Goose Island announces that all production of Honkers Ale and India Pale will go to Red Hook Brewery, while brewing of 312 Urban Wheat will be split between Chicago and a New York A-B plant.
Goose Island Outsourcing Honkers, IPA, 312 Production
InBev/Anheuser-Busch Trademarking Area Codes
Is InBev/Anheuser-Busch looking to repeat the success of Goose Island's 312 Urban Wheat Ale by trademarking area codes?
State Senate Passes SB754, Illinois Craft Beer Steps Closer to Safety
By a vote of 48-1-3, the Illinois Senate passed SB754, which maintained and defined the right of a craft beer brewer and brewpub to self-distribute their product, defined a "craft brewer" as one that produces less than 15,000 barrels of beer a year with the right to distribute 7500 of those barrels, as well as serving as a bulwark against Anheuser-Busch's efforts to take a controlling share in a distributor.
Goose Island Founder Writes Op-Ed Explaining A-B Sale
So begins Goose Island founder John Hall's op-ed in today's Tribune explaining his company's decision to sell to InBev/Anheuser-Busch last week for $38.8 million. Hall goes the extra length in the space he's given to accentuate the positives of the deal and reinforce his position that, while A-B may now own Goose Island, he'll still be the one calling the shots. Hall also takes some time to praise his son and outgoing brewmaster, Greg, as one of the reasons Goose has been successful.
Dogfish Head's Calagione Weighs In on Goose Island-InBev/A-B Sale
Goose Island's purchase by inBev/Anheuser-Busch is still stirring some passionate debate. Indeed, it's made national news and, among craft brewers, it was a shot heard 'round the world.
This Is a Thing: Goose Island "PR" Hits Twitter
If a tree falls in the forest, did it make a sound? And if a news event doesn't have a fake Twitter account created for it, did it really happen? (Josh Simpson and Dan Sinker, what hath thou wrought?)
Looking at the Goose Island/Anheuser Busch Deal
This morning's news that Goose Island was being purchased outright by Anheuser-Busch for $38.8 million was followed by an outcry of opinion the likes of which hadn't been seen since ... well, since A-B bought its initial 40 percent stake in the Goose Island five years ago. The initial response was fierce and furious, vacillating between concerns the beer would now taste worse because it was owned by a Belgian corporation, what the deal means for Goose Island as a brand, A-B in its efforts to control the beer marketplace, and consumers, and cries of the loaded term "sellout," as loaded a term if ever there was one.
Goose Island Sold to Anheuser-Busch
Anheuser-Busch is set to buy Goose Island for a cool $38.8 million, according to the Tribune. For those of us familiar with the beer industry, the news doesn't come as a shock. A-B (through Widmer Brothers brewing Co.) has had a 40 percent stake in the company since 2006. That deal opened the doors for Goose Island to increase its sales by reaching more accounts via A-B's national distribution network.
The Art of Polishing a Turd
From Brew Blog comes word of a new "American ale" being readied for market in the fall by Anheuser Busch. "Budweiser American Ale defines a new style of ale – the American Ale – created by Anheuser-Busch brewmasters to deliver robust ale taste that’s full-bodied, but not too heavy nor too bitter.”
When Beer Companies Adopt a "Fair and Balanced" Agenda
Was clued in to this interesting article in yesterday's Wall Street Journal about the Brew Blog, a beer and brewery industry blog sponsored by Miller Brewing Co. Written by former Advertising Age reporter James Andorfer, Brew Blog reports on industry news when it happens, as it happens.

