AB InBev plans takeover/merger with SABMiller and it has been suggested that Coke could be the next target. Do you see this globalization of the market as a positive or negative, and who wins/loses most?

Probably not a good idea. We have been in a period of massive takeovers and mergers for quite some time now and the result is less competition and bigger corporations. These aguys are getting so big that any new competition is easily squeezed out the smaller companies don’t have a chance to get their products to market. It doesn’t matter which industry we’re talking about Airlines, beverages, banks, etc. the result is the same. Higher cost of entry for new business and less competition for the consumer.

Any move to stop this must be taken by the countries involved. I wouldn’t want to see interference from an international body on domestic business nor does one exist.

@Jaxk On this we agree. It’s monopolistic and another huge block in the choking edifice of wealth and power. In this country of short memories, the very reason for our cobweb infested antitrust laws is all but forgotten. When even breweries are allowed the luxury of becoming“too big to fail” there’s a good chance that the game is over for the consumer, the small business man, and anyone defined as non rich. Once more, it’s just another tile in the mosaic of the rich getting richer, no matter what.

I don’t know if I turning liberal or you’re turning conservative but the mere thought scares me :)

It seems like the FTC merely rubber stamps these major mergers and then the public complains about corporate dominance. It’s not the corporations that are at fault here it is the government. There is plenty of regulation to make an honest assessment and when these companies are as big as this, there is no economy of scale to be gained. What the hell is the FTC thinking. We already have the tools to address most of this ‘too big to fail’ issue but we don’t use it and then scream bloody murder at the corporations when it happens. We’re screaming at the wrong people. IMHO

It’s a matter of perspective. If the government isn’t working, it might be a good idea to ask WHO OWNS THE GOVERNMENT?

@stanleybmanly – If your concern is that we have no control over the government, WHY WOULD WE WANT TO EXPAND IT?

I don’t necessarily argue for the expansion of government, but here’s the thing: the government WILL expand and the debt will rise because it must. If the rich get richer at the expense of the rest of us, the ranks at the bottom MUST expand and those qualifying for poverty benefits must increase, while revenues from former taxpayers unable to hide their money offshore diminish. So poverty rises, revenues decrease and THE RICH GET RICHER. And why will the government get bigger? Why not just close the entitlement tap? It’s simply the same sort of economics as involved the “free” bread allotted the citizens of Rome.

See the beauty of the setup is that all that borrowed money doled out to provide the poor some meager subsistence is merely filtered through the growing ranks of “undeserving poor”. We all know where the money winds up, as even the the destitute and their descendants are left holding the bill.

I view most, if not all, big mergers of this kind that pit a giant dragon against a bunch of mere mortals as a bad thing for the mortals.
In this particular case what I see is a company big enough to absorb losses for a lot longer than the smaller independent brewers and thus able to undercut the market with low prices until the competition has been driven out of business

Here’s what I learned of mega-mergers when General Mills bought Pillsbury.

General Mills would have had a monopoly on baking mixes in the US. As a result, GM had to spin the Pillsbury baking mixes off to an independent company.
Not the name mind you, the mixes. General Mills is the sole owner of the Pillsbury name, but licenses that name to one company for the singular purpose of making baking mixes. All other uses of the Pillsbury name (refrigerated dough, etc.) are General Mills products, as is (technically) the Doughboy.
Pillsbury cake mixes (name licensed from General Mills) chief competitor is General Mills, under the brand name Betty Crocker.
So, Pillsbury baking mixes company is, as far as I can tell, a dead end company, unable to expand its product line beyond baking mixes using the Pillsbury (company) name. It was created for, and exists facilitate, General Mills takeover of Pillsbury.

Why do I blather on about this?
Because it’s my understanding that the US government will likely require InBev to create the same perversions of industry under the Miller and Coors names in the US before they will accept the merger.

I say, if the hair has to be split that fine, just say no.

Monopolies are the natural and inevitable consequence of unfettered capitalism.
And since everything done by capitalism is by definition a good thing, this is a great thing, too!

On the upside, the more people become educated by the small local brewers on what good beer tastes like, the less people will want to drink Busch and Miller products.

Because srsly, ew.

