The World's Two Largest Beer Companies Are About To Become One

By Nell Casey in Food on Oct 13, 2015 3:30PM

(Photo Illustration by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Bros worldwide are one step closer to finally putting the Which Crap Beer Is The Best Argument to rest—clearly it's Coors Light, but whatever—as the world's two largest beer companies are all but done hashing out the terms of a buyout. Anheuser-Busch InBev announced they'd reached an agreement to purchase SABMiller, following a month of negotiations between the world's largest beer company and the world's second largest beer company. The Times reports that if accepted, Anheuser-Busch InBev would pay out $104 billion to take over their rivals and acquire such brands as Miller Lite and Peroni.

The board of SABMiller says they'll agree to these terms, but there are still several hurdles AB InBev will face to get the deal approved. First, as was initially reported, the U.S. Justice Department would likely ask for a break-up of the Chicago-based MillerCoors—a joint venture of SABMiller and Molson Coors—to water down a near-monopoly. Second, the deal is still subject to the approval of Altria and BevCo, SABMiller's two largest shareholders, who'd be looking at a slight devaluation of their shares while still receiving stock in the new entity.

There's also this bit of unfortunate messiness for AB InBev: they're currently being investigated by the U.S. Justice Department for allegedly buying up beer distributors in an effort to stymie the booming craft beer market. Additionally, antitrust regulators are "reviewing craft brewers' claims that AB InBev pushes some independent distributors to only carry the company's products and end their ties with the craft industry," two sources revealed to Reuters.

If the acquisition goes through, and it's looking like it will, this will be the largest beer merger of its kind, with AB InBev looking at a tidy annual revenue near $64 billion. If they're not forced to splinter off brands, the company would be controlling roughly 70 percent of the U.S. beer market and 30 percent of global beer sales when all their brands combine.

If that's difficult to imagine, examine the list below, which illustrates just some of the brands that would be controlled by AB InBev if the deal goes through:

Anheuser-Busch InBev

• 10 Barrel Brewing


• Alexander Keith's


• Antarctica


• Bass


• Beck's


• Boddington's


• Bohemia


• Brahma


• Bud Light


• Bud Light Lime Ritas


• Bud Ice


• Budweiser


• Busch


• Cass


• Chelada


• Chernigivske


• Corona


• Elysian


• Goose Island


• Harbin


• Hoegaarden


• Johnny Appleseed Hard Cider


• Jupiler


• Kirin


• Klinskoye


• Kokanee


• Landshark Lager


• Leffe


• Löwenbräu


• Michelob ULTRA


• Modelo Especial


• Natural


• Oculto


• O'Doul's


• Quilmes


• Redbridge


• Rolling Rock


• Sedrin


• Select


• Shock Top


• Sibirskaya Korona


• Skol


• Stella Artois


• Victoria


• Wild Blue


• ZiegenBlock

SABMiller

• 2M


• Aguila


• Aguila Light


• Alpha Pale Ale


• Arany Ászok


• Arequipeña


• Atlas


• Balboa


• Balimi Extra Lager


• Barena


• Beez Neez


• Birell


• Blue Moon


• Bohemian Pilsner


• Bohlinger's Lager


• Brutal Fruit


• Bulmers


• Carling


• Carlton


• Cascade


• Castle


• Chairman's Extra Stout Beer


• Chibuku


• Ciucas


• Club


• Conquer


• Coors


• Coors Light


• Costeña


• Cristal


• Crown Lager


• Cusqueña


• De Klok


• Debowe Mocne


• Dirty Granny


• Dogbolter


• Dorada


• Dreher 24


• Dębowe Mocne


• Eagle Lager


• Fat Yak


• Flying Fish


• Foster's


• Frisco


• Gambrinus


• Gingers


• Golden Light


• Great Northern Brewing Co.


• Green Mill Cider


• Grolsch


• Hamm's


• Hansa


• Haywards 5000


• Helga


• Henry Weinhard's


• Hero


• Icehouse


• Impala


• Imperial


• Indus Pride


• Keystone


• Kilimanjaro Premium Lager


• Knock Out


• Kobányai Sör


• Książęce


• Laurentina


• Lech


• Leinenkugel


• Lion Lager


• Maluti


• Manica


• Melbourne Bitter


• Mercury


• Mickey's


• Miller


• Milwaukee's Best


• Mosi


• NT Draught


• Ndovu


• Nile


• Olde English 800


• Peroni


• Pilsen


• Pilsener


• Poker


• Port Royal


• Pure Blonde


• Radegast


• Raffo


• Redback


• Redd's


• Regia


• Reschs


• Rhino Lager


• Royal Challenge


• Safari


• SalvaVida


• San Juan


• Saris


• Sheaf Stout


• Sibebe


• Skelter's Straight


• Smädný mních


• Snow


• St. Louis


• St. Stefanus


• Stone Lager


• Strongbow


• Suprema


• Timisoreana


• Topvar


• Trophy


• Tropical


• Tyskie


• Ursus


• Velkopopovický


• Victoria Bitter


• White Bull


• Wojak Jasny Pelny


• Wührer


• Zorok


• Zubr