Rereading the Goose Island Sale

Much ink has been spilled over what it means that Goose Island has sold out to Bud. Is it good for the city of Chicago? Is it good for craft beer? Many liken this to the transformation of Marshall Fields to Macy's, and if that is any indication, what we can expect to see is a watered-down version of a once-loved Chicago icon.

In an article defending the actions of Goose Island, the owner of the Hop Leaf, Michael Roper, likens this to a win-win situation: Bud gets a craft beer and Goose Island gets money. For some reason, this means that craft beer drinkers have "won" because Bud acknowledges it can't brew a good beer and Goose Island wins because it gets money to get a new brewery. So, Bud wins and Goose Island wins. Does that mean the people of Chicago win? Hardly.

Bud buying Goose Island is not about craft beer victories or Bud hanging its head in defeat acknowledging that it can't brew beer. It's about money and market share. Like any good megacorporation that wants to cloak its true intentions, it hides behind a front that claims to be "local" or "organic." In the green movement, this is know as greenwashing. Cutesy Burt's Bees is owned by Clorox. Tom's of Maine sold out to Colgate, which tests on animals. People don't know that some of their favorite "ma and pa" brands are funneling money to huge corporations that care little about the environment or their communities.

To see a great example of this, we have to look no further than Bud. When InBev took over Bud (and it was allowed for pure profit), people in St. Louis started to look at more community-oriented beers. (You can read an article here.) The people in St. Louis know firsthand how Bud has turned its back on the community, which is even more impressive considering how depressed the economy St. Louis really is. So, while Bud gets to rake in the cash, the pride of St. Louis is gone. If Bud can do it to its own hometown, is there any indication it won't do it to Chicago?

Perhaps because he is a businessman, Roper looks at everything through the prism of capitalism. It seems that all business activity is good business activity, regardless of what it means to the people that those businesses serve. He seems to assert that if Macy's didn't take over Marshall Field's that it would still be a vacant building. Hardly. It's the same line we've been told by Walmart, Target and Bud: only large business corporations can salvage any part of any city. Without their help, everything will decay. This seems to negate the point of community-driven business, which is one of the appealing parts of craft beer.

Craft beer is a way for communities to support themselves and to take part in the creating of their own identity. As everything does become Walmarts and Targets and Bud, we take pride in those small differences that make us unique. Portland has its beers. So does San Diego. So does Chicago, but now one less. Will buying a brewery suddenly make Bud changes its ways? No. It is far too large and powerful to really care about what one small segment, even if it is growing, does. Profit does not lie in craft beer. My guess is that Bud will pump money into Goose Islands less exciting beers, especially 312, which shows up at every summer festival. They can reduce the cost and jack up the price. It will be slightly more costly than a Bud but double or triple the price because Bud thinks that by labeling something "craft" will put it at a premium. Roper is deluding himself if he thinks this is some altruistic part on Bud. Sure, they might let someone at Goose Island toy around, but if lines need to be cut, look for that first unprofitable area to go.

For a better idea of what $30+ million means to Bud: in 2010 Bud spent $1.2 billion to be the sponsor of the NFL. That's enough to buy around 30 Goose Islands, and that's just a marketing expense for Bud. This doesn't include individual team deals or the Super Bowl. The Goose Island acquisition is akin to Google or Microsoft buying a company, toying with it and then shutting it down.

Where does this leave Chicago? With one less craft brewer and a bit more of its identity gone. Perhaps this is part of being a global city: it's common in London and New York, but not so in Chicago, which has a history of independence. Lately, we've seen the Sears Tower change names, Marshall Fields disappear, Carsons on State turning into a Target and numerous small community stores turn into chains. More and more companies want to get into Chicago, and with that a bit of the identity of the city dies. Why would anyone even travel when all cities are beginning to look alike? Are we too far off from a Goose Island chain opening in Las Vegas or Orlando?

Only time will tell if Goose Island suffers or changes. Regardless of what Mr. Hall thinks he might have arranged, a corporation can and will change what it wants to. I work in a large Fortune 500 company that buys out smaller companies. It does change. The culture changes. The people change. The decisions move to corporate. It's how the business world works. At first, there is a lot of hand shaking and getting to know everybody and promises that things will stay the same. As people move in and out of positions, slowly the company comes into the fold, losing the identity that once made it valuable. It just becomes part of the company. Soon, Goose Island will just become part of Bud and it's ever-expanding empire of cheap beer and high margins.

From Goose to Goat:: Goose Island Stabs Chicago in the Back

From Goose to Goat

The reaction to the announcement that Goose Island has sold out Anheuser-Busch has been swift and negative. After my jaw dropped this morning, I started to come across the onslaught of negative comments toward Goose Island both on comment forums and on Twitter. Goose Island said it is to add capacity and cash to its operations and to expand its distribution base (which was the original intent of the deal in 2006 for the 40 percent stake in the company). Even though Greg Hall took to the press to address accusations of selling out, it is palpable that people in the craft beer community feel that this move is exactly that: selling out.

