AB Inbev, SABMiller merger would brew 70% of worlds beer

[Renew Deal]

I don't think that should be permitted.

Big beer gets bigger with AB Inbev and SABMiller merger

After a month of negotiations, beer goliath AB InBev, which controls brands such as Budweiser, Corona and Stella Artois, and SABMiller, whose portfolio contains Miller, Coors, Molson and Peroni, are merging into one super-giant conglomerate that will brew nearly one third of the world’s beer. But don't expect to see “Anheuser Busch’s Miller Lite” on store shelves anytime soon. Things won’t change much for American consumers, as the deal is more about the developing global markets.

AB InBev, a Brazilian corporation, will pay more than $100 billion for control of the South Africa-based SABMiller. If the merger is approved, AB InBev will control over 70% of beer production in the United States.

Continuing decades of beer industry consolidation, the merger of the two largest players in the industry would mean that the top three beer companies on the planet (AB InBev, Heineken, and Carlsberg) would produce nearly 70% of all the beer brewed worldwide.

The dominance of the mass market beer brands will continue to pressure the craft breweries with further consolidation and acquisitions, such as last month’s purchase of L.A.’s Golden Road Brewing by AB InBev.
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http://www.latimes.com/food/dailydish/la-dd-abinbev-sabmiller-20151013-story.html

[HooptieWagon]

1. Micro Breweries are all over in Tampa Bay Area.

So many good ones, I rarely drink the cheap stuff anymore. Every one has a small bar, most have good live local music regularly.

[onehandle]

2. ...that I never drink. nt

[Octafish]

3. Just like the News.

Rupert and everybody else.

[Nye Bevan]

4. This assumes that you count Budweiser, Coors and Miller as "beer".

Well I guess they are, in the same way that Kraft Singles are "cheese".....

[frylock]

5. Think globally, drink locally.

[Angleae]

6. As I understand it, calling that "beer" is pushing it.

[Mendocino]

7. I know the brewers

at a local craft bar. They are worried about the majors buying up and hoarding hops just to choke the micros off.

[muriel_volestrangler]

8. Your title is wrong - they would brew over 70% of *US* beer, and about 1/3 of the world's beer

Combine that 1/3 with the next 2 largest companies - Heineken and Carlsberg - and you get to 70% of the world's beer (though I suspect the figures are very rough, and probably not produced on the same basis, since that would requite the 4 current companies to be all almost exactly the same size).

On edit: Looking at other sources, I think the '70% of the world's beer' that the LA Times claimed when Heineken and Carlsberg are counted is just wrong. BBC:

Global market share of five biggest beer companies
Anheuser-Busch InBev - 20.8%
SABMiller - 9.7%
Heineken - 9.1%
Carlsberg - 6.1%
China Resources Enterprise - 6%
Source: Euromonitor, based on 2014 figure
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-34268632

Earlier LA Times article:

The new company would control 29% of the global beer market, making it more than three times bigger than its closest rival, Heineken, according to estimates from research firm Euromonitor.
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-sabmiller-budweiser-20151013-story.html