(San Francisco, CA) – Nearly 45 years after acquiring the brewery, Fritz Maytag announced today that he has sold one of the pillars of the craft beer movement, Anchor Brewing Company.

[4/26 Update: Credit to Beer and Nosh for originally breaking the news that everyone was talking about today.]

According to a press memo released this afternoon, The Griffin Group is acquiring Anchor Brewing and will rename it Anchor Brewers & Distillers, LLC. The acquisition group is led by Keith Greggor and Tony Foglio, investors in US-based Preiss Imports and one of its brands, BrewDog (announced this past October). The duo is well-known for its work in building the Skyy Vodka brand though that tidbit was left out of this craft beer-centric press release, probably for good reason.

Per the release, “Anchor Brewers & Distillers intends to establish a ‘Center of Excellence’ in San Francisco for craft brewers and artisan distillers from around the world. An epicenter of development, education, entertainment and innovation, all designed to further contribute to the culture and heritage of craft beer and artisan spirits.” Maytag will still hold a position in the new company titled, “Chairman Emeritus.”

Frtiz Maytag is an icon of the industry, most recently marked by his being selected as one of three collaborators by Sierra Nevada Brewing for the Sierra Nevada 30th Anniversary Series. His history and that of Anchor Brewing is well-documented:

“When Fritz arrived at the Brewery on 8th Street, it was love at first sight, somewhat blinding him to equipment that was practically medieval, cleanliness (the most unsung secret to consistently good beer, as Fritz would soon discover) that was not even a low priority, and a Brewery bank balance (as of December 31, 1964) of $128. On September 24, 1965, Fritz bought 51% of the operation—for a few thousand dollars—rescuing Anchor from imminent bankruptcy. That was the easy part, for it would take Fritz the next ten years to turn the ailing Brewery and its Steam Beer around.”

45 years later, the craft beer industry is thriving and Anchor Brewing is one of the pioneers that has made that success possible. That said, the brewery hasn’t been growing as rapidly as some of its peers during this craft beer boom. Over the past two years, the brewery slipped from 13th to 20th in craft brewery sales rankings. 2009 was also the first time in the past several years (dating back to 2004 and potentially farther) that Anchor Brewing failed to place 2nd to Sierra Nevada as the largest breweries in California. Stone Brewing took over that position this past year.

The cliche, “Out with the old, in with the new,” has rang true in more ways than one in the industry.

Andy Crouch puts it best (or perhaps, prophetically) in his commentary of the Long Trail-Otter Creek acquisition from this past fall:

“In the coming decade, craft beer fans should indeed expect to see many of their favorite breweries change hands. In some cases, that may involve a transition from father or mother to son or daughter, but in many others, as with many other closely held corporations, outside suitors will be the best or only possibilities. While we do not know what the purchase of Otter Creek holds for its brewery, employees, and brands, let alone those of Long Trail, this sort of business consolidation will quickly become routine in this industry of nearly 1500 small, often family run breweries.”

Anderson Valley Brewing‘s Ken Allen also sold his longtime business this spring.

Anchor Brewing is yet another to add to this growing list, one that is taking shape sooner than many of us expected.

At a time when sales of new seasonals and one-offs from breweries like Stone and Dogfish Head are now pacing growth in the industry, Anchor has stuck with consistency. The brewery has yet to complement its longtime sessionable offerings like Anchor Steam Beer and Liberty Ale with even basic styles; for example, there is no India Pale Ale in the portfolio.

For now, I’m left with two questions.

Can Greggor and Foglio get the brewery on track with the rest of the industry in terms of growth (and what will it do to get there)? The brewery produced 90k barrels in 2008 according to The New Brewer. The duo could lift the brewery past 100k in the next couple years.

My second question is the all-important, “Will Anchor still qualify as a craft brewery?” With every acquisition, I quote the independence criteria from the Brewers Association: “Less than 25% of the craft brewery is owned or controlled (or equivalent economic interest) by an alcoholic beverage industry member who is not themselves a craft brewer.” It seems unlikely that the Griffin Group would meet this criteria.

Regardless, Maytag is certainly optimistic for the future:

“Combining Keith and Tony’s passion for the Anchor Brewing Company, their industry experience and expertise only means that Anchor will be enjoyed in San Francisco for generations to come.”

Fritz Maytag - photo credit: Flickr user bittermelon (creative commons)

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