Beginning of the End? I think not. Certainly for Goose Island though.

GETTING BACK TO THE GOOSE ISLAND STORY... It is not very sad for me, because really I have never cared for their beers. The brewpup I visited at North Clybourn in Chicago, though, was a very cool place. HOWEVER, I am deeply appalled and saddened at the selfishness that owner/brewer Greg Hall has shown in selling out (double entendre intended) to Anheuser-Busch/In-Bev (ABI).

Bloggers, beer geeks, and industry people are attempting to make the argument that Goose Island (GI) has been dealing with ABI over the past few years via help distributing and that this is ABI's way of getting into the craft beer scene; that if it gets more people drinking more good beer "GREAT." Yes, Yes, and NO! I drink good beer because I like the taste of it, I like the variety, and yes, selfishly I like that my friends drink wine while I can be the beer geek. However, I really like the experiments in taste that craft breweing bring to us. I would submit that you all do to-Russian River anyone?

The craft beer scene brings us these experiments because they have one main goal in mind: Make great beer that people like. Second to that, of course, is to make a profit. Most great brewers who exceed at the first goal exceed at the second. That is how this craft beer industry was built and that is what has made it successful. Corporations, on the other hand, also have one goal in mind: Profits for shareholders. Look it up; that is what a corporation does. Do you think that a billion-dollar corporation like ABI is going to produce a beer like Bourbon County Rare, that costs $58 to produce and sells for $60. NO. Goose Island most surely will as they will want to save face with this public venture. But buyout co. #2 will not. And the rest, also will not. What they will do is up production of mediocre beers like Honker's and 312, but say goodbye to truly unique and fun brews.

Craft brewers experiment, innovate, inspire and collaborate. Corporations streamline to maximize profits. Those two have proven through the past that they cannot coexist in the future.

So, know what I'm going to do tonight? I'm going to pop open a Dogfish Head World Wide Stout that I had to trade for to acquire. I'm going to do so in honor of their pulling out of four states recently to ensure they provide quality beer and stick to their craft beer ideals rather than expand quickly to meet demand. It may be cliche, but they have chosen quantity over quality and that is the model I hope others will follow. So though I wish I could pick up Dogfish Head at my LBS, after today I will appreciate this beer even more.

Cheers!

Intro

So here is my first blog post. I think that it is quite apropos that I decide to begin a blog about appreciating good food, good beer, good drinks, and local and fresh ingredients, as well as a sort of journey into doing all of the above conscientiously and consciously, one week before the news comes down about AB-InBev acquiring Goose Island Brewing.

I will tell you off the bat that what inspired this blog was the movie Food, Inc. I have always been against the vegetarian movement as I am a believer in evolution, Darwin's Theory of Natural Selection, and the food chain-For the record, I am still not a vegetarian; though close. However, seeing what corporate America has done to our food supply, and how inhumane it is for us as consumers, I am now shopping 100% organic, have planted 180 cubic feet in a raised garden in the back of my (very) small house, and have not purchased a cut of meet in two months.

So there is the intro, this blog is about my journey down this unfamiliar path-grew up on steak once a week, and red meet three times a week-and the problems and successes along the way.