Who Owns What Beers?
Do you really want to Drink American? Your choices are getting smaller and smaller, but all is not lost… let's see what's on the shelf…
Anheuser-Busch InBev, a Belgian/Brazillian brewer that now owns Anheuser-Bush, has over 250 beer brands produced and sold throughout the world. This makes them the largest brewing company ever conglomeratized.
Under InBev, the flagship brands that you will mostly come across in the U.S. are Stella Artois, Brahma, Beck's, Leffe, Boddingtons, Hoegaarden, Labatt, Löwenbräu, St. Pauli Girl and Tennent's. Under the new “Belgweiser” ownership, they add over 40 different beers and malt liquors. The most popular are the Budweiser family of beers (Bud, Bud Light, Bud Select, etc.), the Michelob Family of beers (Michelob, Michelob Light, Michelob Ultra), the Busch Family of beers (Busch, Busch Light, Busch Ice), and who can forget the Natural “Natty” Family (Natural Light & Natural Ice).
A full list of Anheuser-Busch InBev beers can be found here and here.
Miller Brewing Company, although based in Milwaukee, WI, is owned by SABMiller (South African Breweries) which was created in 2002 when it was purchased from the Altria Group.
Some of Miller's bigger brands include Miller Lite, Miller Genuine Draft, Olde English 800, Milwaukee’s Best, Mickey's, Hamm's, Icehouse, Red Dog, Leinenkugel's and SouthPaw Light.
SABMiller's biggest brands you may run across in the U.S. include international beers such as Pilsner Urquell, Peroni and Grolsch.
A full list of SABMiller beers can be found here.
Heineken International is a Dutch brewing company. Heineken owns over 115 breweries in more than 65 countries and ranks as the third largest brewery in the world after SABMiller and InBev.
The two largest brands that are distributed in the U.S. are Heineken and Amstel, but you may also find Zywiec and Birra Moretti.
A full list of Heineken beers can be found here.
The Coors Brewing Company is a regional division of the world’s fourth-largest brewing company, the Molson Coors Brewing Company, which was created in 2005.
The most popular of their brews include: Coors Original (“Banquet”), Coors Light, Killian's Irish Red, Blue Moon, Keystone, and who can forget… Zima.
Politics aside, and in taste only, I pesonally do not like one SINGLE beer that Coors distributes in the U.S. On the other hand, Caffrey’s Irish Ale, my favorite beer possibly ever, was purchased by Coors from Interbrew and killed in the U.S. so that Coors can distribute the swill they call Killian's Red. Don't get me started on that, as I might have to make ANOTHER beer website… but you can read about that plight here.
Molson Canada, the other half of the Molson Coors Brewing Company, has about 20 beers all called Molson Something.
A full list of Molson Coors beers can be found here.
In 2007, to further complicate “who owns what,” SABMiller and Molson Coors Brewing Company announced a joint venture to be known as MillerCoors for their US operations that will market all of their products. It is quite possibly named MillerCoors because “SABMillerCoorsMolson” would be “confusing.”
Those are the big guys in brewing… their beers known in the U.S. collectivly as Budmilloors. Since the July 13, 2008 announcement that Anheuser-Busch agreed to sell their American company to the Belgian giant, Pabst Brewing Company has gone to some lengths to make sure people know that they “will be the last of the famous iconic U.S. brewers to be fully independent and American-owned.”
Pabst Blue Ribbon–which is currently enjoying a resurgence in popularity–along with Schlitz, Stroh, Schaefer, Rainier, Olympia and quite a few others are brewed by the Pabst Brewing Company… which has NO BREWERIES.
Schaefer–which is currently enjoying a resurgence in my own personal drinking–and Schlitz–if you, or Officer Farva can even find it–fall into a category known as “virtual brewing.” These beers are owned by F&M Schaefer Brewing Co., and Stroh Brewery Co., respectively. Both labels are owned by Pabst Brewing Co., which contracts the brewing out to Miller Brewing.
Is this complicated yet?
