This morning, we were all surprised to hear that Anheuser Busch bought Seattle’s Elysian Brewing. That makes two iconic, awesome craft breweries in the Pacific NW that have been acquired in the last few months. While I will let other’s debate the soul of craft beer and consumer reaction, I want to talk to you about the winds of strategic change. Specifically, I want to celebrate the brewpub/tasting room business model that is disrupting the 3-tiered system. We’ve discussed this in our Podcast on Blue Ocean Strategy. The brewpub business model is a ‘strategic weapon’ that helped craft beer pioneers like Kurt and Rob Widmer level the playing field and get into business. Now, with the rapid acquisitions of iconic Elysian Brewing and 10-Barrel Brewing, we see the incumbent firms acknowledging this business model is the future. What are you doing to prepare for these changes? What are your distributors telling you? What should your marketing messages be to your consumers? Share your wisdom with our community!