Not really. Lewis Black has some harsh things to say about the state of American economy (and Budweiser, not the sale, the beer) in this bit from the Daily Show.

The deed is all but done, Budweiser is now Belgian, at least when it’s not Czech. I guess in international business - as in all business - it’s money which does the talking in the end.

Anheuser-Busch, one of the largest beer brewing companies in the world, has been under pressure for a number of years and they are now faced with a take-over bid from InBev. (Given the poor taste of their main product, Budweiser, its amazing to me they didn’t bite the bullet years ago.)

A “Classic Tale” of international mergers & acquisitions: huge American brand falls on hard times and becomes victim to a global company not based in the US. You can hear the cries of the Nascar fans already: Keep our Bud American!

According to the International Herald Tribune (IHT) however, the bad guys are not M&A managers at InBev (the brewery conglomerate based in Belgium and Brazil) but the Busch family themselves, in particular the 44-year old CEO August Anheuser Busch 4th, known simply as “The Fouth”. With a reputation as a party-boy and a number of scandals in his past, The Fourth took the reins 19 months ago. Not that his father had done a better job leading the company: while the competition was thriving and going global, Anheuser-Busch has been struggling for 10 years.

In an article this week, the IHT argues that Anheuser-Busch should negotiate with InBev. They really don’t have a choice. Unless you think collecting 50,000 signatures at a website called saveab.com can help a company’s bottom-line and share price.

Which side are you on - should Bud stay all-American or join a global business?

Reference: IHT articles about Anheuser-Busch and InBev.

Image from richmondhill-ga.gov