Beer Prices Are Hopping Up

Craft beer demand is surging, in some cases beyond capacity

(NEWSER) - Chicago-based brewing company Goose Island will be taken over by Anheuser-Busch, the companies announced today. Goose Island beers are "the hometown pride of Chicagoans,” says Anheuser-Busch's president in a statement; in particular, the company is known for its 312 Urban Wheat Ale. Anheuser-Busch will buy a 58% stake in Goose Island for $22.5 million, plus it will acquire the Craft Brewers Alliance's 42% stake for $16.3 million, Chicago Breaking Business reports. More»

...and realize it's a lot like watery piss, actually

(NEWSER) - Anyone who thinks InBev’s buyout of Budweiser represents the end of American beer needs a history lesson, writes Edward McClelland in Salon. Budweiser became the “King of Beers” by killing every other heir to the throne. In 1960, America had 175 traditional, regional breweries, making lagers just like Bud. Anheuser-Busch systematically crushed them all, through its distribution and marketing might. More»

New beer comes amid slumping sales for Anheuser-Busch

(NEWSER) - Tastes great, less filling, and more intoxicating? Anheuser-Busch is rolling out what the LA Times calls a "long-germinating beer concept" that it hopes is all that and a bag of chips. Dubbed Bud Light Platinum, the beer will have a robust 6% alcohol by volume, 137 calories, and an eye clearly on the burgeoning craft beer industry. Regular Bud Light has 4.2% ABV and 110 calories, while Bud sports 5% and 145 calories. More»

Union digging in over 'need to keep our beer'

(NEWSER) - It's perhaps an enviable problem to have, but workers and management at Copenhagen's Carlsberg brewery are still facing off over the right to crack a cold one on the clock. Workers went on strike this week after Carlsberg limited the century-old privilege to a mere three pints during lunch hour. "We need to keep our beer," one worker tells the Wall Street Journal . "I need a beer when I take a cigarette break." More»

(NEWSER) - The nation’s largest brewers plan to raise beer prices in the fall, the Wall Street Journal reports. Anheuser-Busch InBev—maker of Budweiser—and MillerCoors will further test the notion that beer is generally recession-proof. “The environment is very favorable, we think,” says an Anheuser exec. Both companies have been able to offset sales slumps by raising prices in the last year. More»