10 Barrel’s bombshell sale splits Bend beer’s fans

News of 10 Barrel Brewing Co.’s sale to Anheuser-Busch, the world’s largest brewer, broke with a shock Wednesday morning and immediately sparked an intense, split reaction among its many fans. But the partners in the business vowed all will stay the same — or get better.

We met with the men behind the beer to get the reasons for the sale, which definitely struck a nerve with some regulars NewsChannel 21 broke the news to.

“You probably just ruined my day,” one disappointed customer said.

“Wow! Really?! No!” another said.

“I was really surprised to hear that — sell-outs!” another patron excliiamed.

To call the announcement a shock would be an understatement.

“We get there is a lot of emotion, and people are really passionate about craft beer, especially in Bend and the Northwest as a whole,” said co-owner Garrett Wales.

The owners say the move has been in the cards for a while.

“About six months ago, we realized that there are some things we are really good at and some things we’re not so good at,” co-owner Jeremy Cox said.

Now Anheuser-Busch will help them fill in the gaps and expand, but the growth of 10 Barrel has already been explosive.

“I just have this to say: I’m really proud of the owners for being such a success,” one customer added.

And the owners said this was the next natural step for the business, which they promise will bring only upside for the business and its product.

“Any changes that are coming down the pipe are going to be positive,” Wales said. ” Everyone still involved in the company, the three of us maintain our current roles. There are no employees getting laid off or terminated. In fact, it’s quite the opposite.”

Some regulars remain skeptical.

“Well I probably won’t be back,” a brew-pub customer said.

And some beer-lovers fear this could be the start of a new trend in Central Oregon.

“Big corporations keep gobbling up the little guy,” one regular said. “Any time someone has a little bit of success, they swoop in.”

But the owners are confident.

“I think what’s important is we are from Bend, our families are here in Bend, still going to be brewing all our beer here in Bend,” co-owner Chris Cox said.

So, they say, 10 Barrel is here to stay.

“Absolutely still 10 Barrel. 10 Barrel really isn’t going anywhere,” Wales said.

The owners would not discuss any specifics of the contract, including the sale price.

They did say it will all be finalized by the end of this year.

Are you happy for the owners or upset? It’s the topic of our latest KTVZ.COM Poll, halfway down the right side of our home page.