I come from a very long line of devoted Irish alcoholics, and I would give up drinking if my only choices consisted of American lagers.

@ibstubro EXACTLY It’s a fixed game, and theses mergers, treaties and other mergers are revelations on just who is fixing the game. The thing about all of this that frustrates me so is that I always wind up bickering politically about this thing because it comes across as a leftist issue. Those promoting and benefitting from this stuff prefer it that way and it works well for them.

@Seek

Depends on what you mean be “small” and/or “local”. At lot of people around here think that Leinenkugal is a small local brewery. It’s controlled by SABMiller. A lot of the perceived “small”, “local” breweries are owned (or at the very least distributed) by the big fish. But they tend to hide this fact. Much in the same way a lot of the “indie” music labels are owned or distributed by the big players.

What Darth Algar said

Well, I’m enough of a snob to read labels on my booze. I think the biggest names I drink are Guinness (obviously), Newcastle, and Warsteiner.

They’re definitely pumping out the Lemon Pine-Sol IPAs… but those are gross, too.

Yeah, Newcastle is owned by Heineken – one of those big fish breweries that buys up everyone else (I think they currently control a couple of hundred brands around the world). You can read the labels all you want, but often the labels don’t tell you who actually controls the brand. The aforementioned Leinenkugal, for example, makes no mention whatsoever of its association with SABMiller on its labels or packaging. Neither does Chicago area “local”, “small” brewery Goose Island make its ownership by InBev known. So you’re not going to necessarily know, just from reading the label, that your your favorite craft beer is actually owned by a multinational conglomerate, but go ahead, snob away.

InBev current products, FYI:
10 Barrel Brewing Co
911 (Dominican Republic)
Absolut Cut (Sweden)
Alexander Keith’s (Canada)

Keith’s IPA
Keith’s White
Keith’s Dark
Keith’s Red
Keith’s Light
Keith’s Regular

Andes (Argentina)
Antarctica (Brazil)
Aqua Fratelli Vita (Brazil)
AstikA (Bulgaria)
Baisha (China)
BagBier (Russia)

BagBier
BagBier Classicheskoye
BagBier Krepkoye
BagBier Nashe

Bass (United Kingdom)
Baviera (Paraguay)
Beck’s (Germany)

Beck’s Dark
Beck’s Oktoberfest
Beck’s Premier Light

Belle-Vue (Belgium)

Belle-Vue Kriek
Belle-Vue Kriek Extra
Belle-Vue Framboise
Belle-Vue Gueuze

Bergenbier (Romania)
Blue Point Brewing Company
Blue Star (Canada)
Boddingtons (United Kingdom)
Bogotá Beer Company (Colombia)
Bohemia (Brazil)
Bohemia (Dominican Republic)
Bohemia Light (Dominican Republic)

Bohemia Pilsen
Bohemia Escura
Bohemia Weiss
Bohemia Royal Ale
Bohemia Confraria
Bohemia Oaken

Borsodi (Hungary)

Borsodi Bivaly
Borsodi Polo
Borsodi Sör
Borostyán (Hungary)

Boomerang (France)
Brahma (Global)
Brahva Gold (Guatemala)
Brahva Beats (Guatemala)
Breda (The Channel Islands) Still Available
Budweiser

Budweiser Chelada
Bud Dry
Bud Extra
Bud Ice
Bud Ice Light
Bud Lime
Budweiser Black Crown
Budweiser Select
Budweiser Select 55

Bud Light

Bud Light Chelada
Bud Light Lime
Bud Light Platinum

Busch
Busch Light
Cafri (South Korea)
Caracu (Brazil)
Cass (South Korea)

Cass Fresh
Cass Light
Cass Red
Cass Lemon
Cass Beats

Chernihivske (Ukraine)

Chernihivske Svitle
Chernihivske Premium gold
Chernihivske Mitsne
Chernihivske 4ezz
Chernihivske Bile
Chernihivske Bila Nich
Chernihivske N/A
Chernihivske Pab Lager

Corona (Outside of US)
Diebels (Germany)
Diekirch (Luxembourg)

Diekirch Grand Cru
Diekirch Grande Réserve
Diekirch Exclusive

Dimix (Germany)
Dommelsch (Netherlands)

