Karbach Brewing Co. came to life in a converted warehouse on an industrial stretch of northwest Houston with a renowned brewmaster who said he was "brought here to hit home runs." Over the next five years, such beers as Weisse Versa, Love Street and Bourbon Barrel-aged Hellfighter became staples in the hearts and refrigerators of a growing legion of craft beer lovers.

From the start, Karbach was passing production milestones at an impressive clip. A New Yorker magazine analysis in 2013 singled out Karbach as the nation's second-fastest-growing beer company. It opened a gleaming new brewery last year and soon had to add on. This year, it's on pace to make 80,000 barrels, most among Houston crafts.

On Thursday, its founders, Ken Goodman and Chuck Robertson, and its German-trained brewmaster, Eric Warner, announced they were ready to take the next step - one that infuriated many of the brewery's fans. Karbach agreed to be acquired by Anheuser-BuschInBev, the "evil empire" to craft brewing purists, for an undisclosed amount.

Karbach owners portrayed the sale as a opportunity to grow, a deal that would keep them largely independent but give them access to the resources of the world's largest beer conglomerate and allow them to increase Karbach's capacity to at least 150,000 barrels by 2019.

"We're fired up," Robertson said.

Local fans of the beer, however, took the news like a lover scorned.

"Oh karbach no :(," emojied one on Twitter. "Sellout," they charged on chron.com. Facebookers posted a few less printable epithets.

Retailers, too, expressed their disappointment.

"It's hard to be mad at someone for their success," said Jake Rainey, partner and chief operating officer of the craft beer bars Liberty Station, Cottonwood and La Grange. "But as a business owner, I get to choose who to support and why. Part of our values is to support local."

He predicted "pushback" from some bar and restaurant owners. He said he would not immediately drop Karbach products but would no longer give them special promotion.

'Trying to stop the bleeding'

Hay Merchant owner Kevin Floyd was less reserved. The bar immediately began a "fire sale" of Karbach products and will not sell them in the future, he said.

"We're going to sell everything and move on," he said.

Floyd, a frequent critic of AB-InBev, reiterated his belief that the company would prefer to simply put crafts out of business and return to the days when Budweiser and other American light lagers completely dominated the domestic beer scene. Consumer demand, he said, forced the big players' hands as they lost market share to the independents.

"These acquisitions are their way of trying to stop the bleeding," he said.

Bart Watson, chief economist for the Brewers Association, trade group for the craft brewers, said the reaction is similar to that seen in other cities where one of the global giants takes over beloved local crafts. He said the backlash can last, but a company like AB-InBev is confident it can increase production and use its extensive distribution channels to offset any local dropoff in demand.

"All the independent beer bars in America are a drop in the bucket compared to Wal-Mart," he said.

Watson said the deal gives Karbach competitive advantages, such as exclusive access to major marketing or sponsorship deals. The corporate parent also can bundle its products, encouraging retailers to carry more of its brands. It potentially opens up the entire world, since this global enterprise now controls a worldwide market for 525 million barrels. By comparison, the U.S. market totals 200 million barrels.

That could make it difficult for small, independent breweries to compete, just as signs emerge that the years-long growth surge in craft brewing is starting to slow. (Texas craft beer has had a smaller share than elsewhere and growth here remains strong, Watson said.

Anhueser-Busch claims 45.8 percent share of the U.S. market.

'It was the resources'

Goodman denied money was the main reason for the decision to sell.

"The financial piece wasn't that important at the end of the day," Goodman said. "It was the resources."

The Karbach deal comes three months after MillerCoors said it would take over the Fort Worth area's Revolver Brewing. To date, more than a dozen deals have been announced involving smaller craft breweries and cider companies and the global players.

For AB-InBev, the Karbach acquisition could mark the end of its craft-beer buying spree, the president of its craft division said in an interview.

"Most of that effort, if not all of it, is behind us," division president Felipe Szpigel said.

After purchasing Chicago's Goose Island Brewery in 2011, AB-InBev acquired seven other U.S. crafts, including Breckenridge, Elysian and 10 Barrel. On Thursday, it said it was adding Karbach to its craft brewing, or "High End" unit, for an undisclosed purchase price. The group, focused on the U.S. market, includes Stella Artois, Shock Top, a cider company and a hard seltzer company.

Szpigel said the High End is now "99.99 percent focused" on organic growth within that portfolio and is not actively seeking more acquisitions.

He singled out Karbach's Love Street Kölsch as an example of a lower-alcohol, or "session," beer that will fill a niche in the AB-InBev brands.

He said he first visited the Karbach brewery during a site visit to Houston about 18 months ago. As he talked with the owners and brewers, he said, "I really fell in love with what they are doing."

Chance to innovate

Warner said he is excited about the sale and the opportunity for him and his team to collaborate with the other craft brewers in the business unit. That could include teaming up on special beers, sharing expertise and brainstorming ideas.

"The High End wants to see us innovate," he said.

Szpigel acknowledged that in previous acquisitions fans have had some anxiety at first, but that softens once they see the same product on the shelves and see that it tastes the same.

"People get over it," he said.

Warner, who made his reputation at the well-regarded craft breweries Tabernash and Flying Dog, pledged to work to maintain the standards that have made Karbach so popular in Houston and beyond.

"I look at this almost as a challenge," said Warner, the author of a respected book on making wheat beers. "We have to make our beer even better."

He also said he intends to remain part of the Karbach team.

"Like everybody else, I'm here for the long haul," he said.