From my view, it comes down to money. Hall argues that they couldn’t keep up with demand and needed AB to provide much-needed relief. Even though Dogfish Head cut back to maintain its independence, Goose Island was all to ready to abandon its operations. From the rumors online of mismanagement, it almost seemed inevitable. Whether this is a new development or something that has been in the works, it seems Goose Island no longer wanted to be independent.

Right now both Goose Island and AB are talking about their commitment to quality and how they will expand their offering with “high-quality regional beers.” This is what they are expected to say: commitment to jobs, commitment to quality and commitment to community. However, many of us feel that what will happen in a few years time will be quite the opposite. Look no further than what happened at Rolling Rock when AB moved the jobs from Pennsylvania to New Jersey. Why maintain brewers in Chicago when there is extra capacity in St. Louis?

AB is about destroying the competition. Instead of developing and crafting its own beers, it is looking to enter the craft beer market through a competitor. I’d argue that only the name will stay, and I bet that in a few years it will be rolled into some other brand. Goose Island will become nothing but another brand to manage, and unfortunately, sometimes brands can get lost in a large organization. Will it get the attention it deserves? Will it still encourage beers like the bourbon stout? Will AB pour money into creating high-gravity craft beers if the profit margins are too thin? Will AB look to cut corners on cost? There are simply too many questions, and honestly, we are not given many answers.


It feels much like Goose Island is abandoning the city and looking for a way to get out of the craft beer business while getting profit a healthy profit. I'm sorry, but I just don't buy the argument that "new structure will preserve the qualities that make Goose Island’s beers unique, strictly maintain our recipes and brewing processes." I also find it naive that John Hall believes the beers won't change. After selling out, he won't have any input. They will almost certainly change, and believe it or not, Hall will become marginalized at such a large corporation. 

AB doesn't understand craft beer. That's what makes this so infuriating and what feels like a stab in the back by Goose Island. Apparently, Hall doesn't understand craft beer drinkers either. Craft beer drinkers are in it for more than innovative new styles or taste. It is the idea of community and the idea of supporting a local product. It is about supporting beer in your neighborhood, not buying another corporate brew that only cares about brands and marketing. I identified Goose Island with Chicago. Now it is another beer in AB's (and InBev's) stable of global beers. Instead of being truly innovative, these companies look to destroy the competition. Watch the movie Beer Wars to get an understanding.

Many craft brewers view themselves as the little guy going against the corporate behemoth. That what makes it fun to support craft beer. That is what makes this announcement sound like Judas. I'm sure that's why the reaction has been overwhelmingly negative: we feel that we lost someone in our fight against the globalization of beer. For a group of people that value local and regional flavors, the selling out of Goose Island is just confirmation that you really can't win against these guys.

Even with Goose Island gone, there are other smaller breweries in Chicago, such as Metropolitan and Half Acre, that still brew local beers. Goose Island might be dead, but craft brewing in Chicago lives on.

Trying Dominique

The other night I was at Bar Deville on Damen to celebrate a friend's birthday. I had a couple of the bar's signature cocktails, and it was nearing the end of the night, so I felt like trying a good beer. I looked up and down the tappers and saw a Goose Island I couldn't remember having. Now, I've had a lot of beers, and a lot of Goose Island, so there was a good chance that I could have had this beer at some point. Luckily for me, the beer was a mistake and a beautiful one at that.

The beer is called Dominique, and it came about because a batch of Matilda became infected. You can read more about what happened here, but basically the barrel-aged beer became infected with a yeast that left the beer more sour. Instead of dumping it, Goose Island decided to put out a sour beer and see the response. The response has been overwhelmingly positive.

For one, I love sour beers. Flemish sours are great. Understandably, not everyone might share the same enthusiasm for drinking sour beers. The idea that a beer should be clear, light and refreshing has left a perverted notion of what quality is to most beer drinkers. This beer by contrast tasted of alcohol, wood, burnt sugar, light hops, good yeast and sour through and through. Even some of my friends that don't particularly like beer, enjoyed it.

This is the height of experimentation for craft beer. I like that Goose Island saw an opportunity to bring something different to the market, and maybe through its brand recognition, get people to try something new.

 Here is a picture of Dominique Pichon because he's awesome.

Stout Fest, Stout Brownies

Just saw on Pipeworks' Facebook post that it has a new Mexican chocolate stout debuting at Goose Island's Stout Fest next month. I'm all for chocolate stouts, especially Mexican chocolate. I grabbed a few bits of Mexican chocolate from Provenance in Lincoln Square, and it was so much better than the typical gas station chocolate bar. I've never been a huge chocolate fan (i.e., Hersey's), but once I started getting into more artisan chocolates (e.g., Voges), I've been a convert. I can only image what this is going to taste like. It'll include malts, hops, chocolate, whiskey or vodka, cinnamon, cayenne and other goodness.

