What do I do now?
As a beer news publisher, I read quite a bit about what goes on in the industry and then filter all the boring crap to populate the blog on Brian's Belly. Some might say the site has been slipping a bit lately, and I agree… it's tough to keep a big site running and keep the content fresh AND have an actual paying job… and that paying job keeps you busy.
So imagine my own surprise that I decided to create ANOTHER time-consuming site.
But, I couldn't help it. After reading the news that Belgian brewer InBev was considering an unsolicited bid for American brewery Anheuser-Busch, I couldn't just sit at the bar drinking when I could be doing something. The phrase “Drink American” just floated into what's left of the brain cells I have that haven't been clouded or destroyed by alcohol. It would be a brother site to Brian's Belly that would be dedicated to informing the American public about what COULD happen to Budweiser, and Anheuser-Busch's other beers.
From what I have read, it seems like the board of directors at A-B tends to side with the wishes of the Busch family, which is good… because they don't want it anything to do with InBev. CEO August Busch IV said the company would not be sold “on my watch.” Ex-CEO August Busch III, father of the current CEO, is also known to oppose a sale.
The problem though is that the Busch family, while certainly influential, does not own enough stock (less than 4 percent) to block a takeover.
Now, financial-world lingo is not a lingo that I learned on the streets of the Bronx, so I will let you learn more about the intricacies of how buyouts, bids and hostile takeovers work from some other site. This site will be available to you as a news outlet and, possibly as a portal for organizing activities… such as a boycott of the brand should the situation warrant it.
Right now, it is mostly VERY STRONG RUMOR that this is happening. But it seems sure that as soon as the math professors in Belgium finish punching numbers on their calculators that an offer will be made.
Stay tuned.
