Another example of megabrewers
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 Anheuser-Busch InBev, which to the horror of craft-beer enthusiasts makes Budweiser and Bud Light.
The acquisition was another example of megabrewers 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."
People in and around Bend take their beer seriously. Since its first craft brewery opened in 1988, this city of 80,000 has grown from a struggling timber town to a trendy destination featuring skiing, golf, fly fishing and mountain biking, all of which can be capped off at the end of the day with a fine, locally brewed craft beer.
The city and the surrounding area now claim nearly 30 breweries, many with owners looking for fulfillment in the beer, not the bottom line.
10 Barrel Brewing opened a brewpub in April 2013 at the corner of Bannock and 9th streets in Boise. Many Boise-area beer drinkers consider 10 Barrel to be local. They voted it Best Local Brewery and Best Brewpub/Alehouse in the Idaho Statesman's Best of Treasure Valley balloting this year.