Dommelsch Pilsener
Dommelsch Ice
Dommelsch Dominator

Double Deer (China)

E-Generation
Premium Light
Dry Beer

Dutch Gold (Netherlands)
Eiken Artois
Elysian Brewing Company
Franziskaner Weissbier (Germany)

Franziskaner Hefe-Weissbier
Franziskaner Hefe-Weissbier Alkoholfrei
Franziskaner Hefe-Weissbier Dunkel
Franziskaner Hefe-Weissbier Leicht
Franziskaner Weissbier Kristallklar

Gilde Ratskeller (Germany)
Golden Road
Goose Island Brewery
Guaraná Antarctica (Brazil)
Guaraná Brahma (Brazil)
GuoGuang (China)
Haake-Beck (Germany)
Harbin (China)
Hasseröder (Germany)
Hertog Jan (Netherlands)

Primator
Oud Bruin
Grand Prestige
Tripel
Dubbel
Winterbier
Bockbier
Meibock

Hoegaarden (Belgium)
Hop Hound Amber Wheat
Hougaerdse Das (Belgium)
Jinlin (China)
Jinlongquan (China)

Draft
Refreshing

Julius (Belgium)
Jupiler (Belgium)

Jupiler N.A.
Jupiler Blue
Jupiler Tauro

KK (China)
Kamenitza (Bulgaria)
Klinskoye (Russia)

Klinskoye Svetloye
Klinskoye Zolotoye
Klinskoye Lux
Klinskoye Redkoye
Klinskoye Arriva
Klinskoye Samurai

Kokanee (Canada)

Kokanee
Kokanee Gold
Kokanee Light
Kokanee Frost

La Bécasse (France)

La Bécasse Kriek
La Bécasse Raspberry
La Bécasse Gueuze

911 (Dominican Republic)
Absolut Cut (Sweden)
Alexander Keith’s (Canada)
Keith’s IPA
Keith’s White
Keith’s Dark
Keith’s Red
Keith’s Light
Keith’s Regular
Andes (Argentina)
Antarctica (Brazil)
Aqua Fratelli Vita (Brazil)
AstikA (Bulgaria)
Baisha (China)
BagBier (Russia)
BagBier
BagBier Classicheskoye
BagBier Krepkoye
BagBier Nashe
Bass (United Kingdom)
Baviera (Paraguay)
Beck’s (Germany)
Beck’s Dark
Beck’s Oktoberfest
Beck’s Premier Light
Belle-Vue (Belgium)
Belle-Vue Kriek
Belle-Vue Kriek Extra
Belle-Vue Framboise
Belle-Vue Gueuze
Bergenbier (Romania)
Blue Point Brewing Company
Blue Star (Canada)
Boddingtons (United Kingdom)
Bogotá Beer Company (Colombia)
Bohemia (Brazil)
Bohemia (Dominican Republic)
Bohemia Light (Dominican Republic)
Bohemia Pilsen
Bohemia Escura
Bohemia Weiss
Bohemia Royal Ale
Bohemia Confraria
Bohemia Oaken
Borsodi (Hungary)
Borsodi Bivaly
Borsodi Polo
Borsodi Sör
Borostyán (Hungary)
Boomerang (France)
Brahma (Global)
Brahva Gold (Guatemala)