The beers of Pabst Brewing are indeed American owned, but they are brewed by a company that is owned by South African Breweries. While I do not agree with their statement that they are “fully independent,” it is seemingly a better choice, especially during a time when we are trying to discover what is American and what is not… which leads me to…
Rolling Rock, once known as being from Latrobe Brewing in Pennsylvania, was distributed by InBev for a number of years before being sold to Anheuser-Busch in 2006… and now back to AB InBev.
The list above covers quite a large amount of beers that you probably see everyday on your beermongers shelves. Want to drink American AND support your local craft brewer? Here is the list of Truly American Beers.
How can these people get away with calling themselves ” american made” when indeed some are truly not. Don’t they have the Beer Police? I mean if we are going to lie let’s do it so that this day in age no one can Google anything and find the absurd truth. Wow that would hurt or at least it should. Ok I’m done thank you
This is not unusual for any product. Budweiser is Brewed predominantly in the U.S. but is foreign owned. Check you car manufacturers most Honda’s are made in the US but it’s owners are Japanese. Chrysler, is controlled by a conglomerate of owners, FIAT (Italy), Daimer (Germany). That’s the nature of the beast. Most of these entities produce multi thousands of jobs. The owners get the lions share but it’s better than a company moving everything overseas.
Same way Fender and Gibson do i imagine
I think this needs to be adressed in next election we need a WW2 libery bonds thpe program to encourage buying American
Who cares! If you like the beer you drink what does it matter. It’s not like America is not going to survive. And should Europeans and other non-Americans adopt the same approach? Ridiculous! Go global – drink what you want and stop promoting trade sanctions and boycotts. Same goes for all products. Why be a Luddite? – look it up!
Idiot… Look it up.
his 10 T card expired, the won’t let him into the library anymore
I want to locate and drink only American owned and American brewed beer. Do you have a list for me to work see? I live in Louisville my.
Yuengling is the oldest of the American beers but Samuel Adams is the biggest and Utica club maker of Matts and Saranac is the larges micro brewery.
I recommend Yuengling
I like to buy, and drink, local. Increasingly for me that means local/regional microbrews, which are growing in number and popularity.
We have many excellent craft breweries in Michigan. I would highly recommend that you try some, you won’t be disappointed!
I agree mostly on Coors- if my choice was Coors Light or no beer at all, I’d go beerless (and that’s saying something!) Coors does, however, have a couple of smaller batch beers that are worth trying if you’re ever in Colorado. I don’t know if they’re available much outside the Golden/ Denver area but Coors’ Barmen Pilsner and especially their Herman Joseph’s Private Reserve are really good! I’m almost never a fan of domestics or light lagers in general but these two sweet, bready German Style Pilseners really stand out from the rest of the Coors crowd.
Shiner beer is owned by Corona out of Mexico
Shiner is not owned by Corona but rather by a person that used to work for Corona.
You might do a search to see who owns corona
This is a truly incredible situation, and very sad to read about. Depressing? Yes, but thank you for the enlightenment anyhow. Makes me want to brew my own or go out of my way to buy and drink locally brewed beers, of which we have a few around Wilmington, NC.
We’ve lost America. And the Regressive Marxists, seeing our weakness, are ready to ‘bring it on’ soon, maybe before the Muslim colonialist traitor-in-chief leaves the WH. So there’s not much to celebrate this 4th of July. Better to buy beer making kits and whatever supplies you see are necessary to prepare for civil unrest, if not civil war.
Dude, “regressive Marxists” have zero to do with this situation….try greedy capitalists!!! Americans f’ing Americans! As the ceo of Sony once said when asked how he felt about anti Japanese sentiments concerning them buying up American real estate…”somebody’s selling”!!!!
Wait, whatttttt??? I didn’t know any of this, it’s just NETS:(
Sorry, but practically all American beers, are hardly beer at all, especially anything coming from AB. The so-called craft beers, and micro brews, in the US taste like someone shite in a bucket. The US, brewing industry, brews swill for pigs who wouldn’t know good beer, from shite.
american beers are made with GMO corn, no thanks!
I am a truck driver. Anheuser Busch is using driverless forklifts and now trucks, they are putting Americans out of work. Technology will come for your job next. BOYCOTT, ANHEUSER BUSCH. This is fact.
