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A review by oldrunningmom
Barrel-Aged Stout and Selling Out: Goose Island, Anheuser-Busch, and How Craft Beer Became Big Business by Josh Noel
5.0
This is an immensely readable and excellent book about the evolution of craft beer and the stealthy takeover by big beer aka Budweiser and Miller. Chicago's own Goose Island, a small family-owned craft brewery that opened in 1988 is the center of the story. I remember going there and thinking who would pay $5 for a beer? Until I tried it. It was unlike any beer I drank in Milwaukee when I attended college! My husband and I quickly became fans of the beer and the brewpubs. In fact, my husband started brewing his own beer and as a member of the Chicago Beer Society, attended meetings at Goose Island. The three times I ran the Chicago Marathon, the beer at the finish line was Goose Island 312 Wheat Beer. It was freshly tapped off of the Goose Island bus and it tasted better than anything I've ever had at a race.
When rumors started spreading about Goose Island's sale to ABI, we, along with many Chicagoans, were shocked and saddened. The demise of the beer was predicted. Last summer, my husband and I attended a Cubs game at Wrigley. I was SO excited to see vendors selling cans of Goose Island 312. At $11 a can, it was pretty expensive, but I figured it would be worth it. The first sip was a shock. The beer tasted like Budweiser and that was not a good thing. My husband and I both thought it was awful. Our next beers were from the specialty beer stand inside the ballpark. I had Lagunitas. Now that's what I'm talking about..
I found this book just fascinating. Not just because of my history with Goose Island beer, but also the whole David and Goliath theme with beer. It seems that in pursuit of profits and market share, big beer is hell-bent on homogenizing our taste buds. Since craft beer is such a small part of the beer market, why can't they leave enough alone? Read this book--you'll be surprised to find out which craft beers are owned by big beer. I know I was. The author knows his topic and did his homework
When rumors started spreading about Goose Island's sale to ABI, we, along with many Chicagoans, were shocked and saddened. The demise of the beer was predicted. Last summer, my husband and I attended a Cubs game at Wrigley. I was SO excited to see vendors selling cans of Goose Island 312. At $11 a can, it was pretty expensive, but I figured it would be worth it. The first sip was a shock. The beer tasted like Budweiser and that was not a good thing. My husband and I both thought it was awful. Our next beers were from the specialty beer stand inside the ballpark. I had Lagunitas. Now that's what I'm talking about..
I found this book just fascinating. Not just because of my history with Goose Island beer, but also the whole David and Goliath theme with beer. It seems that in pursuit of profits and market share, big beer is hell-bent on homogenizing our taste buds. Since craft beer is such a small part of the beer market, why can't they leave enough alone? Read this book--you'll be surprised to find out which craft beers are owned by big beer. I know I was. The author knows his topic and did his homework