Hopulist Issue2

There are, of course, downsides. The
brand will no longer be part of the
San Franciso Brewers Guild and its
plans to build a visitor centre in the
American city are indefinitely on hold.
There’s also the very spirit of craft beer
that has been thrown into question.
Some argue this is a sell-out, plain and
simple. Others will say if the beer is
more widely available and remains of
good quality, then what’s the problem?
It’s an interesting development and
the long term reprocussions will be
observed with scrutiny by a large
audience. One thing is for certain,
if craft beer continues its rise in
popularity, deals like this will become
more and more commonplace.
WHAT ARE PEOPLE SAYING?
The craft beer community was quick to have its say
on social media with a mix of opinions ranging from
limited support for the decision to absolute outrage,
but for the majority it was that of disapointment.
Here is a cross section of the general feeling:
littlebabyjoe: This is the biggest disappointment. Really
a sad day for San Francisco and the Bay Area as a
whole. You can sell things. But when you sell 121
years of culture... that’s a huge fail.
Andy Page: Just hope this won’t change the Beer! Sam
Adams brewed under licence here in the UK now &
it sucks! I rely on my #CaliforniaLager!
Stays 72: Staying independent was the key to Anchor
Steam’s unique brand & history. I’ll give Sapporo a
chance, but this loyal customer is not happy!
JamesLipp: I’ve been a customer for a long time...
sad to say goodbye. Fortunately there are plenty of
independent breweries left. #IndependentBeer
Ed Pawelko: Anchor was Fritz Maytag. To his successor,
the brewery simply became an investment and this is
a natural progression. Us beer lovers mean nothing.
Dave Mickelsen: Man, I’m really torn on this one.
Liberty Ale was my first love of good beer. This feels
dirty, but I get the $ has to work.
sco_bro: You all sound ignorant, Anchor “sold out”
in 1965, then again in 2010, now it’s selling out? Y’all
should do an ounce of research.
eric_symko: Sad time for the City and for a great beer.
beerrebel: The worst part, for me at least, is that
@anchorbrewing is the country’s original “craft”
brewery, with a historical place in American brewing,
and is now not even an American owned business.
jwair63: Anchor’s still my favourite brewery, it still
employs local people and is still brewed with San
Francisco water, in an awesome brewery. The sale is
not personal, just a business decision to open up a
broader supply chain.
javier_117: Sorry, but the buy out hurts small craft
breweries everywhere.