American Craft Beer The Best Craft Beer, Breweries, Bars, Brewpubs, Beer Stores, And Restaurants Serving Serious Beer.
When the world’s largest brewer acquires one of beer media’s more questionable news sites, it’s a WTF moment. And although lawyers on both sides are still finalizing terms, it appears that unless something unforeseen comes up, AmericanCraftBeer.com may soon be flacking for the world’s biggest beer company.
Here’s the deal…
Considered one of the industry’s most passionate advocates, American Craft Beer (ACB) has been covering the nation’s craft beer news fearlessly since they burst upon the scene in 2010. They’ve a ravenous following in the US nowadays (their “dangerous hopheads”) and a growing international audience as well.
ACB was founded by Tom Bobak, an ex-record label vet who spent more than 25 years in the music business. Known for his tireless work ethic, yet plagued by rumors of all-night parties and troubling relationships, Bobak left music industry in 2009 to launch the renegade craft beer site which (pending approval) is on track to become the newest addition to Anheuser-Busch InBev’s increasingly diversified holdings.
Never shy about shooting from the hip, or dropping the occasional “F-bomb” when called for, ACB grew quickly, attracting craft beer’s disenfranchised younger demos, as well as its more dangerous fringe elements.
ACB’s Tom Bobak celebrates Anheuser-Busch deal
Over the years they’ve garnered a huge reputation for speaking “truth to power” even when it might endanger all the free beer that they’re increasingly receiving.
American Craft Beer’s mission statement to: “Have Fun…Celebrate the Industry…And Drag a Whole New Generation down the Road to Ruin” is in and of itself concerning – and makes this unexpected deal with an industry leader like Anheuser-Busch InBev all the more perplexing to analysts.
“Anheuser-Busch is all about acquiring value,” said Casey Hollingsworth, District Manager for the Boston Beer Company. “But I’m not sure that they know what they’re getting into by aligning themselves with an organization as unpredictable as American Craft Beer.”
“We’ve all known people who can become volatile and erratic when they drink.” Hollingsworth added. “And from what I hear, they drink pretty much 24/7 over at the ACB compound.”
You can read the entire Anheuser-Busch / American Craft Beer statement here.
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