by John Hoty

Created on: June 21, 2008   Last Updated: October 09, 2010

The news of a powerful foreign entity buying and taking over Anheuser-Busch may come to many American beer drinkers - as well as many "sober" citizens - as a carbonated shock. One of the oldest, most prolific brewing companies on our native soil is considering a foreign buy-out and many are wondering what changes this will prompt not only to Anheuser-Busch's good name and legacy, but to the way their beloved barley and hops is brewed from now until the end of Happy Hour.

Belgium brewing giant InBev SA has allegedly proposed to buyout Anheuser-Busch, the largest brewery in the United States, and the possible ramifications of such an event is not just shaking Budweiser drinkers to the core but it's causing a stir amongst St. Louis residents aware of just how much their brewery means to its locals. As much of a tourism draw as the city's monumental Archway, the Anheuser-Busch brewery employs some 6,000 St. Louis residents who know exactly where they'll be if InBev's $46 billion proposal is accepted. Anheuser-Busch has gone to great lengths in recent months to cut costs in the face of rising ingredient prices, however InBev SA has a reputation for making new operations as lean as possible. Would the same be done to Anheuser-Busch's signature style, recipes and marketing? Absolutely. New owners mean new strategies.

Anheuser-Busch has undoubtedly struggled in the last few years as consumers have flipped to cocktails and wine, but their name here in the U.S., as well as all over the world, is clearly one of the drinking world's most recognized and distinguished of legacies. The beer they produce is 100% American made - a collection of bold and quaffable lagers found in every bar, tavern, banquet hall, frat house and dormitory in the country. When compared to InBev's digest of Belgium brewed Beck's, Stella Artois and Hoegaarden (just to name a few), the contrasts are paramount. American beer is crisp, clean, smooth and, well, AMERICAN; whereas these Belgium-based beers - though delicious and trademark - are born of such varied styles and recipes that the thought of Anheuser-Busch's classic beers being listed on the same roster as InBev's European sippers is ludicrous. It's an unnecessary motion that will not only alienate Anheuser-Busch's devoted array of customers (of which there are millions!) but will forever alter the face of one of America's greatest native beverages.

Since the dawn of Happy Hour Anheuser-Busch products have been a staple in the flow of American adulthood. Their unique indigenous conceptions and finishes are a righteous truth to be shared around the world by all of those who love a great American beer from a great American company. There's more at stake here than just the loss of jobs and the depletion of a classic label... after the wealthy Europeans buyout all our favorite homeland brews, are the Napa Valley vineyards next?

Brew it in America! I'll drink to that.

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