There are many stories where a large company buys a small craft brewery and kills it. I hope Anchor turns out similar. I am not sure of all the details but this is the story I was told: A long time ago there was a brewery called Ipswitch Brewery. They were popular and grew nicely. The original owners retired and sold it to a large company. They closed the physical brewery and went to contract brewers strictly on price. It was rotgut beer and quickly ran the name into the ground. Someone bought the physical brewery and created a contract brewer called Mercury Brewing. Using the old facility and may of the old employees the made some quality beers for bars and restaurants around New England. Eventually they got the name back for very little money. Besides using their own name, they can be found at over 60 bars and restaurants under more than 60 different names. And they lived happily ever after. This story is a little different than one on Wikipedia. That story makes it sound almost friendly but I have been told it was a lot more hostile. Mercury Brewing Company - Wikipedia
The 1990s were "a long time ago"? Oh, damn. My best friend (RIP) from childhood moved to Ipswich in the 90s and we had a great seafood meal along with many Ipswich Ales the last time I visited him up there around then.
