Missouri governor Matt Blunt has sent a letter to the Federal Trade Commission, “asking for a federal review of the proposed sale of Anheuser-Busch Cos. to Belgian brewer InBev,” says the AP. Blunt is concerned that allowing the maker of Becks and Stella Artois beers to buy the St. Louis-based brewery could create a “near monopoly” in the US beer market, and that it would damage the Missouri economy.
The weak dollar has prompted InBev to offer $46 billion for AB. Meanwhile, AB, which hasn’t responded to the offer, is said to be trying to merge with Grupo Modelo SAB, the maker of Corona. If that merger is successful, it could make AB even more attractive to InBev.
Does it matter if Budweiser is owned by a bunch of Belgians?
SAB May Become Target, Modelo May Not Deter InBev, ING Says [Bloomberg]
Missouri governor fights Anheuser-Busch sale [SLT]
(Photo: *nomad* )
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@mabus: this new behemoth of the beer world will be incapable of changing the taste of miller because AB doesn’t make miller products. that would in fact be the miller brewing company (now owned by a south african company). plus AB is already a massive company and hasn’t figured out how to make bud light taste like anything better than carbonated piss water, so i wouldn’t hold my breath (unless someone is asking you take a whiff of their bud light, that is).
@darksunfox: say whhaaa? you had the choice between pabst and bud and chose bud???
It’s just beer…I think we have more pressing concerns at the moment.
While I’ll be the first to acknowledge that Bud is not the greatest of beers, as a St. Louis resident, it would be a huge blow to the city to have AB sold. Ask anyone what they think of when they hear St. Louis and you’ll probably get the Arch, the Cardinals, Anheuser Busch, and the #2 most dangerous city in the US. AB has been around much longer than the Cardinals or the Arch though and to have such an institution disappear would be sad.
I drove in to work this morning behind an AB delivery truck proudly proclaiming to be “American Owned”. While many people here in St. Louis know this is a business transaction and there is little that can be done to stop this, it does seem hypocritical.
@ChuckECheese: We’ll need a lot more strip clubs, hookers, and drug dealers to become the next E. STL.
YES i mind! i don’t care what you all think, i love budweiser. LOVE IT. i also like fancy pantsy beers, too, and other cheapies, but budweiser has a special place in my heart.
What would the EU do if the situation were reversed? I’d say do that. And you know what THAT is.
so you mean they might make the beer better?
WHERE IS THE ISSUE?
Near monopoly? They won’t have Sam Adams, and that’s all I need!
I’m indifferent….and I live in St. Louis.
If being owned by a European company gets restaurants around here to improve their beer selection so they don’t only have the pisswater that AB produces, then I’ll be happy.
What isn’t being told here is how socially responsible A-B is, especially to the St Louis communities. They donate tons of money and beer to the region.
When was the last time you heard of InBev taking care of… anyone? I mean, besides its executives. Most St Louisians that are against the merger don’t want to see that money go away — and if InBev takes over, there’s a good chance that’ll happen.
Note that most of the jobs that would be lost at AB are not blue collar (the beer would still be made here) but a whole lot of white collar (particularly IT: AB is about the biggest IT employer in the region outside of ATT and the government) workers. In the wake of the other buyouts/mergers of STL companies and the resultant layoffs (AG Edwards, Purina, Energizer, SBC) it would suck for those of us who live here.
If this goes through, I’m sure most production jobs would stay in STL but the corporate jobs would be gone. With the departure of Macy’s and several other companies, STL’s job market is practically dead. With AB leaving, our city would be permanently screwed. So I really hope this deal doesn’t go through.
Bud is nasty. I used to drink it in college because I could not afford anything else.
I have not touched a AB product since I got my first real job and I say that proudly.
It would be really nice if AB could be sold to the makers of Chimay or d’Orval. Now, those are some nice beers.
AB keep your hands off of Modelo. That beer is too good to be associated with the crap you produce. Buy Sam Adams instead…blech!!!
I object only because I hate Bud and do not want it associated with any other beer that’s actually decent.
I object! You know how EVIL those Belgians are…
Besides I actually don’t care. I don’t drink it since it makes me want to go to the toilet.
