Oh hoppy day! After the Anheuser-Busch board rejected a $65 per share offer from Belgian brewer InBev in June, The New York Times reports today that the makers of Budweiser—and the distributors of Starr Hill Brewery beers—accepted a second offer of $52 billion, or $70 per share.
What does this mean for Anheuser-Busch’s distribution deal with Starr Hill? When brewer Mark Thompson spoke with C-VILLE last December, he said that Anheuser-Busch purchased a minority stake in Starr Hill Brewery with plans to distribute Dark Starr Stouts and Jomo Lagers nationally within five to 10 years.
It’s interesting to note, then, that Anheuser-Busch owns a 50 percent stake in Grupo Modelo, the Mexican brewer that crafts the Negro Modelo suds you swig with your Chipotle. In a statement to the Times, Grupo Modelo said that it retains the right to consent to Anheuser-Busch’s deal with InBev and spoke previously about working in cooperation with InBev.
Of course, Starr Hill is on a smaller scale. With any luck, the changing of the suds guard means that InBev might develop a liking for the Starr Hill brand. After all, that seasonal Starr Hill Love is a German-style Hefeweizen, lightly sweet—certainly something Belgian brewers can appreciate.
New title: How to drink like a Belgian! Anheuser-Busch sells to Belgian brewer InBev. Now we simply sit back and wait for Starr Hill Brewery to go global.