Brahva Beats (Guatemala)
Breda (The Channel Islands) Still Available
Budweiser
Budweiser Chelada
Bud Dry
Bud Extra
Bud Ice
Bud Ice Light
Bud Lime
Budweiser Black Crown
Budweiser Select
Budweiser Select 55
Bud Light
Bud Light Chelada
Bud Light Lime
Bud Light Platinum
Busch
Busch Light
Cafri (South Korea)
Caracu (Brazil)
Cass (South Korea)
Cass Fresh
Cass Light
Cass Red
Cass Lemon
Cass Beats
Chernihivske (Ukraine)
Chernihivske Svitle
Chernihivske Premium gold
Chernihivske Mitsne
Chernihivske 4ezz
Chernihivske Bile
Chernihivske Bila Nich
Chernihivske N/A
Chernihivske Pab Lager
Corona (Outside of US)
Diebels (Germany)
Diekirch (Luxembourg)
Diekirch Grand Cru
Diekirch Grande Réserve
Diekirch Exclusive
Dimix (Germany)
Dommelsch (Netherlands)
Dommelsch Pilsener
Dommelsch Ice
Dommelsch Dominator
Double Deer (China)
E-Generation
Premium Light
Dry Beer
Dutch Gold (Netherlands)
Eiken Artois
Elysian Brewing Company
Franziskaner Weissbier (Germany)
Franziskaner Hefe-Weissbier
Franziskaner Hefe-Weissbier Alkoholfrei
Franziskaner Hefe-Weissbier Dunkel
Franziskaner Hefe-Weissbier Leicht
Franziskaner Weissbier Kristallklar
Gilde Ratskeller (Germany)
Golden Road
Goose Island Brewery
Guaraná Antarctica (Brazil)
Guaraná Brahma (Brazil)
GuoGuang (China)
Haake-Beck (Germany)
Harbin (China)
Hasseröder (Germany)
Hertog Jan (Netherlands)
Primator
Oud Bruin
Grand Prestige
Tripel
Dubbel
Winterbier
Bockbier
Meibock
Hoegaarden (Belgium)
Hop Hound Amber Wheat
Hougaerdse Das (Belgium)
Jinlin (China)
Jinlongquan (China)
Draft
Refreshing
Julius (Belgium)
Jupiler (Belgium)
Jupiler N.A.
Jupiler Blue
Jupiler Tauro
KK (China)
Kamenitza (Bulgaria)
Klinskoye (Russia)
Klinskoye Svetloye
Klinskoye Zolotoye
Klinskoye Lux
Klinskoye Redkoye
Klinskoye Arriva
Klinskoye Samurai
Kokanee (Canada)
Kokanee
Kokanee Gold
Kokanee Light
Kokanee Frost
La Bécasse (France)
La Bécasse Kriek
La Bécasse Raspberry
La Bécasse Gueuze
Labatt Family (Canada) Acquired in 1995
Labatt Blue
Labatt Blue Dry
Labatt Blue Light
Labatt Club
Labatt .5
Labatt Lite
Labatt Lucky Lager
Labatt 50
John Labatt Classic
Labatt Genuine
Labatt Extra Dry Lager
Labatt Wildcat
Labatt Ice

