance stores were in healthy competition with local businesses that often did a better job. In Texas, where I used to live, chains and conglomerates were the norm, and you'd have to go out of your way, at (often) significantly greater expense, to support a local place.

With that in mind, it's not surprising that my initial feeling, upon hearing the news, was one of betrayal. Why would a brewery as excellent and fast-growing as 10 Barrel sell to AB Inbev? Was this the beginning of the end of craft beer as we know it?

After the immediate emotional response, I reconsidered. After all, my allegiance is solely to excellent beer - I've said in the past that 'craft' is a meaningless distinction. I'll happily buy from AB or Coors if the beer they're making is worthy. And AB's already proven they can continue making great beer after an acquisition - just look at Goose Island's fantastic Bourbon County series, for instance. If (as some critics charge) 10 Barrel's quality drops as a result of the change in ownership, I suspect many people will vote with their wallets and stop supporting their beer. We've certainly got no shortage of other great breweries in the PNW.

Personally, nothing's going to change for me as a result of the sale. Sometimes I buy 10 Barrel's beer, sometimes I don't. I expect that I'll continue to have the occasional hankering for an Apocalypse or ISA, and I'll have no qualms about buying it, as long as the quality stays the same.