And you thought Big Beer companies only buy micros.

[Leann ull]

[nigel_c]

If you can't beat them, buy them out.

[DEMPSEY]

That was a mistake and it's not even April fools day yet

[nigel_c]

More updates.

http://www.homebrewtalk.com/anheuser-busch-inbev-acquires-northern-brewer-midwest-supplies.html

[Leann ull]

50 million, bloody hell thats a lot of shiny

[Will_D]

Now as I still have a life that revolves around brewing/cider/and a certain rugby club casn anyone who has other interests explain what this means:

[lifted from above HBT article]
"More precise the deal was announced as being completed by 'ZX Ventures', the disruptive growth unit of AB InBev."

Would a Disruptive Growth Unit be legal in the EU?

[Leann ull]

Perfectly legal, their objectives as a company just different to the norm and they measure their success in slowing down or even halting the propagation of the craft beer model or in this instance the launch platform of Home brewing.

A relatively cheap buy vs some of the Breweries they bought out.
Speculation alert; Companies bought on multiples of profit so let's say in the 50 they were making 20 x typical factor of 3, but could be up to 5 is only 60 million but now they have a data base of 200k US homebrewers.

A conservative number for pro Brewers that have come from homebrew is 30% but I suspect it's closer to 40, so kill or steer the spawn and hey presto.

Watch the price of all the main ingredients go nuts as they they turn the knife, other significant homebrew enterprises in the US will follow for commercial reasons.

You'll no doubt start seeing bud lite mash kits shortly which will contain a packet of rice and a bag of sugar and oh yeah 100g of Pilsner malt.

[nigel_c]

And more...

https://www.homebrewersassociation.org/news/northern-brewer-purchased-anheuser-busch-inbev/