Popular Chicago brewery Goose Island recently announced it had been sold to Anheuser-Busch. The $38.8 million sale will include a $1.3 million expansion of Goose Island's brewing capacity. The brewery previously used Anheuser-Busch as a distributor.

This, not surprisingly, is controversial. Considering the loyalty for which craft-brew drinkers are known, it's bound to sting when the the manufacturer of Budweiser, Michelob, Rolling Rock and other watery beers acquires a hometown favorite. Needless to say, there are a lot of angry Chicago beer drinkers. Imagine, for example, if Founders did this; we'd be rioting in the streets.

While it remains unclear exactly how the sale will affect the Goose Island operation, Grand Rapids appears to be joining in the revolt.

Local restaurant/beer-bar the Hopcat is opting out of serving Goose Island as a result of the sale. A link to a story about the sale showed up Monday on the Hopcat's Facebook page along with the following statement:

An animated discussion followed in the comments below the posting, expressing near-unanimous agreement among fans of the bar -- owned by Mark Sellers, whose other ventures include Stella's Lounge, the Viceroy and co-ownership of the forthcoming Pyramid Scheme bar and concert venue.

Winchester owner Paul Lee jumped into the discussion, adding, "The Winchester is on the HopCat boycott train; beginning this week we'll stop ordering products from GI."

On a related note, Goose Island's brewmaster, Greg Hall, will be stepping down and has yet to announce his plans. One wonders if he might find something appealing about West Michigan.

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