THE CITIZENS OF ST. LOUIS HAVE THEIR WORTS IN A TWIST this weekend after word got out that Belgian beer behemoth InBev is considering a hostile takeover of Anheuser-Busch.

InBev is currently the world’s largest brewer, by volume produced, and is looking to get into the lucrative American market.  Last year they made an import/distribution agreement with A-B to market some of their brands in the U. S. 

InBev has been gobbling up some of the leading brewers in the world including Beck’s and the venerable Bass Ale.  A-B’s standing in the beer world was recently surpassed by the proposed merger of Miller and Molson/Coors.  A-B’s stock was trading for around $52 before this news came out and then it jumped up to nearly $57 on Friday.  InBev is said to be considering an offer of $65 to the shareholders which will be hard for them to refuse.

Anheuser-Busch’s stock value has actually declined by 1.4% in the past five years while the Standard and Poor Index has risen 51% in that same time.  It is speculated that if InBev takes over the St. Louis firm, it will lead to a large cutback in A-B’s advertising budget.

If you’re interested in the nitty-gritty of this story, start with this good background article in Bloomberg News HERE.

Firegeezer notes:  If InBev takes over Bud, maybe they will stop the odious practice of putting rice in their mash.  Yuck!

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