Anheuser-Busch

So here’s the setup:

Belgian brewing-giant InBev (Euronext: INB) bought America’s largest and most established brewery company, Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc. (NYSE: BUD) in July, 2008. Take a moment to let that soak in.

Budweiser beer, folks … this is THE iconic American beer.

Remember the television ads that would run every Thanksgiving & Christmas season with the Budweiser Clydesdales pulling the red Budweiser beer wagon through the falling snow? The uniformed drivers cheerfully bringing the GREAT AMERICAN LAGER to the GREAT AMERICAN MASSES? This is an iconic vision so prevailent that it could be found rendered in diarama-form on the walls and over the pooltables of bars and taverns everywhere across these great United States!

An AMERICAN icon

Budweiser, the golden liquid-happiness of American baseball! Budweiser, the beer that is an integral part of the American backyard barbeque! Budweiser, the beer that Dad and his dad before him drank with American pride! Cold-brewed American lager – crisp, fresh, cold and delicious!

Got the vision?

Now, it’s owned by BELGIANS. That’s right. It’s nearly as offensive and surreal as the fact that the manufacture of AMERICAN FLAGS has largely been off-shored to CHINA. Or Jeep (as part of Chrysler) being owned by the freaking GERMANS for those years.

Instead of Anheuser products being the pride of AMERICA, now it’s the pride of Belgium. Holy fucking shit, people. Bit by bit, AMERICA is selling it’s IDENTITY off to the highest bidder!

Thank God that InBev was unsuccessful in replacing the Anheuser-Busch board of directors with their own hand-picked nominees!

Belgian Flag

Of course I know that Anheuser-Busch is loved world-wide and that the company owns several brands that are actually indiginous to other countries, such as Bass, Kirin, Tennent’s and Stella Artois. (Stella is Belgian, btw) But dammit, that’s the AMERICAN way!

Anheuser-Busch is as much a part of the American identity as the Stars and Stripes. But now instead of the good old Red, White and Blue our largest brewer is under the Black, Yellow and Red.

Seriously, folks – this is shameful.