NOTE: The U.S. version of Labatt is distributed by North American Breweries due to antitrust issues.

Lakeport Family (Canada) Acquired in 2007
Lakeport Pilsener
Lakeport Honey Lager
Lakeport Strong
Lakeport Ice
Lakeport Ale
Lakeport Light
Lakeport Red
Steeler
Brava
Wee Willy
Landshark
Leffe (Belgium)
Leffe Brown
Leffe Blonde
Leffe Ruby
Leffe Printemps
Liber (Brazil)
Löwenbräu (Germany)
Löwenbräu Alkoholfrei
Löwenbräu Dunkel
Löwenbräu Löwen Weisse
Löwenbräu Original
Löwenbräu Oktoberfestbier
Löwenbräu Premium Pils
Löwenbräu Radler
Löwenbräu Schwarze Weisse
Löwenbräu Triumphator
Löwenbräu Urtyp
Malta Morena (Dominican Republic)
Marathon (Brazil)
Michelob
Michelob Light
Michelob AmberBock
Michelob Dunkel Weisse
Michelob Honey Lager
Michelob Honey Wheat
Michelob Irish Red Ale
Michelob Marzen
Michelob Pale Ale
Michelob Porter
Michelob Ultra
Michelob Ultra Amber
Michelob Ultra Lime Cactus
Michelob Ultra Pomegranate Raspberry
Michelob Ultra Tuscan Orange Grapefruit
Michelob Golden Draft
Michelob Golden Draft Light
Mousel (Luxembourg)
Natural Light
Natural Ice
Pivara Trebjesa (Montenegro)
Nik Cool
Nik Gold
Nikšicko pivo
Nikšicko tamno
Noroc (Romania)
Oculto
Oland Export Ale (Canada)
OB (South Korea)
Oranjeboom (Netherlands)
Oranjeboom Premium Pilsener
Oranjeboom Oud Bruin
Oranjeboom Premish Malt
Original (Brasil)
Permskoye Gubernskoye (Russia)
Permskoye Gubernskoye Svetloye
Paceña (Bolivia)
Paceña Pico de Oro
Paceña Pico de Plata
Huari
Bock
Ducal
Piedboeuf (Belgium)
Piedboeuf Blond
Piedboeuf Brown
Piedboeuf Triple
Pilsen (Uruguay)
Presidente Light (Dominica Republic)
Presidente Black (Dominican Republic)
Quilmes (Argentina)
Red Bridge
Red Shiliang (China)
Rifey (Russia)
Rohan (Ukraine)
Rohan Lehke
Rohan Tradytsiyne
Rohan Monastyrske Temne
Rohan Veselyi Monach
Rohan Bezalkoholne
Ron Barceló (Dominican Republic)
Rolling Rock
Rock Light
Safir (Belgium)
Santai (China)
Schooner Lager (Canada)
Sedrin (China)
Shock Top Belgian White
Sibirskaya Korona (Siberian Crown)(Russia)
Skol (Brazil)
Spaten (Germany)
Spaten Alkoholfrei
Spaten Diät-Pils
Spaten Münchner Hell
Spaten Oktoberfestbier
Spaten Optimator
Spaten Pils
St. Pauli Girl (Germany)
St. Pauli Girl Lager
St. Pauli Girl Special Dark
St. Pauli Girl Non-Alcoholic
Stella Artois (Global)
Artois Bock
Peeterman Artois
Stone Mill Pale Ale
Sukita (Brazil)
Taller (Ukraine)
Tinkov Russian Lager (Russia)
Tolstiak (Russia)
Tolstiak Dobroye
Tolstiak Svetloye
Tolstiak Zaboristoye
Tolstiak Krepkoye
Tolstiak Grechisnoye
Vieux Temps (Belgium)
Wild Series
Wild Blue
Wild Black
Wild Red
Whitbread (United Kingdom) (purchased from Whitbread Group plc in 2001)
Yali (China)
Yantar (Ukraine)
Zagrebačka pivovara (Croatia)
Božićno pivo
Ožujsko pivo
Ožujsko Cool
Ožujsko Izzy
Ožujsko Strong
Fresssh by Ožujsko
Tomislav
ZiegenBock
Zizhulin (China)
Zhujiang (China)
Zenda (Perú)

I’m not able to find a similar comprehensive list for SABMiller.

I can’t copy/past the whole list, but here’s Miller/Coors’ website with all their brands.

Samuel Smith’s appears on none of the lists! Woohoo!

My “slumming it” beer, Killian’s Irish Red, is on the Miller list. I could take it or leave it.

Also, Unibroue is still its own thing (Canada) and Weihenstephaner (Germany), too.

Hubby will be upset to learn Spaten is owned by AB, though.

Heineken is a large family-owned corporation, but the successive generations did not go the way of the Wal-Mart heirs. Ever since the company was founded in 1873, Heineken has shown continuous devotion to ensure the highest quality in all aspects of the brand. Even though they are not micro-brews or craft-brews, they are good quality beverages.

Here’s the Wikipedia list of Heineken Brands.

Waitaminit, that says Killians is a Heinekin product. Who’s bullshitting me, here?

You have a tough time in this society avoiding the tentacle of some octopus in your pocket. Just as with their namesake they’re intelligent experts at both camouflage and blowing smoke.

@Yetanotheruser

Lots of brands owned by the big players are quality. Lots of them are still brew in smaller breweries by folks who are devoted to the craft. That’s not really what we were talking about though. The issue was that one might think they’re avoiding the big conglomerates by only buying “small”/“local”/“indie”/“craft” beers, but that isn’t always necessarily the case (and family owned or not, Heinekin is a huge conglomerate). In today’s society you might think you’re just supporting small scale beer artisans in the Shire with your patronage of Green Dragon brew, but Green Dragon might in fact be owned by Sauron afterall.

My fall back beer, Sierra Nevada, is growing but still independent. I can see @Seek wrinkling up her nose thinking about SN Pale Ale