Dive Brief:
- Anheuser-Busch InBev has announced it is acquiring Golden Road Brewing, Los Angeles's largest craft brewery. This is AB InBev's fifth craft beer acquisition in five years.
- Though it may be top dog in L.A., Golden Road is still a small brewery compared to others in the craft beer industry, as it expects to produce only 45,000 barrels this year.
- Meg Gill, president and co-founder of Golden Road, said in a video that "she was encouraged by what AB Inbev had done with its other craft brands, which include Goose Island, Blue Point, 10 Barrel and Elysian, and that Golden Road wanted to be with 'the winning horse.'"
Dive Insight:
This announcement follows confirmation that AB InBev could be pursuing a much larger acquisition, that of one of its major competitors, SABMiller Plc, which made headlines last week. As the two largest brewers globally, they would comprise about 30% of the global beer market, according to Euromonitor. The takeover would most likely lead to antitrust concerns for regulators in several countries.
AB InBev isn't the only major brewer looking to craft beer as a potential savior from its own slowing sales, particularly in North America, where it reported a 2.2% decrease in sales last quarter. Earlier this month, Heineken International announced it would acquire a 50% stake in Lagunitas Brewing, one of the top craft brewers in the country, according to the Brewers Association. Not long after, MillerCoors announced its first acquisition of a craft brewer, Saint Archer Brewing Co.