BEND, Ore. — The Facebook page of a local brewery lit up with condemnations: Loyal beer drinkers said the brewers were greedy “sellouts.” Some fans threatened to boycott the brand. One declared he would stop wearing a T-shirt promoting the beer.
What did the brewers do to provoke such a backlash? Change the hops or yeast? Abandon a favorite ale recipe? No, the furor erupted after 10 Barrel Brewing announced last month that it was being bought by the world’s largest brewer, Anheuser-Busch InBev, maker of Budweiser and Bud Light.
The acquisition was another example of mega-brewers trying to counter declining sales by tapping into the growth of small craft breweries. And it drew the ire of devoted customers who blasted the corporation as an enemy of the craft beer industry and “the worst guys in the game.”
The owners of 10 Barrel, twin brothers Chris and Jeremy Cox and Garrett Wales, say Anheuser-Busch already was handling their distribution. They promise nothing will change.
