This barrel’s for you

The beer world has been all abuzz about Wednesday’s announcement that Bend-based 10 Barrel Brewing is being bought by Anheuser-Busch InBev.

For many, it’s a painful collision between their romantic notion of what craft brewing should be (and largely has been), and growing financial realities – macrobrewers looking to shore up declining market share, and smaller brewers seeking economic advantages in an increasingly competitive environment.

The news follows A-B’s previous acquisitions of Chicago’s Goose Island in 2011, and New York’s Blue Point Brewing earlier this year. (Through the Craft Brewers Alliance, it also holds minority interests in Redhook and Widmer, among others.)

Having often visited Goose Island’s brewpub back in the day, and drinking the bottled beers many times, I can vouch for the fact that the flagship Honker’s ESB and India Pale Ale – now brewed at A-B plants around the country, and available nationwide – seem to be paler imitations of their former selves.

On the other hand, according to All About Beer magazine, Goose Island has had the resources to step up its in-house production of specialty beers, and now operates the nation’s largest barrel-aging program.

It’s too early to tell what will happen with 10 Barrel. Both its founders and A-B’s reps are saying the beers won’t change, and the move will allow them to better serve the public, but some critics aren’t convinced.

One thing is for certain: It isn’t the last time we’ll be seeing something like this. And beer drinkers will have to decide for themselves how philosophical they want to get about it all.

So what do you think? Do you only care about how the beer in your glass tastes, or does it matter who makes it, or where, or who owns them? Click on the headline above and leave us a comment.