Anheuser-Busch’s days as an independent company are all but over.
St. Louis is in mourning. Will the city have to be renamed? Probably not, but the sale is imminent.
So who is this buyer from the wings that will take over the 156 year-old icon? Microsoft? Apple? Warren Buffet? Nope.
InBev
InBev? Who the heck is InBev?
The Belgium conglomerate currently has such beers as Stella Artois and Bass.
Not since Harley-Davidson fell into foreign hands has something been this depressing. Ok, maybe I am going a bit overboard, but the sale still hits home.
There is a small chance the sale will fall through. I am sure the Busch family may be spending less time drinking beer this week and more time looking under cushions and car seats for a spare $50 billion.
In the end, icon or not, Anheuser-Busch makes beer. They are a company and any company runs the risk of being taken over when shares drop and the product is mismanaged.
I wonder if NASCAR will now have the InBev 500?
{UPDATE: They are selling, they are not selling, they are selling again – more indecisiveness than a High School Prom Night (sorry, no details). The changes to this story are faster than I can update this post. For the latest, just skip to the “comments” section below}
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Fine, I suppose this is where you look for some witty insights to my mind. A "bio" of sorts. Here is the deal... I ride motorcycles, smoke cigars, golf, kayak, fly, race my car through the mountains, write (a lot), and travel extensively. I am almost old enough not to care what other people think about me...almost. ~Godfadr
Say it isn’t so!
I blogged about that on my open forum (you submit questions or topics, I report from the depths of my brain)through my myspace site (yes, I have no problem being the male adult equivalent of a 14 yr old girl- linked on my blogspot page), and received quite a bevy of not so clean replies to my hostile writing.
Glad I don’t drink beer. I wonder if Coke or Pepsi will be next.
I had heard that. I don’t even drink beer and it almost brought a tear to my eye. That is like betty crocker being purchased by a chinese company. Just doesn’t make sense.
Whats funny about this is if you go to Sea World they make a big deal about them being American owned.
“Belgium Owned” probably won’t have the same ring to it…
Hey good news. InBev not going to by Bud. Here’s the link.
http://www.foxbusiness.com/story/markets/industries/industrials/anheuser-turns-inbev/
Thanks for the update Jay!
Thank God, an American Icon is saved!
I SPOKE TOO SOON….AFTER TURNING DOWN A $46B dollar offer, which sparked this post, the kings of Budweiser said they would be more affable to a deal valued at $50B. Reportedly, InBev has agreed to up their offer to the approximately $50Billion magic mark….so Europe may not only claim to be the home of “real” beer…now they have brought the King of Beers to rest squarely on top of their Corporate Beerdom.
Our grandfather’s fought to remove Belgium from Nazi control, only to let them take our beer??? I’m more than just a little peeved by this. Not so much because its beer, but that it signals yet another shift of American products and American dollars becoming irrelevant.
Greetings from Brazil and Belgium!!!
(INBEV Stand for INterbrew – Belgium + AmBEV – Brazilian)
I´m very happy to inform you that from now on americans will be tasting REAL beers!!!
This deal is on time as a sign of times for U.S. arrogancy worldwide. Have your icon beer sold out to Belgium and Brazil… tsc tsc…
Wait for the next chapter scenes…
Our Ethanol is also coming up soon, so you will be able to get Brazilian Alcohol on both your cars (oops, I ment your japonese cars) and your stomachs!!!
Happy news!!!
C ya
The drama continues. Keep the updates coming!