Cashing in on the craft beer boom

About a year after paying USD 38.8 million to acquire the long-established Chicago craft brewer Goose Island, AB-InBev plans to roll out its beers nationally as of November 2012.

Even before buying out Goose Island’s founder John Hall, Anheuser-Busch had a distribution agreement with the brewer. Moreover, six years ago, the then Anheuser-Busch had bought a 40 percent stake in Goose Island, which had been strapped for cash to fund a brewery expansion.

As could be expected, the full takeover of Goose Island was met by cries of derision by Chicago’s beer lovers. But do they matter? Or rather, will the rest of the U.S. care that AB-InBev now fully owns Goose Island?

As recently as 2000, Goose Island, which was founded in 1988 as a brewpub, only sold beer in the Chicago area. Goose Island’s most popular beers include 312 Urban Wheat Ale, Honker’s Ale and Matilda. Goose Island beer is currently distributed throughout the Midwest.

It was reported that Goose Island sold 175,000 hl beer in 2011, up 18 percent from 2010 and growth is expected to top 20 percent this year.

Insiders say that AB-InBev will have the Goose Island beers brewed at its facilities in Fort Collins, Colo., and Baldwinsville, N.Y.