The big dogs in the brewing industry have been buying up smaller independent breweries. The big players have been losing market share (and profits) to small brewers who are willing to brew great original beer. Sales of swill beer have been spiraling downwards, and something had to be done to compensate for the loss in sales... so the mega brewing companies have been buying out the craft brewers - and then cheapening the product to improve profit margins on their new purchase.
They have also been buying distribution networks and excluding craft beers from distribution, while continuing to carry their own brand. Sometimes I get the sense that large business doesn't really enjoy or want healthy competition.
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I drink a few of these "Crafty" brews from time to time: Kona, Widmer, Red Hook, 10 Barrel, Pyramid, and especially Elysian. I also enjoy drinking a bland-tasting corporate sixer of Corona, Shock-Top or Blue Moon once in a while... with the understanding that it's not a lovingly hand-crafted beer, and that a corporation full of suits is getting my money.
A couple of breweries that brew amazing beer, which (I think) are still independent: Deschutes and New Belgium. Both offer a wide range of styles and seasonal beers that are awesome. These are readily available across the US western states.
I've read that Lagunitas has gone way downhill since it came under corporate ownership. That's no surprise, since publicly traded companies are dedicated to profit, and not dedicated to their product, other than how it impacts revenue.
Anyway, if you are a beer drinker and interested in supporting the little guys, investigate a bit. If it matters to you, make sure that's who you are buying from! They don't necessarily advertise it when they sell out to the Borg.
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