DENVER – One of Colorado’s largest and oldest craft breweries is promising beer lovers that nothing will change even though it’s being bought by beer giant Anheuser-Busch, a brand many of them love to hate.

Under a deal announced Tuesday, the maker of Budweiser said it was acquiring Breckenridge Brewery for an undisclosed amount and adding it to its craft and import brand unit, The High End.

The deal comes as major beer industry players try to make inroads in a niche market that has captured more than 10 percent of beer sales in recent years. Last week, Anheuser-Busch, the U.S. arm of Belgium-based Anheuser-Busch InBev, announced it was also buying Tempe, Arizona based craft brewer Four Peaks Brewing Co. In recent years it has also acquired Chicago’s Goose Island and Oregon’s 10 Barrel Brewing Co. The purchase also comes on the heels of a new plan by In Bev to reward distributors who carry its beers.

In an open letter to supporters, Breckenridge president J. Todd Usry said that the brewery will continue to make its own decisions about the beers it creates and there are no plans to change its employees or culture. He said the deal will allow it to bring its beers to more people.

“I hope you will give us the chance to prove to you over time that we will continue to be Breckenridge Brewery,” he said.