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Today Karbach announced Anheuser-BuschInBev is purchasing the fast-growing craft brewery. Karbach will be the latest feather in the beverage giant's cap, joining the operation's High End business unit alongside brands like Stella Artois, Goose Island and Elysian. Terms of Karbach's deal were undisclosed, but the deal isn't surprising to the Houston craft brewing community.
Brewery founders Ken Goodmand and Chuck Roberston said existing management and brewers will remain largely unchanged, saying the company will retain most of its independence. "The financial piece wasn't that important, at the end of the day, it was the resources," Goodman told the Houston Chronicle.
This year has rattled the craft brewing industry. To date, over a dozen small craft breweries have been bought out by large companies like ABInBev and MillerCoors. Many craft beer fans have a hard time making the switch. Fans of beer worry that small, independent brands get pushed off the shelves and left off menus to make space for products from the big brands that have the muscle to move the market. Making matters worse for small brands, MillerCoors and ABInBev are trying to push through a $103B merger. [Chron]
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