AB-InBev's assimilation of craft breweries continues, bringing a 5th such entity into its ranks. Golden Road Brewing, Los Angeles' largest craft brewery, will be joining Goose Island, Elysian, and others in AB-InBev's portfolio, with the deal expected to be completed by the end of the year. Brewbound first reported on and posted the press release about the acquisition early this afternoon. Like many of these acquisitions, it spurs an opportunity for Golden Road to utilize Anheuser-Busch's "incredible distribution network to bring our beers to more people”, according to Golden Road president and co-founder Meg Gill. For AB-InBev, it serves as another strong entry in their expanding craft beer portfolio.

Not much to say about this one, really. As mentioned previously, many craft beer enthusiasts were concerned about diminishing quality when AB-InBev began these acquisitions with Goose Island in 2011. To date, there doesn't really seem to be much of an indication of quality loss. So long as that pattern continues, there should be little cause for concern about this acquisition, and even hope that Golden Road's presumably quality selections can be enjoyed by a greater number of people in an expanded distribution network.