This Bud's For You, InBev

(Newser) - Anyone who thinks InBev’s buyout of Budweiser represents the end of American beer needs a history lesson, writes Edward McClelland in Salon. Budweiser became the “King of Beers” by killing every other heir to the throne. In 1960, America had 175 traditional, regional breweries, making lagers just like Bud. Anheuser-Busch systematically crushed them all, through its distribution and marketing might. More »

(Newser) - Anyone mourning the takeover of Anheuser Busch by Belgium's InBev might want to know that the real turning point in that battle occurred more than a decade ago. On a fishing trip. In Mexico. The last real chance to outmaneuver InBev was lost when the US brewer failed to get a controlling stake in Mexico’s Grupo Modelo, writes David Kesmodel in the Wall Street Journal . And chances for that, say industry sources, vanished when former A-B CEO August Busch III decided to take a call instead of landing a humongous marlin. More »

(Newser) - Legendary American brewing company Anheuser-Busch has agreed to a $52 billion takeover bid by the Belgian-Brazilian InBev, building the largest beer firm in the world and ending over 150 years of ownership by the Anheuser and Busch families, the Wall Street Journal reports. The $70-per-share deal is a step up from an earlier, rejected offer. More »

(Newser) - InBev has increased its bid for Anheuser-Busch to $70 a share, the Wall Street Journal reports. Although willing to replace the Budweiser-brewer’s board in a hostile takeover, the $5-per-share boost—bringing the total deal to $50 billion—is a signal that InBev would prefer to keep things friendly. Anheuser will probably accept the new offer, sources told the Journal . More »

(Newser) - InBev is turning up the heat in its $46.35-billion attempt to take over St. Louis-based Anheuser-Busch, seeking to replace the company's board with a new slate of directors. The move aims to allow shareholders a direct say on the merger bid that was spurned last month, reports the Wall Street Journal. The Belgian-Brazilian brewer offered stockholders $65 a share, a 35% premium. More »

(Newser) - Belgian beer company InBev’s bid for Anheuser-Busch may look like an affront to a US tradition—but it's perfectly in keeping with the American spirit of entrepreneurship, writes Maureen Ogle in the Washington Post . It’s “precisely the sort of bold strike that launched the American Revolution and still fuels the American dream"—and if Adolphus Busch were alive today, he’d hire InBev’s CEO. More »

(Newser) - Anheuser-Busch plans to reject Belgian brewer InBev's $46 billion offer to buy the company, the Wall Street Journal reports. The decision is not expected to deter InBev, however, which could launch a hostile takeover bid, the Journal notes. InBev wants to acquire the St. Louis brewer—the maker of Budweiser—to create the world's largest beer maker. More »

(Newser) - Anhueser-Busch has approached Mexian brewer Grupo Modelo about a possible merger, the Wall Street Journal reports, in an attempt to thwart an unwanted $46.35 billion takeover bid from Belgium’s InBev NV. Anhueser already owns 50% of Modelo, which is best known for its Corona brand. By buying the other 50%, it hopes to move out of InBev’s price range. More »

(Newser) - The Belgian-based brewer InBev has made a $46 billion cash bid for US beer giant Anheuser-Busch in what would be one of the largest foreign acquisitions of an American corporation, the Wall Street Journal reports. If it goes through—a prospect that is far from certain—the 132-year-old Budweiser brand will be in foreign hands. More »

(Newser) - Anheuser-Busch executives are surely examining the fate of Interbrew, the Belgian company swallowed in 2004 by InBev, the Brazilian juggernaut reportedly preparing to grab the iconic US brewer, the Wall Street Journal reports. InBev's locker-room, bottom-line-oriented corporate culture has quickly replaced beer-loving Belgians with Brazilian execs, a situation that would seem certain to fly in the face of A-B's tradition. More »

(Newser) - Belgian-based brewer InBev NV is considering an unsolicited takeover of Anheuser-Busch, the Wall Street Journal reports. The Busch family is loathe to sell the 150-year-old American icon and brewer of Budweiser—Executive August A. Busch IV vowed it wouldn’t happen “on my watch”—but activist investors have been scooping up shares, hoping to force the issue. InBev and Anheuser are the world’s second- and third-largest brewers by volume. More »

(Newser) - A Belgian brewing giant whose brands include Stella Artois is contemplating a $46 billion takeover of Anheuser-Busch, the Financial Times reports today. If CEO August Busch IV denies Belgium's InBev, as he reportedly did in October, the company may go directly to shareholders. InBev is also contemplating a partnership with SABMiller (Miller and other beers) should its Anheuser plan fall flat. More »