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**Steve Jackson[_3_]** · 31-05-2008, 07:36 PM posted to alt.beer,rec.food.drink.beer,stl.general

wrote:

The best beer though comes from Belgium and they maybe actually saving
the Brewery.

That may be, but InBev is not responsible for the beers that most people
think of as representing the best qualities of Belgian beer.

As for saving the brewery, I'm not really sure A-B is in need of saving.
While market share for standard North American lagers has been flat for
many years, A-B has managed to take market share from Miller and Coors.
Although, if I recall correctly (and I may very well not be), A-B's
growth has slowed in recent years as well.

The reason InBev is looking at A-B is not because A-B is struggling.
It's because A-B wants a strong foothold in the North American market,
and A-B's the one takeover opportunity. And with the weakness of the
dollar against the euro (1 euro is worth ~$1.55 today, compared to 1
euro being worth 85 cents seven years ago), InBev has very favorable
economic conditions for such a deal.

Besides, an InBev acquisition would have a strong chance of increasing
production at A-B breweries, as the company will likely seek to produce
some of its brands in North America for North American consumption,
rather than importing bottles/kegs/cans from Europe.

-Steve