Seeking greener fields

The fallout from Anheuser-Busch’s buyout of Seattle's Elysian Brewing continues today with the departure of Elysian co-founder/head brewer Dick Cantwell.

“In the past few months AB has treated me with consideration and seriousness, and they’ve presented me some pretty exciting future possibilities, should I be able to see my way clear to working for them,” Cantwell told the Washington Beer Blog.

“But I can’t. I am a craft brewer, past, present and future, no matter what I end up doing.”

Cantwell, who helped develop the “craft brewery” definition as an officer with the Brewers Association trade group, was forced to leave the association’s board after the A-B deal in January and also resigned as president of the Washington Brewers Guild.

He was outvoted on the sale by his two business partners, and today told Brewbound that “working with them into a future of any duration is an intolerable prospect for me.”

Budweiser’s Super Bowl ad mocking craft brewers – in particular a “pumpkin peach ale,” something Elysian brewed last fall – also hit him hard.

“I find it kind of incredible that ABI would be so tone-deaf as to pretty directly (even if unwittingly) call out one of the breweries they have recently acquired, even as that brewery is dealing with the anger of the beer community in reaction to the sale,” he told the Chicago Tribune at the time.

“It doesn't make our job any easier, and it certainly doesn't make me feel any better about a deal I didn't even want to happen. It's made a difficult situation even more painful."

Cantwell has long been a leading figure in the Washington brewing industry, rising to prominence with Pike before moving on to Big Time and then launching Elysian in 1996.

He told Brewbound he’s considering starting another brewery with his girlfriend, New Belgium co-founder Kim Jordan, after his no-compete clause with A-B runs out.

Brewer Steve Lukes – creator of that pumpkin peach ale, as well as the popular Space Dust IPA – left Elysian last month to pursue his previously planned new project, Cloudburst Brewing.