Yup, it’s true, Northern Brewer (which also owned Midwest Supplies) was recently purchased by ZX Ventures, a venture capital arm of Anheuser-Busch InBev. There is a lot of buzz in the home brew news and forums this week about what this means, and whether or not this is a sellout.
I’m sure that there are a lot of opinions out there about it, and plenty of speculation about Humongous Beer’s motives, but the folks at NB swear that they remain true to the passion of home brewing. I’m sure that the good folks that work at NB/MS hope that ZX-Ventures will leave them alone to follow their passion. I hope so too. Time will tell.
Fortunately, there are plenty of options out there for those who do not want to line the pockets of A-BI. First off, remain true and loyal to your local home brew supply shop. For us in the Itasca County area, that’s Wine Creations. A shameless plug? No, they have just been there when we needed them, and WC has continued to expand their offerings to include more and more of what we need on a growing basis.
When looking at specialized equipment and items that you cannot source through your LHBS, there are plenty of other independent suppliers out there.
Research shows that moderate beer consumption can help prevent heart disease and strokes, provide important vitamins and minerals, is low in fat and helps increase good cholesterol (HDL).