This afternoon I stopped at a local pub and ordered a Boddington's ale. I was told by the waitress that they were out of Boddington's because it had been purchased by Anheuser-Busch. I've looked on the internet and find now reference to such a buyout. Any links discussing this will be appreciated.
TaliesinSoft wrote on 28 Apr 2007:
You won't find any reference to that. She's wrong.
Witzel
The poor clueless dear. Boddington's is owned by InBev.
However, in the USA, Anheuser-Busch is now the importer of many of InBev's products, and the A-B distribution network now wholesales those beers. My local pub stopped doing business with the local A-B distributor quite a while ago, so they now also no longer carry such stalwarts as Hoegaarden, Leffe, and Stella Artois.
The weird part is that A-B is now also importing and distributing - again in the USA - Budvar (well, "Czechvar," but it's the same beer).
I can't address the specific question, but I ran into teh "beer guy" for one of the local distributors a couple days ago, and he said there was a lot of that stuff going on. E.g., his distributorship no longer carries Guinness or Paulaner products becuase (I think) they were both picked up by A-B.
Paulaner is part-owned by Heineken, but I don't think Heineken USA has taken over import (yet?), nor are Paulaner's beers in Heineken's distribution channels. Guinness is owned by Diageo, and a beverage distributor handling Diageo products might carry Guinness.
A-B is in a less-than-optimal position these days. It's mass-volume cash-cow products - Bud and Bud Lite - are dead flat in growth, and in terms of profit margin, A-B has to stay price-competitive with other mega-brewers' products, so that squeezes them too. So now A-B is getting further into the higher-margin ends of the beer bidness, and the growth and margins are particularly good in craft brews and imports A-B currently imports Corona, Budvar, Hoegaarden, Leffe, Beck's, and Stella Artois, and all of these are wholesaled across the USA through A-B's extensive distribution channels. I have heard or read *nothing* about A-B also picking up Guinness or Paulaner, though. It would kinda weird for A-B, InBev, Diageo, and Heineken to all be in bed together, but given the current administration's general lack of interest in prosecuting anti-trust conspiracy cases, I wouldn't be entirely surprised either.
InBev might "own" Boddingtons (the brand) but it closed Boddington's (the brewery) in 2005 - Boddies had been brewed since 1778, famously at their historic Manchester 'Strangeways Brewery'.
(they have also recently likewise closed the famous Hoegaarden/de Kluis brewery)
Boddies in cask for UK is brewed under licence by the independent Hyde's in Manchester. (reports say it got better!)
For the keg, can, bottle & rest of the world it's prob brewed at the former Whitbread Brewery, Salmesbury, Lancashire
(oh, did I mention they closed Whitbread too? )
cheers MikeMcG
InBev is reaping a just reward for the latter:
What a load of bankers.
I'm just waiting for the announcement of the merger between InBev and Anheuser-Busch. Not that it matters, mind you; the pub I frequent most doesn't do business with A-B's local distributor.
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