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The Eagle takes flight – biggest consolidation in brewing history closes

In the last and final maneuver, InBev closed this morning on the deal to acquire Anheuser-Busch following approval from shareholders of both companies.

It is truly an end of era – and yet another enormous marker in the most comprehensive and radical period of change in the beer industry ever.

The new company, called Anheuser-Busch InBev has a new web site, and tellingly, a new logo. The renowned American icon of the A-B eagle is no longer – it is now an eagle in flight in a multitude of colors.

Incredible how the world – including the beer industry – has seemingly changed overnight. In the almost overwhelming and seemingly endless stream of consolidation and changes in the global beer market, one thing has remained basically intact and stable – the craft brewing industry here in the US. Having so far survived a financial meltdown, recession and now the fall of iconic A-B, craft brewers just keep on truckin’ – remaining independent, viable and relevant.

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0 Comments on “Done!”

  • jarviw

    says:

    According to CNN Money, they are going to be headquartered in St. Louis!?
    Is that just the US HQ, or are they moving from Belgium all together?

  • admin

    says:

    Corporate headquarters will remain in Leuven, Belgium, with the North American Headquarters in St. Louis, MO.

    Admin

  • beerclean

    says:

    I guess I am thinking the logo switch was not the smartest of moves….

    I would have still kept the Eagle and the A it was such a historical and meaningful brand icon. I think that the marketing is going to be tough to recreate a powerful icon out of this new logo; I personally would have kept the already developed logo.

    Do you think they will change all the bottles now too? Will the art on the American Ale, Budweiser, and other products that show signs of the old logo be reformatted?

    What do brewers think, do you think they will change all the beer bottle art?

  • Rosie

    says:

    Awe man, you know I was really hoping for InBusch and of course the new logo that went with it…what were they thinking 😀

    Seriously though, is there any anti-competitive legislation left in the world? Or have these companies gotten so big that no one can regulate them? Oh, I forgot, this will help competition as they will be better equipped to compete with No 2. :rolleyes:

    Interesting to see how this pans out on this side of the ocean…with Becks and Stella already competing with each other for taps (and the stomachs and minds of the uneducated) here…does this mean the big Bud will join the fight? 😮

    On a positive note, I really think it is a great chance for the craft brewer. The bankers will take their eyes off the ball while they worry about their jobs…

    Cheers,
    Jeff

  • SRB

    says:

    Huh….I didn’t know Golden Eagles had white heads. 😉

  • einhorn

    says:

    Just heard that InBev plans to sell the BECK’S distribution rights (cash cow) in Germany to Radeberger (Oetker Group incl. Jever, Schoefferhofer, Henninger, Clausthaler and a myriad of about 130 other German brands) in order to partially finance this deal.

    Has Brito over-extended himself?

  • beerclean

    says:

    I thought something would need to be liquidated off or sold off for Anti-Trust reasons etc.

    But becks… I am not so sure, if you goto A-B corporate site it shows brands on the bottom and lists all the becks brands.

  • jarviw

    says:

    does InBev, sorry, A-B Inbev, own Beck the brewery, or do they just own the distribution right??

  • einhorn

    says:

    As far as I know, they paid €1.1 Billion for the entire brewery. They are only considering selling the distribution rights in Germany. No idea to value of this transaction, but Beck’s is doing extremely well in Deutschland.

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