The Brew SiteInBev, Anheuser-Busch
You can’t hardly swing a dead cat around the beer blogosphere the last couple of days without running into chatter about the InBev takeover of Anheuser-Busch. (Latest news: A-B accepted the offer at $70/share, or about $52 billion.) I’ve avoided writing about any of it (until now) because, frankly, I’d rather write about beer than about the business of giant corporations. And I really have nothing to add.
If you want the quality coverage, check out Jay Brooks’ tireless efforts; he’s been staying on top of the entire deal and even provides this eye opening thought:
Once the takeover of Anheuser-Busch by InBev is completed, a curious thing will happen to the landscape of American brewing. It’s certainly something I never expected to be writing in my lifetime, but it’s true. The Boston Beer Co., who brew the Samuel Adams line of beers, will be the biggest brewer in America.
All the largest, corporate brewers are (will be) owned by foreign interests: InBev/A-B by a Belgian company; MolsonCoors by a Canadian company; and SABMiller by a South African company. The largest American-owned and operated brewers will now be Samuel Adams, Yuengling, and Sierra Nevada.
That’s awesome.
Forget eye-opening. What about gut-wrenching?
http://notionscapital.wordpress.com/2008/07/14/the-belgians-are-coming-the-belgians-are-coming/
A similar thing has occurred in Ireland. The largest Irish owned brewery is a wonderful chain of brew pubs called the Porterhouse, who brew excellent stouts and ales at a scale dwarfed by the likes of Diageo owned Guinness.
It’s really sad to lose such an iconic and historical American company to a foreign investor. I think it’s time we really starting focusing on keeping American jobs and American companies here in the United States.
I’m a small business owner here in Saint Louis, and the economy nationally is hurting everyone – not this is definitely going to hurt at home. They have a website going I signed up at – http://www.boycottAB.com .. a forum to share your ideas and opinions on the InBev buyout and to encourage people to buy from locally owned & operated businesses’
What’s on tap now for Budweiser? CNBC takes you inside America’s 130-year love affair with the King of Beers. Now that InBev has agreed to purchase the iconic American brand, CNBC’s "American Originals: Budweiser" offers a first look at the new reality for Bud. Watch CNBC on Thursday, July 17 at 9p/12a ET to see the side of Budweiser you’ve never seen before… the past the present and the future. Click here for web highlights.
http://www.cnbc.com/id/25348737/?__source=bg|pst|budprem|07102008|&par=bg
Hope you enjoy, let me know if you would like more info!
Don’t think I’ll mind too much. Maybe it will encourage folks to try true American crafted beers.
One can wish.
Let’s face it, Budweiser and Bud Light are horrible, horrible beers, devoid of all flavor. But Amber Bock, though not really a bock, is a nice dark beer, and often available on tap as an alternative to the tasteless light beers.
So, in a way, it’s a shame to see an American Brewer go down. But, as someone else said, maybe this will encourage people to try smaller American brewers. I’ve noticed locally, that Point six-packs (Stevens Point, WI) are often sold out at the local WalMart.