Anheuser-Busch is buying Seattle's Elysian Brewing Co., expanding further its collection of craft brewers.
The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed Friday.
Anheuser-Busch is the U.S. arm of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA, a Belgian company that is the world's largest brewer. The company, which makes Budweiser and Bud Lite, has been combatting soft sales by buying up increasingly popular craft brewers.
While nationwide beer sales declined 1.9 percent in 2013, craft beer sales rose 17.2 percent, according to the Brewers Association, which represents craft brewers.
Anheuser-Busch announced in November it was buying 10 Barrel Brewing of Oregon, raising the ire of many of its fans. That follows the purchase of Blue Point Brewing Co. on Long Island, New York, earlier in the year. It bought Goose Island Beer Co. in Chicago in 2011. InBev also has a one-third share in a Northwest group that produces Red Hook, Widmer and Kona beers.
Anheuser-Busch and Elysian say the deal will bring the brewer's popular beers - most notably Immortal IPA - to a larger audience. The deal includes Elysian's brewery business and its four Seattle brewpubs. It is expected to close by the end of the first quarter.
"Throughout our journey we've been focused on brewing a portfolio of both classic and groundbreaking beers and supporting innovation and camaraderie in the beer industry," Dick Cantwell, Elysian co-founder and head brewer said. "By joining with Anheuser-Busch we'll be able to take the next steps to bring that energy and commitment to a larger audience."
Elysian was founded in 1995 by Cantwell with partners Joe Bisacca and David Buhler, who will stay on at Elysian following the acquisition.
The company is now the fastest-growing brewery in Washington state. It sold more than 50,000 barrels of beer in 2014, with Immortal IPA accounting for more than a quarter of the company's total volume. Its beer is distributed in 11 states in the U.S. as well as Canada, Taiwan, Australia and Japan.