This brings me to my other topic: stout brownies!

I love brownies. Especially brownies that are nice and soft and warm. Add stout, and then it's like a dream heaven of flubbing around on the couch stuffing myself and trying to keep the unused treadmill out of sight. A good friend pointed me in the direction of a fudge stout brownies recipe on craftbeer.com. This calls for a coffee stout, but something like Pipework's Mexican chocolate stout sounds even better. I mean, it's only 11 a.m. and I'm dying for this right now. It only calls for 1/3 cup, so there will be plenty left over. I'd suggest the Rouge chocolate stout, a Stone stout, or Goose Island's Bourbon County Stout.

This takes me to my last food related item: the Grafton is having a beer and truffle tasting night on March 3. A beer will be paired with a truffle and someone will be on hand to talk about the pairing. Here's a list of what will be available:

• Stone Smoked Porter with Chipotle Chocolate Truffles 
• Lagunitas Cap Stout with Espresso Bean Truffles 
• Tyranna Rocky's Revenge with Toasted Almond Truffles 
• Bourgogne Des Flanders with Dried Cherry Truffles 

Bourgogne des Flanders with dried cherry truffles? I just found my next meal plan for the rest of the month. I'm all for seeing more pairings like this. You can learn more at Grafton's website. Tickets are $15 before Feb. 26 and $25 after. The Grafton has also expanded its beer and whiskey list, so more reason to hang around afterward. So get going.

Surviving the Blizzard of 2011

It's still snowing in Chicago, and while it's a bit early for me to start hitting the beer, it's not too early to find out what is going on in the city. Here's a run down:

Half Acre is set to release a new beer called Callow Knife. They have postponed the release, and the weather I'm sure isn't helping. It's a pale ale. There isn't too much on the website, but it is a twin to Daisy Cutter. Even though the wintry weather outside makes me want to grab a stout or barley wine, spring and summer isn't that far away (really, please?) so a good pale ale will come in handy. It will draft only, but here's to success and keeping this one around. Got to love Half Acre and their constant innovation.

Goose Island. Stouts. Pipeworks Brewery. Yep, March 12 is Goose Island's Stout Fest. There will be Half Acre, Piece, Pipeworks, Rockbottom, and Lucky Monk. Tickets are $20 and there will only be 200 of them. Make sure you get your soon if you want to go. Check out Beer Advocate for more info.

Finch, which is pouring concrete for its brewery, has finalized design for its tappers. This is one of my favorite parts of craft beer for some reason. I like the artistry that can be found. It's great to see a line of interesting tappers at a bar. I feel like a kid in a candy store.

That's it for now. I'm going to wait until noon to crack open a beer. That is the gentleman's drinking hour.

Goose Island's Bourbon County Vanilla Stout #4 of 2010 by Paste Magazine

Goose Island came in number four on Paste magazine's best beers of 2010 with its Bourbon County Vanilla Stout. Unfortunately, it's the only entry from Chicago on the list, but that might have to do more with distribution than quality. Even though there is a lot of great brewing going on in the city (however new some may be) and the explosion of quality beer bars in the city, I feel that Chicago gets the short stick on the national stage. It'll probably take some time before the Old Style connotation of the city wears off. Unfortunately, many tourists to the city only get to certain parts that are overserved by draconian distribution laws that favor the big brewers over regional craft breweries. A visitor to Navy Pier or Wrigleyville will probably see more Old Style and Miller on tap that Goose Island, Half Acre or even Bells and Three Floyds.

Still, a tip of the pint to Goose Island for consistently making great beer and leading the charge of Chicago on the national stage of beer drinkers.

Pastoral Midwestern Dream

This is what I want for Christmas. I'm notoriously difficult to buy for as my tastes generally just run to literature, music and craft beer. Because the latest Audubon guide at auction sold for more than anyone I know can afford and there's only so many jazz and blues records I can fit into my apartment, this is a nice little enjoyment. This momentary experience of delicacy is transient and worth the money. I'd rather support local producers of cheese and beer than get another piece of electronic that sits on a shelf unused after a couple of months.

Called the Midwestern Beer Lover, this gift set includes Goose Island's Sofia, orange marmalade and crackers from Wisconsin and goat cheese from Indiana. Even though gifts at Christmas tend to be individual, this is something that you can get and share with other people. I like that concept: receiving a gift that you can share with others. The cost is about $70.

I've only been to the Pastoral stand at the French Market downtown. I've enjoyed their offerings. You can order this directly from Pastoral's website.

