Sky News reported that Belgian beer monster InBev is going to take over American brew master Anheuser-Busch. Don’t know why, no one drinks mass-produced beer if they can help it.
But it’s good to know that beer companies aren’t failing with the rest of the failing markets. So we’ll be poor but drunk. Maybe if no one can afford beer, they’ll drop the price?

We’ve reported on the sale of Anheuser Busch and its flagship Budweiser brand beer to InBev. At this point, A-B and Budweiser are effectively synonymous, at least in the US, but there was a time when there were many different Budweiser beers across the US (including one brewed by Miller). Indeed, the name “Budweiser” really just means “from Budweis” in German, much as “Pilsener” means “from Pilsen.” US brewers, familiar with the long brewing history of Budweis, used the name in the US to connote old-world brewing quality.
The last of the American Budweisers was brewed by the DuBois brewing …read more

Joris Pattyn, a Belgian beer expert and champion of Belgian beers, recently gave Budweiser a whirl. Pattyn tried out InBev’s newest “flagship” beer and didn’t exactly give rave reviews. Among other things Pattyn had to say, he commented that Budweiswer was “a beer for students getting drunk…it will take hours but eventually it will happen.”
Hmm, wasn’t that Bud’s slogan?
You can see what else Pattyn had to say here:

The news of the acquisition of Anheuser-Busch by InBev is all over the blogosphere. I’ve mostly been thinking about the beer side of things. Over at Doing Biz Abroad, Jean offers some insight into the business side of things – check it out.

With the acquisition of Anheuser-Busch by Belgian brewer InBev now a certainty, it leads to another question… Who will step in as the largest brewery in the US? The answer is somewhat surprising.
Do you know the new pecking order? Quick, name the three largest American-owned breweries after A-B becomes (gulp) Belgian!
The answer is after the jump.

Say “hallo” to the new face of Budweiser: the Belgian brewer InBev has confirmed that it will purchase Anheuser-Busch for $52 billion, creating the world largest brewer. The purchase will result in the fourth-largest consumer product company worldwide.
The Missouri based Anheuser-Busch was America’s largest brewer and the world’s second largest. Its brands include Budweiser (“the great American lager”), Bud Light, Michelob and Busch.
InBev’s brands include Stella Artois and Becks.
InBev claims that it will use St. Louis as its North American headquarters. InBev has also promised that it will keep open all 12 of Anheuser-Busch’s North American …read more

In the end, it wasn’t about history. It wasn’t about pride. It wasn’t about patriotism. It wasn’t even, surprisingly, about the beer. It was all about the Benjamins.
InBev finally gave A-B what they really, really wanted: more money.
After swearing that they would never sell, after claiming the sale would be anti-American and against the law, A-B execs changed their mind when InBev waved an extra $5/share at them for the company. Funny how money can resolve your differences.
InBev hopes to become the largest brewery in the world and did so by offering A-B shareholders …read more

Anheuser-Busch refuses to go down easily.
As InBev grows more aggressive with respect to its bid to take over Anheuser-Busch, A-B has started fighting back. This week, A-B filed a lawsuit against InBev in Missouri. A key issue in the suit? InBev’s operations in Cuba. According to the complaint, InBev’s “business in Cuba is substantial, with more than 570 full-time employees, distribution centers located throughout the country, and sales accounting for 44 percent of total beer sales on the island.”
And this matters why?
Th US has regulations that prohibit just such a venture, notably the (and I’m not …read more

InBev, the Belgian brewer, in talks to buy American brewer Anheuser-Busch, has indicated to the Securities and Exchange Commission that it will replace all of the current serving board members of A-B. The proposed board includes Adolphus Busch IV, who has encouraged A-B to negotiate with InBev.
InBev has offered 35% over the current share price for A-B and 18% over the previous all-time high. Yet, A-B rejected the proposal last month.
Really?
Don’t misconstrue my disbelief. Like Chris, I won’t lose any sleep over the purchase – after all, I’m more likely to pick up an InBev brewed Stella …read more

I’ve not been inclined to blog about one of the biggest bits of beer news around, the attempted purchase of Anheuser-Busch by InBev. It’s big news, it’s beer news, and this is a beer blog.
Then I read this article in the Economist and the reason hit me. The loss of Bud to a foreign company may be big news, but this blog is really more about good beer than it is just beer in general. And good beer, Bud is not. Indeed, the article talks about the people of St Louis crying into their beers, but if they use this …read more