In the interest of full disclosure, I think that it should be pointed out that Matt Blunt IS a colossal asshat.
Also, my wife is Belgian.
Thirdly, I do like a Stella Artois once in a while. Much, much better than Budweiser. They have been brewing it for more than 700 years. Make whatever Nazis rolling right through Belgium joke you want (I am not allowed to anymore), but those Belgians know beer.
It always makes beer come out of my nose to hear it pronounces “AR-TOYS”. Seriously, that never gets old.
All that being said, I really don’t give a crap one way or the other.
Ha, the Belgians will make St Louis the new Detroit.
“Near monopoly”? I don’t think so. This is a shameless political grab at an issue which should be completely market dictated. I understand that some folks in Missouri are going to be hit by this, but the answer isn’t to have protectionist government bozos try bend the rules to prevent it from happening. The corporate staff that will be mainly affected by this (I imagine InBev would retain the same domestic brewing capability) can transition to other companies pretty easily, as their skills aren’t so tied to the specific brewing vertical as those of the manufacturing staff.
As for AB, yuck. Maybe it will now become patriotic to drink another brand that doesn’t taste like beer that’s already been through someone else’s liver.
Sure, why not. We sell off companies overseas just about every day.
Being from St. Louis and having stock in AB I’m fairly torn. Yay raising stock prices, but I don’t have enough for it to justify taking hundreds of jobs out of here. The jobs and just the AB tradition are enough to make me not want it to happen. I don’t think it’s really an issue in the rest of the country unless it has to do with stock prices.
@kretara: Are you SURE you haven’t touched an AB product? Michelob, Stella, Becks, Grolsch, Monster Energy Drinks, Drop Top, Kirin, Rolling Rock, Red Hook, Bacardi’s girly malt drinks…
Any of those (and quite a few others I can’t think of right now) would be considered an AB product (either through production or distribution). [www.anheuser-busch.com]
And yes, note that Stella is on that list already, so anyone who thinks this merger would result in a huge change (in terms of products available or the recipe of Bud) is just being ridiculous.
“We sell off companies overseas just about every day” WTF??? That worked out real well for a strong Chrysler Corporation when it got robbed by the thieving Germans and used all of the R&D to build themselves up and leave Chrysler Corp unprepared for the gas crunch. Screw all of these foreign companies that want to buy US equity for their own portfolios. Ya wanna bet if a US firm flush with cash wanted to pick up some EU investments the stinkin EU wouldn’t let US buy anything. As much as you wanna be beer drinkers wish you could raid your mother’s Bud stash in the fridge, keep whining….your job will be next and you will be asking if you want fries with that.
As someone that lives in Saint Louis and is a large Cardinal Fan I am just not prepared to go to InBev stadium quite yet.
Let the Europeans have Bud, maybe they can make a real beer out of it.
I work for Labatt. InBev bought us more than 10 years ago. Life goes on folks. The Budweiser that Labatt brews in Canada (through contract) is far better than the stuff in the U.S., so likely it’ll improve the product.
i enjoy getting into sea world for free so i say they shouldn’t sell it
@darksunfox: I like Bud for many reasons. A) My dad drinks it religiously. B) They have Clydesdales C) Their smallest brewery is in my adopted hometown of Merrimack NH and contributes a lot of money to the corporate tax base and despite InBev’s assertions that it will not be closed…I don’t trust them.
If the Belgians can turn Budweiser et al. into real beers then more power to them. As it stands now, all of the Anheuser-Busch “beers” royally suck and should not be considered beer.
@e-gadgetjunkie: “what would happen to our beloved Clydesdales?”
They’d have an opportunity to become dog food.
FOOLS!
Free Market Economy = Good.
Government controlled Market = Bad.
FOOLS!
this isnt going to negatively impact my Stella is it?
“Take care of business, or the business will take care of you.” Get Carter, 2000
It is our weak ass dollar that is to blame.
I too live in St. Louis. I have another favorite St. Louis brewery. http://www.Schlafly.com
They might actually take Budweiser back to the ORIGINAL recipe, instead of the horrible swill it is now. That’s something I’d like to try.
My only concern is, don’t store the Stella and the Bud next to each other. If Stella starts tasting like Budweiser I’ll be miserable.