I want my money to stay in America as much as possible so I will continue to buy American union made beer. To hell with foreign owned beers. My money, my choice.
What beers are out there that are not owned by anheuser busch?
Lucky Bucket in LaVista, NE has great tasting ALL ANERICAN beers, but they don’t make low carb beers.
Yuengling
Very interesting
If Budweiser is an American beer as advertised (along with others) then my Honda Goldwing is an American motorcycle. Made and assembled 70%ish in Marysville, Ohio!!! Not to mention all the other vehicles like KIA and BMW sold as imports that are made in the US. However, the big three make vehicles in Mexico, Canada and other countries, import them into the US and sell them as domestic vehicles. Just like at the store under the Domestic beer sign: Budweiser, Miller and Coors. Where is the standard? I guess Wranglers are still American because of branding and not where or who owns them.
Bud and Coors do not own lagers and ales. Try a local version of these and find out what Bud and Coors USED TO taste like when they were made with some integrity.
Enjoyed the reading, I gained a lot of unknown facts.
I love Alaskan Amber, one of 7 beers made by a Juneau, Alaska brewery, which is owned and operated by a couple of Americans. Fat Tire comes close to its taste for me, but Alaskan Amber is better. Funny, but it cost me more to buy a six pack of Alaskan Amber in Juneau, than it does in Portland, OR. Probably a tax or tourist thing. Give Alaskan Amber a try.
Sprecker made in Milwaukee is very good
I’d like to see a list of all beer producers that engage with Chinese investors (i.e., tied to the CCP). For instance AB Inbev has a large portion of it’s shares controlled by Dalian Wanda Group, which is run by a man that is a member of the CCP. I want to focus my remaining days not financially contributing to the CCP, which I view as the most murderous political regime in the history of the world.
Just looking for any beer that tastes like bud light but isn’t i have drank Bud light all my life im 46 but i will not drink there products anymore because they went woke and i refuse to play along any help on this would be appreciated
I don’t like bud light, but try Yuengling
Looks like I’ll be drinking beer made by local breweries, since all the major American breweries are foreign owned.
Right, it makes it okay to say “American” although it’s all outsourced! That’s one reason America is collapsing. Another is bending over backwards to make a small group of people (of which, really need mental help) happy. Putting a transgender on your product was not in good taste and certainly bad marketing. I’ve been out and about listening to how people are switching to a different beer because of that stupid move. I myself USED TO drink Michelob Ultra, my husband, Bud Light. NOT ANYMORE.
Yuengling! Just try it!
Grab a local brew try something new forget the big guys or any company that is more interested in political positionsmore then their product
Anheuser-Busch, maker of Michelob and Budweiser brands, was bought by Belgian-Brazilian rival INBEV in 2008 for 52 Billion. They have NOT been an American Beer for 15 years.
I need to buy some beer for my son’s visit and I don’t want to support Anheuser-Busch brands. What can I buy?
I don’t blame you. I don’t drink beer much, I was just looking for possible options for my roommate. And after seeing the recent news, I know I’ll never drink another Busch or anything owned by that company, as well as buy anything from the numerous companies which have supported that PERSON. (That’s the best way I see to put it. People need serious mental help.)
Couldn’t agree more. Try Yuengling of you haven’t already. It was just recently made available in MO and I bought some a few days ago…1st time I’ve had it in years. I forgot how damn good it is.
You will need to look for something g local Orr “craft beer” Anheuser-Busch was bought by InBev. InBev later bought SABMiller, who owns all Miller, Coors, Molson and a ton of others. In total InBev owns over 500 brands of beer.
Yuengling
That is why I drink Guinness! I am Irish they have only a handful of breweries all over the world including the US never had a bad Guinness.
Yuengling
Michelob Ultra was my beer before 2023. Yuengling is my beer for the foreseeable future.
Even Don Don Jr has it wrong… “destroying an American, an iconic, company for something like this.” Meanwhile Belgium-based InBev purchased Anheuser-Busch in 2008! Where was the boycott then!?!?
No more budweiser brands for me.
Only any other brand but, only Truly USA Beers🥳