A couple weeks ago we learned that MillerCoors acquired Saint Archer Brewing of San Diego. According to people entrenched in the San Diego beer scene, nobody was surprised by the announcement. Apparently today’s news was received with an equal lack of surprise by L.A. beer geeks. Today we learned that Anheuser-Busch acquired Golden Road Brewing of Los Angeles.
Meg Gill, co-founder and president of Golden Road Brewing, commented on the acquisition in a video released by Anheuser-Busch.
“Why were you motivated to choose us?” Gill said. “You’re in your Birkenstocks and I’m in my high heels, I’m 30, my company is four years old, and you [Anheuser-Busch] are 160… what are you doing with us?”
She also said some other stuff, which you can hear if you watch the video below.
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The video presents a kinder, gentler Anheuser-Busch, one that is kicking back in a plaid shirt and apparently wearing Birkenstocks. No neckties and wingtips in this video. They seem to be getting the hang of this buying craft breweries thing, and are at least trying to explain things in a way that we can appreciate. You know, because us craft beer people are all, like, so mellow and stuff. I think the kids these days call it chill.
It still cracks me up that Anheuser-Busch has the gall to refer to these acquisitions as “partnerships.” A-B partnering with Gold Road Brewing is like the mom-n-pop Korean mini mart down the street from me “partnering” with 7-Eleven.
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Here’s the press release from Anheuser-Busch:
Fastest Growing Los Angeles craft brewery and brewpub to join company’s High End Business Unit
ST. LOUIS and LOS ANGELES (September 23, 2015) – Anheuser-Busch today announced it will acquire Los Angeles-based Golden Road Brewing. The deal will enable Golden Road to bring more of its fresh, canned beer to the brewery’s local market and to introduce its unique hop-forward beers to more consumers. The partnership will build on Golden Road’s commitment, since 2011, to bring fresh beer to the market in the most sustainable way possible.
“The energy and passion of the beer community is what drew me into this industry and with Golden Road we wanted to help develop the craft beer market in L.A.,” said Meg Gill, president and co-founder at Golden Road Brewing. “Our team worked hard to build Golden Road from the ground up and we are proud of the growth we’ve achieved in such a short time. California is an exciting and competitive market for beer and I see endless opportunities in partnering with Anheuser-Busch and their incredible distribution network to bring our beers to more people.”
As the largest craft brewery in Los Angeles County, Golden Road expects to sell approximately 45,000 barrels of beer in 2015 and can be found in more than 4,000 retail locations. With a brewery focused on draft and can production, a pub in Los Angeles and a new tasting room downtown. Additionally a new tasting room, opening in 2015, second production brewery and pub in Anaheim will be operational by the forth quarter of 2016. Its core brands – Point the Way IPA, Wolf Among Weeds IPA, Golden Road Hefeweizen and 329 Days of Sun Lager – represent 95 percent of volume. Along with the core beers, Golden Road brewers are constantly experimenting with the freshest ingredients through a collection of rotating, seasonal and limited-edition brews, most notably the Custom IPA Series, a line-up of diverse, hop-forward IPAs.
“Golden Road’s commitment to making great beer, their pioneering spirit and the passionate beer culture built within the company is what appealed to us,” said Andy Goeler, CEO, Craft, Anheuser-Busch. “Their focus on giving back to the community and impact on the Los Angeles craft market in four short years makes Golden Road a strong addition to our craft portfolio.”
Golden Road Brewing will join Goose Island Beer Company, Blue Point Brewing, 10 Barrel Brewing and Elysian Brewing as part of Anheuser-Busch’s High End Business Unit’s portfolio. Anheuser-Busch’s partnership with Golden Road Brewing is expected to close by the end of the fourth quarter of 2015. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
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About Golden Road Brewing
In 2011 by beer enthusiasts Meg Gill and Tony Yanow founded Los Angeles, California based Golden Road Brewing to bring fresh beer to the local market in the most sustainable way possible. Golden Road is committed to engaging and supporting the growing community of socially-minded beer enthusiasts. The brewery currently distributes its beer in California, Nevada and Arizona. For more information, check out www.goldenroad.la or be social at fb.com/goldenroadbrew and @GoldenRoadBrew on Twitter and Instagram.
About Anheuser-Busch
For more than 160 years, Anheuser-Busch and its world-class brewmasters have carried on a legacy of brewing America’s most-popular beers. Starting with the finest ingredients sourced from Anheuser-Busch’s family of growers, every batch is crafted using the same exacting standards and time-honored traditions passed down through generations of proud Anheuser-Busch brewmasters and employees. Best known for its fine American-style lagers, Budweiser and Bud Light, the company’s beers lead numerous beer segments and combined hold 46.4 percent share of the U.S. beer market. Budweiser and Bud Light Lime Lime-A-Rita were named Brands of the Year for the Beer and the Spirits, Malt Beverages and Wine categories, respectively, by Ace Metrix® in 2014. Anheuser-Busch is the U.S. arm of Anheuser-Busch InBev and operates 16 local breweries, 17 distributorships and 23 agricultural and packaging facilities across the United States, representing a capital investment of more than $15.9 billion. Its flagship brewery remains in St. Louis, Mo., and is among the global company’s largest and most technologically capable breweries. Visitor and special beermaster tours are available at its St. Louis and five other Anheuser-Busch breweries. For more information, visit www.anheuser-busch.com.
Another one bites the dust. I think both of them had to much to drink before the interview on Vimeo.