Now we can blame the Belgians for that foul tasting swill.

I happen to very strongly agree with you about Bud Lite but I would like to give you two pieces of information I doubt you have.

1. AB has invested in microbreweries that also make good beer (i.e. not with the AB names of Budweiser and Michelob.)

2. The "keep the Eagle flying" comment refers to a specific thing. The AB logo is has Eagle in it and on a building off US 40 in STL is a neon sign of the AB logo and the eagle periodically takes wing as if flying. The author is not referring to America in that comment.

(I lived in STL for 28 years before I was able to escape)

Could not agree with Mr. Leonard more. Elitist beer snobs UNITE!

Yes, most A-B products are swill.

However, given InBev's reputation, the chances of them continuing the extremely generous largess A-B has showered on St. Louis over the past century is virtually nil. From massive donations to virtually every charity and cultural institution in the area to free kegs for local wedding receptions, the roots of A-B run deep in the town's soil.

Losing yet another HQ would be another nail in St. Louis's coffin. Losing A-B would be more like hermetically sealing it and pouring concrete over the top.

P.S.--Sierra Nevada is way overrated.

Budweiser is swill. Without even thinking, I could name at least a dozen better beers, some imports, some regional specialties, that I'd prefer. Right now in my fridge is the last of a seasonal brew from a fine German brewer, and I recently discovered an outstanding local (I mean local, really small brewery) organic IPA I'll be making my default brew.

On the other hand, Belgium as a brewing nation does brew beers with actual flavor, so maybe there's some improvement to be found in this acquisition.

And Bud Light is just one example of a regrettable tradition - light beer in general is nasty stuff. Most of the few I've tried seem to have unpleasant, almost chemical aftertastes - kind of the Tab of beers.

This is what happens when a country allows a prolonged trade deficit. All of those excess dollars that have been accumulating overseas are being used to buy our country out from under us.

It's even more disturbing when one considers the influence companies have over our government. What happens to our sovereignty when all of the lobbyists are working for foreign-controlled corporations?

I agree with Mr. Leonard's conclusion 100%. I always seek out the microbrew's from the small/mom&pop breweries. Some of those beers are not so good either, but the biggest majority of them are excellent when compared to the mass marketed stuff that passes for beer here in the US.

I'm originally from St. Louis, and let me begin by saying that, yes, Bud, et al. is lousy beer. But I can think of a dozen "iconic" U.S. corporations that make mediocre products. That's really beside the point. The point is that A-B is St. Louis. In addition to the thousands who work for A-B, there are many more thousands of A-B retirees and employees who work for other companies that depend upon A-B's success. St. Louis, like many other formerly-thriving U.S. cities, has lost most of its corporate HQs in the last 20 years. A-B is one of the last and it's part of the St. Louis identity. Forget the beer, how about the brewery, itself? It's a landmark of the grubby historic variety, not some slick 'n cheesy corporate theme park. How about the fact that A-B has always been known as a great place to work--good benefits, good retirement, including a case of beer every month (or something like that).

They tore down Busch Stadium to build a generic eyesore, and now A-B is up for grabs? Soon every city in this nation will be indistinguishable from its brethren, just as every mall in America has the same stores and merchandise.

Forgive me if I cannot manage your equanimity (verging on contempt, by the end). Some things should remain the same.

As a life long dedicated devote of the great and wonderful thing we call beer (so much so that to some my devotion could be considered a problem) I say good riddance to A-b.

However, I find Sierra to be an excellent if not the best fall back beer when faced with limited choices. Always good and drinkable.

Cheers!

And then promptly ruin it?

Have any of you ever done a blind taste test of Budweiser against micro-brews of similiar style and really put your tast buds to the test?

I have a feeling the results may be embarrassing the same way wine snobs who take blind tests are always embarressed.

I haven't done it personally, I don't drink it because I'm a snob and I'll be the first to admit it. Hnestly until I tried a blind taste test I don't have the confidence to proclaim how bad it is based on anything except for my attempt to escape a certain demographic I associate with Budweiser drinkers.

After you do that one, you could have a second taste-test between bud-light and fermented gutter-water and see which you prefer!

Yes Bud is bad, but it's bad the way a McDonald's cheeseburger is bad. Not my first choice of beverage or sandwich but they both have their place. Also the brewery tours are fun.

Badweiser? Get behind me, Satan? Etc. Etc.

I lamented the 'loss' of A-B last night. My thinking wasn't that the beer symbolizes America, rather it's the symbolism that a foreign company is interested in owning something that for all practical purposes only Americans consume.

It's almost as if we're being played for suckers by having to pay profit to people who rightly look down at us for being so idiotic as to drink stuff they wouldn't serve their pigs.

And I like Budweiser. So sue me.

I'm not accusing anyone of snobbery; that's snobbery in its own right. But there's a reason why A-B built a dominant market share, and its not just advertising. When you open a mass domestic you can expect consistency. This is absolutely untrue for microbrews.