Goose Island Bourbon County Stout

I'm not a big one for spending time tracking down special releases (e.g., Dark Lord Day). I think that the best beer is one that is available and consistent. Hunting down a beer to squirrel away isn't my thing, most of the time. However, there are times when a special beer is released that I salivate over. This time, it is Goose Island's Rare Bourbon County Stout. It's aged for two years in 23-year-old Pappy Van Winkle whiskey casks. Normally, these beers can be hit or miss, but I have great faith in this. At $45 a bottle, I'm probably not going to be getting my hands on it any time soon, and because it is only a limited run, many others will be wanting. If you're lucky enough, I'd get one to drink during winter this year and then lay the other one down to let it mellow for 2011. Lucky bastards.

Read about it on Chicagoist.

Sunday Morning Webs

It's a gray Sunday morning in Chicago. Time to check out what is happening in the world of beer.

I just came across a Web site for a bar in Chicago called Local Option. Never heard of it before, but I'm definitely going to be checking it out. The draft beer list looks delicious including Brooklyn Cuvee Noire, Founder's Breakfast Stout, Mikkeller Beer Geek Breakfast and Three Floyds Drunk Monk. While nothing out of this world, the food looks like good pub grub. Once the holiday hubbub quiets down, I think I'll head over for a pint or 10, plus it's right near the Brown line.

Do you like beer? Do you like school? Well, the Map Room is putting on a beer school November 27 that will cover holiday beers. If I had the money, I would definitely be there. The great thing about beer is its seasonality, and learning about holiday beers is a great way to celebrate that. It's $25 Mickey Finn's brew master Greg Browne.

Sure, some people will be out shopping the Friday after Thanksgiving, but why bother with sharp elbows and haggard sales folk when you can get your hands on some rare beers at Binny's across from Goose Island on Clybourn. There will be some Goose Island beers and some other rare treats. Perhaps I'll try to convince the family to skip the socks and head here instead. Hmm.... Read more at Rate Beer.

December 2, head down to Jerry's Sandwiches on Division for a winter beer tasting. Yes, it's Chicago. Yes, it will be cold. All the perfect reason to get some belly-warming winter brews to fight the snow. It's $25 and details are still coming in, but the weather is a good enough excuse to drink as any.

Goose Island News

As always, Goose Island continues to be Chicago's flagship brewery. It's by far the largest of the city-bound craft breweries and has the flexibility to try new beers and styles. November is almost upon us, and a quick look at Goose Island's beer calendar shows that there should be a few new beers coming out: Bourbon County Brand Stout, Rare Bourbon County Stout, and Draft Release #4 (hmm).

Also, on October 27, Goose Island will be hosting a Beer Academy for Barrel Aged Beers at its Clybourn location. Keep in mind that the Festival of Barrel Aged Beers is coming up and that this might make a good crash course if you are not familiar with the style. You can sample 15 to 20 beers at Goose Island for $20. Make sure to RSVP before the date.

Last but not least. It looks like Goose Island is expanding production to Redhook in New Hampshire. It doesn't look like Goose Island beer will be available immediately in New Hampshire, but it's a good start. Apparently, Goose Island's 4 million gallon capacity stretched to the limit. This will allow Goose Island to step up short-term production while planning for expansion in Chicago, which should bring more jobs. This is a great example of how supporting a local brewery has a positive impact on the community. You can read more about this at Beer News.

Events for the week of September 26

There are some great craft beer events happening in Chicago this week. In addition to the Fountainhead event on Tuesday that I mentioned in a previous post, check out these other events coming up:

The Map Room is having its weekly International Night on September 28. This time it is Indonesia. I'm not sure what craft beers will be available, but I'm sure there might be something interesting (even if it is from something larger).

Also on Tuesday is a Founders tasting at Maria's in Bridgeport (formerly Kaplan's). They will be breaking out Founders Nemesis Barley Wine and have a cheese tasting. There will also be free shirts!

Wednesday Goose Island is having a German lager beer academy. $20 gets a lecture about craft beer from Head Pub Brewer John Rouben as well as a sample of 12 to 15 craft beers.

Also on Wednesday is probably the best deal of the week. Half Acre is dumping its Spring and Summer beers to make way for its Autumn and Winter brews. I'm sure space in their warehouse is limited, so we all benefit by going to the Hopleaf for a Half Acre blowout. They will be offering several of their beers and take over the Hopleaf. 10 oz. pours are only $3.50.

Thursday you can go to the Palmer House for Potter's Lounge. The class will take participants on a tasting journey focusing on the brewing process unique to each beer.

Also Thursday, Goose Island is taping a new beer at its Clybourn location. (Not sure what it is, but I'm looking forward to the Madame Rose).

Finally on Thursday, the gorgeous Mrs. Murphy and Sons is having a beer harvest. There will be 80 beers from 30 breweries. I'm not sure how  many will be craft beers, but I'm guessing there will be a more interesting selection than the standard macro fare.

Too many to choose from. Cheers!