I don’t understand the lovefest with Stella. The difference between Stella and Budweiser is that Stella is overhopped.
Other wise, it’s just an overpriced standard lager from Europe.
But we all know, things from Europe are better.
It’s a St. Louis thing. This is one of the last great employers that we have the HQ for. St. Louis is sort of the hub that Missouri’s built on (suck it KC) and if AB goes I see things moving downhill fairly quickly for a city that’s already had the crap kicked out of it. It’s not just AB, it’s the distribution chain, it’s the advertising and sponsorship of local charities and events, and it’s a Belgian company that has a history of coming into companies they acquire and gutting them. AB makes a profit, the stock pays dividends regularly, and there’s nothing wrong with the company.
I’m from Missouri, and if it improves the taste of Bud, I’m all for it.
@Squeegoth: and I dont think either of us (KC or StL) can call itself the “hub” when we’re both on the edge of the friggin state.
Oh yeah – and go Boulevard Brewery. Screw AB.
Belgium produces some of the best beers in the world. Anheuser-Busch produces Budweiser. Things can only get better.
@darkryd: I more meant economic hub, which has absolutely nothing to do with geography.
St. Louisans (like myself) are PROUD to have AB owned, operated, and headquartered in St. Louis and don’t want it any other way. SCREW the shareholders! We want it locally owned and operated. I guarantee you it will cost lots and lots of jobs if the deal goes through.
And, really, people already love the taste of AB products. If they didn’t, Bud Light wouldn’t be the #1 selling beer in the U.S. – would it? It doesn’t need to taste like German beer b/c, guess what? It’s not German beer. It’s St. Louis beer and people love it the way it is.
Will people be unemployed otherwise? I don’t know about Belgian corporate masters, but Belgians in general seem to be less scary than Americans as far as self-restraint.
Welcome to the Banana Republic!
Anything to improve Bud. They shouldn’t be allowed to call that stuff beer.
@linus:
Belgian beermakers would be an improvement on the Busch family, whose
political clout with the governor led to that “monopoly” protest. As
for Bud tasting like urine, no: not unless those horses with the hairy
hooves have been peeing into the vats. Wait a second. That might
improve Budweiser….
Belgians are better than Busches. The Missouri governor claiming
possible monopoly is just trying to keep his job (Busch gang very
powerful political/financial force).
Why anyone drinks Bud is beyond me, unless they work for the company
and want to keep their jobs.
@TobySalinator: Although I absolutely loathe Governor Blunt~ he’s already stated he is NOT running for re-election. It’s a Saint Louis Tradition. Not only that, but the job market is ridiculous enough without cutting even more!
@shorty63136: News flash – this is capitalism. The only opinion that matters is that of the shareholders. The vast majority of them (who have never been to STL nor will they ever) could not possibly care less if it destroys the economy here as long as they get a premium for their shares.
Honestly, anheuser busch beers almost ALL suck. Bareknuckle Stout is drinkable. Anyone who cares anything at all about beer and not about drinking would welcome any kind of change that could come to these supposed american classics. I’d like to think our common beers could receive the attention and quality that turn out common beers like stella artois. Maybe nothing would change but anheuser hasn’t pushed out a drinkable beer in years so it can’t get WORSE. Quality is a concept that is hard to hammer home to american beer drinkers (piss swillers). Sorry if that’s harsh but I want to slap every pillock that tells me Budweiser is drinkable beer.
I don’t understand all of the hate for Budweiser in this discussion. Were you guys collectively touched in the “bathing suit area” by a giant can of Budweiser or something? I buy Budweiser in bars, and I am not poor, a college student, or a sports nut.
Don’t get me wrong, there is much better beer out there, but sometimes on a hot summer day, a thick oatmeal stout isn’t what I want – I want something that is cold, not too strong-flavored, and mildly alcoholic. It might taste more like water than grain, but it _is_ quite refreshing.
Also, for the record, Stella is disgusting. I did a double-blind taste test at my housing co-op back in college between Miller High Life and Stella Artois, and 8 of the 9 participants (including the one who brought the Stella) incorrectly identified High Life as the Stella, and thought that the Stella tasted bitter or skunky.