One reason I haven't been too worried about Anheuser-Busch's takeover of Goose Island Beer Co. is that even if Goose is ruined – which I don't necessarily think will happen – there will continue to be no shortage of great craft beer.



The latest evidence: Revolution Brewing, which opened as a brewpub in Logan Square in February 2010, is building a production brewery. By January 2012 – and hopefully well before that, owner Josh Deth says – Revolution beer will be in bars and on Cook County shelves.



Revolution will can its flagship beers year-round – Bottom Up Belgian Wit (a Belgian-style white ale), Anti Hero India Pale Ale and Eugene (a chocolate porter) – and at least a couple of seasonals (October fest and Fistmas, a heavily-hopped brown ale spiced with ginger and orange peel). Its reserve line – a milk stout, a barrel-aged milk stout and a saison – will be put into 22-ounce bottles.



The canning line, Deth says he was told, once belonged to Stroh's. He's still weighing whether to package his beer as four 16-ounce cans or six 12-ounce cans (I voted for the latter).



Deth already has two successful ventures behind him – Handlebar restaurant (which he recently sold his stake in to avoid being in violation of the state's three-tiered system liquor laws) and the Revolution brewpub at 2323 N. Milwaukee Ave. But seeing his beer on shelves will be the culmination of a dream dating to when Deth was a Goose Island brewer in the late 1990s.



Having seen the strain of keeping up with demand of other craft breweries, he will be limiting his beer to Cook County, at least at first.



"We've wanted to be Chicago's next hometown beer even before Anheuser-Busch bought Goose Island," he said. "Now it gives us even more passion."



Jim Cibak, head brewer at the brewpub who has previously worked for Goose Island, Three Floyds and Firestone Walker brewing companies, will handle the same responsibilities at the production facility.



The 35,000-square-foot plant, in the 3300 block of North Kedzie Avenue, will also include a 3,000-square-foot tap room and a quality control laboratory.



"We're following the Goose Island model of growth – I don't mind saying that," Deth said. "That was our intention from the beginning."



Does that mean if someone eventually wants to buy him out for $38.8 million, he'd listen?



"I want to retire someday, too, like (Goose founder) John Hall does," Deth said with a laugh.



