A new brewery is coming to San Diego's East Village, but some say they don't want it here.
10 Barrel and was founded in Bend, Oregon in 2006. Three years ago, it was acquired by Anheuser-Busch, one of several craft breweries the giant corporation has bought.
Many in the craft beer industry say it's an upsetting trend.
"These guys aren't buying these companies because they like them or want their products to do well, they're buying them because they're losing market share," said Brian Mitchell, owner and brewmaster of Pariah Brewing Company, "So how do you beat your competitor? You buy your competition."
Mitchell says big companies like Anheuser-Busch don't face the challenges that small, independent breweries deal with.
"Lots of blood, sweat and tears, labor of love type stuff," said Mitchell. "We're not going to get rich off this, we know that we don't care, we just want to do what we do."
Mitchell and others believe customers are being deceived. When big companies purchase craft breweries, they don't put any indication on the bottle that they're affiliated. He also says these companies can charge less and worries they'll start driving small operations out of business.
He's supporting a Go Fund Me created by his friend to protest the brewery. When 10 Barrel opens on May 27, a banner will be flying above that reads '10 Barrel is Not Craft Beer'. The fundraiser met its goal within a few hours and has now surpassed it. They plan to fly the banner for two days now.
10News reached out to 10 Barrel and received a statement from Garrett Wales, co-founder of the company:
"While we really appreciate these efforts increasing the awareness of the opening of the pub, it’s a shame these folks aren't putting their time and money into more important civil causes and helping those truly in need. With that, we’ll be pouring some great beers on May 27th and hope many new friends come join us."
