Drinking with Joe Btfsplk?

So here I am, in NC to celebrate a joyous event, and enjoying a Lieutenant Dank (from Wicked Weed Brewing) in a neat place called Salud down in NoDa, when the fit hits the shan.

Wicked Weed, one of my favorite breweries anywhere, sold out to AB-InBev, sending shock waves throughout the craft beer world, not to mention the entire beer-drinking community in Asheville, NC, where the joyous event we came to celebrate took place.

I mean, was I drinking with Joe Btfsplk? If you're a Li'l Abner comics fan you know who Joe is. He's the guy who walked around with a black cloud swirling around his head.

The reactions to the sale, mostly negative, have been both swift and predictable. Read this, this and this. To counter these stories, the owner gave an interview to Men's Health Journal, wherein he explains the move and his goals for the future of the brewery, which is the second largest tourist destination in Asheville. I'm guessing the fabulous Biltmore Mansion is #1.

One quote from that article, however, seems to indicate why the resistance may be so enraged.

Dickinson states, "And you know, we can get upset about stuff but it’s just beer."

No, Walt, it's not "just beer." Especially the stuff you make.

As suggested by a comment on craftbeer.com: "...independence matters because beer is not just about what’s in the glass — it’s also about who is behind the brands, their ethos, ethics and business behavior."

Or, as small craft brewer and friend Jeremy "Flounder" Lees of Flounder Brewing in Hillsborough says, "It isn't about someone selling out and going corporate conglomerate. It's about a company that has distribution channels, that pushes and takes up 95% of the shelf spaces and tap handles; it's about pay to play [on a level] that small business owners can't compete with; it's about uniqueness; it's about craft and valuing what craft beer is; it's about supporting your small business owners."

And nearby NC brewery D-9 had an even harsher message. And there's this, regarding the pullout of a majority of brewers from Wicked Weed's annual Funkatorium Beer Festival. And perhaps the reasons offered above can explain why the resistance is so strident.

To be fair, at least one NC brewer rep I spoke with said that his boss would have rejected a buyout a few years ago when he was just starting out, but if somebody were to offer him millions to acquire his brewery today, his answer would probably be different. And what business person among us--in business to make a profit, after all-- would be able to resist an "apple" like that, regardless of who was proffering it?

Certainly no sane beer drinker wishes Wicked Weed ill, and, if their beer remains unchanged in NC, I'll still drink it when I'm in here, as I was back in 2016 to award Wicked Weed The PubScout Seal of Approval (below). But I do wonder whether some guy in Perth Amboy, NJ will get the exact same Freak of Nature experience I'll be enjoying in NC.