American Craft Beer’s Guide to Crafty Breweries Now Owned By Big Beer

What seemed like a shocking anomaly back in 2011, when craft legend Goose Island was acquired by AB InBev, has become a flood of late and now even Industry insiders are having a difficult time keeping up with who owns what, and what’s craft (or not).

So is your favorite craft brew actually owned by a Big Beer?

Here’s where things stand in the states, at least for now…

AB InBev’s Crafty Properties

• Goose Island Brewery, Chicago, IL ( purchased in 2011, $38.8 million)
• 10 Barrel Brewing, Portland, OR (acquired in 2014 for an estimated $50 million)
• Blue PointBrewing Company, Patchogue, NY ( sold in 2014 for $24 million)
• Elysian Brewing Company, Seattle, WA ( purchased in 2015 for an estimated $60 million)
• Breckenridge Brewery, Denver, CO (also sold in 2015 for an estimated $70 million)
• Golden Road Brewing, Los Angeles, CA (another in 2015 for an undisclosed sum)
• Four Peaks Brewing, Tempe, AZ (yet another in 2015 and we’re not sure what they went for)
• Devils Backbone Brewing Co., Roseland, VA (purchased in 2016 for an undisclosed sum)
• Karbach Brewing Company, Houston, TX (acquired in 2016 and again, we don’t know what they went for)
• Wicked Weed Brewing, Asheville, NC ( they fell in 2017 – this one still hurts)

MillerCoors’ Crafty Properties

• Saint Archer Brewing Co., San Diego, CA (sold back in 2015 for an estimated $35 million)
• Terrapin Beer Co., Athens, GA (In 2016 a majority share was acquired, terms undisclosed)
• Hop Valley Brewing Co., Eugene, OR (2016, another majority share acquisition, terms undisclosed)
• Revolver Brewing, Granbury, TX (2016, majority share, terms undisclosed)
• MillerCoors also brews Blue Moon and Leinenkugel’s, they’re both in-house properties now but marketed as craft.

Constellation Brands

• Ballast Point Brewing Company, San Diego, CA ( They were purchased in 20i5 for $1 billion and we still can’t get over that number)

Heineken USA

• Lagunitas Brewing Company, Petaluma, CA( In 2015 Heineken acquired a 51% majority share, and then in 2017 they came back for the rest)