Hall to Leave Goose Island
Major-brand wanna-be faux craft brand Anheuser-Busch has announced that John Hall, founder of Goose Island Beer Company will step down as CEO.
John, who founded Goose Island Beer Company in 1988 and sold it to Anheuser-Busch last year will be replaced by longtime AB executive Andy Goeler who most recently served as AB’s vice president of import, craft and specialty brands.
Since acquiring Goose Island for nearly $40 million, AB has announced it plans to increase Goose Island’s distribution to all 50 states and build the it to a million barrel-a-year brand.
Most of Goose’s biggest-selling brands, like 312 Urban Wheat Ale and Honker’s Ale, have been outsourced from its Fulton Street brewery to AB plants in New York and Colorado.
Yeehaw! What great news…
Sounds like ABI has moved him one step closer to where they probably wanted him in the first place which is out the door…
Same thing they did with Busch when they took over AB. Kept him on the board so that they could maintain that they weren’t “significantly changing” the company. I think it was a year later he was out on his ass too…
I read that they put John on some special advisory board or something. Sounds like the made up title you give the boss when he’s close to retirement but don’t want him involved in any real business anymore…..
I don’t begrudge John Hall for selling his company, we all do what we have to do. I just hope that ABI handles the company the way John intended (or was lead to believe) they would when he sold it to them….
One part of me wants Goose to stay the same because I am a big fan of some of their beers; the pragmatic part of me wouldn’t mind them losing some market share since I am also in Illinois.
In my experience, wishing others will do worse is a sure way to fail.
The fellows from GI at the GABF were cordial about all the “we’re concerned for you” and generally backed it up with serving tasty beer. We were told that having deep pockets behind you makes it easier to do more of the fun stuff they would like to keep doing.