[denny]

http://beerandnosh.com/2010/04/anchor-brewing-sold/

[Podo]

I just watched Beer Wars the other day and when I saw the post I figured AB InBev swallowed another.  Glad at least it was not them.

[mroakley]

Here's a link from yesterday's article.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/04/26/BUOD1D55P1.DTL&tsp=1

[bluesman]

My hats off to Fritz Maytag for paving the way to where we are now at the very least being a significant contributor to the craft beer market as it stands today. I'm hopeful that the new owners will take the torch and continue the path toward the betterment of the industry.

[denny]

I used to ride my bike past the Maytag mansion when I was a kid.  I still recall the people in town talking about how a crazy kid was "wasting" his inheritance on a brewery!

[darvyle]

Hopefully "preserve and expand" doesn't mean "cheapen and mass produce".  My wife turned me onto Anchor Steam, It can be difficult to get on the east coast but when i do get a case it doesn't last long.   I gotta get that clone recipe out and see how it compares to the real thing.

[The Professor]

Hopefully "preserve and expand" doesn't mean "cheapen and mass produce".  My wife turned me onto Anchor Steam, It can be difficult to get on the east coast but when i do get a case it doesn't last long.   I gotta get that clone recipe out and see how it compares to the real thing.

Nothing at all wrong with mass producing if the character of the beers can be maintained.  Fritz and Anchor really set the stage for the revival of American beer,  and as long as the new owners don't completely blow it,  the company can continue to be a force for good in brewing no matter how big they get. 
More ANCHOR beer in the world would not be a bad thing...I for one would love to see wider mainstream distribution and availability of their beers, if the character and quality can be maintained. 
As long as they don't start cutting corners, there's no reason why they can't continue to make great beer on a larger scale. 
Well done,  Mr. Maytag and congratulations. 
And for Anchor---onward and upward!

[bluesman]

The one thing I can say is that the quality of their beer has been very consistent through the years IMHO. I have always liked their beers and hope they will continue to offer that same level of quality product.

From their track record the new owners should be able to measure up to the challenge. At least that's the hope.

[blatz]

The one thing I can say is that the quality of their beer has been very consistent through the years IMHO. I have always liked their beers and hope they will continue to offer that same level of quality product.

its funny, my friend and i were just saying the other day how Anchor has really gone downhill. 

I've had Foghorn, Porter and Liberty in recent months, all *fresh* according to the bottling code, and they really were lackluster and missing something.  Perhaps my tastes have changed, but with Porter especially, that has always been a favorite, and I thought it was overly fruity.

I'll take a wait-and-see approach with these guys - I'm skeptical to say the least, but at least Fritz is still on the board.

[BrewingRover]

There's nice interview with Fritz and Keith Greggor of the Griffin Group halfway down the page here:
http://beernews.org/2010/04/beer-notes-fritz-talks-anchor-sale-lost-abbey-dilemma-duvel-tripel-hop/

[gimmeales]

That is a great (and encouraging) interview there.  Fritz is quite an engaging character - it was a treat to hear him talk.  Also impressed with Keith's two bits on Griffin's background and intents - sounds like this will be a good thing all around.

Having be a part of corporate take-overs in a couple different places in my professional career (resulting in layoffs on both occasions), my suspicions and skepticism of a larger company not meddling in a smaller, successful, quality-centric operations is great.  This however, does not sound like a typical 'corporate buy-out'.  I don't drink much Anchor beer at all, but it'd be great to see it's heritage and passion preserved in a way that also lets them grow.

[marklrob]

The one thing I can say is that the quality of their beer has been very consistent through the years IMHO. I have always liked their beers and hope they will continue to offer that same level of quality product.

its funny, my friend and i were just saying the other day how Anchor has really gone downhill. 

I've had Foghorn, Porter and Liberty in recent months, all *fresh* according to the bottling code, and they really were lackluster and missing something.  Perhaps my tastes have changed, but with Porter especially, that has always been a favorite, and I thought it was overly fruity.

I'll take a wait-and-see approach with these guys - I'm skeptical to say the least, but at least Fritz is still on the board.

Distribution is a b****, and the quality might have something to do with what happened to the beer between the time it left the brewery and when it hit your mouth/nose.

All that aside, I can't really comment on Anchor's quality because I can't get it in Utah before it has sat on a warm shelf for at least some considerable period of time.