Anheuser-Busch to buy Blue Point Brewing

The LA Times reports that The North American subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch InBev, maker of Budweiser and Stella Artois, is moving into the craft beer business, announcing Wednesday it will buy Blue Point Brewing Co., a N.Y. craft brewery.

Blue Point first began brewing craft beers 15 years ago in Patchogue, N.Y., and has become popular on the East Coast.

Anheuser-Busch did not disclose terms of the deal, but the move is the latest in efforts to expand AB InBev's footprint.

This move follows in the footsteps of Chicago-based mega-brewer MillerCoors acquiring the once-delightful Blue Moon brand.

Then there's Redhook Brewing, which began as a craft brewery back in the 80s. Since then, however, it has formed the company Craft Beer Alliance Inc. (with Widmer and Kona) and Anheuser-Busch InBev owns about 35 percent of the company.



Or consider Goose Island which was acquired by Anheuser-Busch InBev for $38.8 million in 2011.

Or what about Magic Hat, which had all the makings of a great craft brewery when it opened up shop in the early 90s. But they acquired Pyramid Brewing, then enticed North American Breweries (the company that owns Labatt and a few other imports) to purchase the entire conglomerate.

Nor is Leinenkugel a craft brew. Aside from being owned by SABMiller, it has been reported that Lenkie uses "adjunct ingredients" for flavor enhancement. Scurrilous.

Finally, if you’ve been to Hawaii, you’ve had a Kona. Actually, you can find them all over the place (36 states to be exact). That's because 35 percent of Kona is owned by Anheuser-Busch.

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Ah, capitalism. If someone figures out a better way than you to do something ... buy and absorb them!