by Chris Burke

Created on: June 21, 2008   Last Updated: February 26, 2010

It would be easy to turn a deaf ear to InBev's attempt to purchase Anheuser-Busch. It would be easy to say "Well, if the beer still tastes the same, what's the difference?"

The difference is that we are not talking about some Mom and Pop beer joint here (Do Moms and Pops have beer joints? A question for another time). We are talking about Anheuser-Busch - a brand that has become, thanks mostly to its own efforts, the staple for American beers. When people think of breweries in the United States, the majority will name the St. Louis-based giant.

Anheuser-Busch is the "No Kids Allowed" version of apple pie and baseball. It is as American as they come.

But the world is changing. Pie? It's not healthy for you anymore. And baseball? The sport is right up there with soccer and the NBA in terms of its global look and appeal.

So maybe it is no surprise that Anheuser-Busch would fall as well.

Here's the thing, though.

Beer companies thrive on image. Think of just about every beer commercial that you have ever seen. Breweries go to extreme ends to be cool, to be recognizable, to have that one major thing synonymous with their name.

And since 1876, when Budweiser was introduced, Anheuser-Busch has gone above and beyond to make sure that it is the country's brand. Of course, it has succeeded in that push.

At least until now.

All of a sudden, should InBev pull this acquisition off, you are talking about forcing a company to abandon decades and decades of marketing. Sure, Anheuser-Busch II: The InBev Edition could try to push the idea that nothing has changed. The headquarters can stay in St. Louis, and the beer can continue to be brewed by Americans on American soil.

Yet, it will be hard to convince the American public that this is the same beer that they and their dads and their granddads grew up with.

Heck, Coors is out there in Colorado. Sam Adams is gaining steam in Boston. Miller is still pouring out of Milwaukee. There's a Civil War of alcohol going on, and Anheuser-Busch is about to flee the country.

InBev has tried to say all the right things, so far: That it will not only keep things status quo, but make Anheuser-Busch better.

Truth is, maybe that will happen. InBev could come in and recreate the entire Anheuser-Busch culture, and keep the place moving onward and upward.

The problem then will be convincing anyone to notice.

The beer world is all about image, and Anheuser-Busch is on the verge of losing its identity. America's beer from a Belgian company? That might be a very difficult sell.

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