By Andy Young
In a signal of further intent to the brewing world AB InBev has acquired US craft brewer Golden Road Brewing, while still eyeing a takeover of SABMiller.
Golden Road is now the fourth craft brewery in recent months to have been involved in some kind of acquisition following from SABMiller buying Meantime, Heineken taking a 50 per cent stake in Lagunitas and MillerCoors acquiring Saint Archer.
Meg Gill, president and co-founder at Golden Road Brewing, said: "The energy and passion of the beer community is what drew me into this industry and with Golden Road we wanted to help develop the craft beer market in LA.
"Our team worked hard to build Golden Road from the ground up and we are proud of the growth we’ve achieved in such a short time. California is an exciting and competitive market for beer and I see endless opportunities in partnering with Anheuser-Busch and their incredible distribution network to bring our beers to more people."
Golden Road is the largest craft brewery in Los Angeles County and expects to sell around 45,000 barrels this year. Financial terms of the deal have not been disclosed and the transaction is expected to close by the end of this year.
Golden Road joins AB InBev's craft beer portfolio alongside Goose Island Beer Co, Blue Point Brewing, 10 Barrel Brewing and Elysian Brewing.