It looks like none of the Big Three breweries in this country are going to be American companies anymore. Anheuser-Busch apparently has agreed to be purchased by Belgium-based InBev, the makers of such beers as Beck's and Stella Artois. Ultimately, this will help Anheuser-Busch. They are dominant here in the States (48% market share), but don't do well at all internationally. Having InBev at their disposal will help. I imagine Busch Light will do very well amongst Euros, because they already think we all drink piss over here. Busch Light actually is piss, and is enjoyed by many an underage drinker. The other aspect of this deal is that besides Stella Artois becoming more omnipresent here, this also is an interesting countermove to Miller and Coors combining their domestic operations.
Another article in the Post-Dispatch talks about how this could lead to a St. Louis renaissance. The idea is that InBev should move HQ from Belgium to St. Louis. I doubt this will happen. InBev can see that SABMiller is run fairly well from London, and MolsonCoors is run just fine in Montreal. Just speculation, but I would imagine it would be difficult to get Belgium or the EU to go along with losing one of Europe's largest corporations to the United States.
So, Molson owns Coors, SAB owns Miller, and now InBev will own Anheuser-Busch. Looks like if you want to drink a totally American beer, you'll have to go with something like this.
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2 comments:
grain belt?
where do they sell it?
i've heard of it, but thought it was defunct.
Grain Belt is pretty much a regional beer. It used to be brewed in Minneapolis, but is now brewed in New Ulm, Minnesota, a couple of hours southwest of here. It almost did go out of business, but was saved by the August Schell Brewing Co.
Honestly, it's not all that great a beer. But, it does in a pinch.
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