Posted on 11/13/2015 8:10:39 AM PST by markomalley
It's no fun being in the middle.
Heineken, Molson Coors and Carlsberg are storied brewers that trace their roots back hundreds of years and have loyal drinkers around the world. But the merger of their two biggest competitors leaves such mid-size brewers without a clear way forward.
They find themselves squeezed between a Goliath that will produce almost a third of the world's beer and a growing army of craft brewers.
Some experts say the mid-sized brewers should respond by pursuing takeovers of their own. Others argue that would do little good because the underlying problem is that consumers are increasingly drinking craft beers, not mass market brands.
"There are so many craft beers out there," said Jonny Forsyth, a global drinks analyst at Mintel. "They can't buy them all up."
Discussions about world domination heightened Wednesday when Budweiser maker Anheuser-Busch InBev agreed to buy SABMiller for 71 billion pounds ($107 billion). That combination would account for 29 percent of the world beer market, making it three times bigger than its nearest rival Heineken, with a mere 9 percent, according to the market data firm Euromonitor.
Beer makers looking to bulk up in response will have few options because some of the likely targets are privately held and not interested in selling, said Jeremy Cunnington, the senior alcoholic drinks analyst for Euromonitor.
(Excerpt) Read more at hosted.ap.org ...
Time to start drinking bourbon.
Craft beer BUMP! Enjoyed a Sip of Sunshine last night.
http://www.lawsonsfinest.com/beers/sip-sunshine/
Capitalism at its finest BUMP!
I quit drinking beer when I hit 40. I manage wine and whiskey without putting on the pounds..in moderation of course
Bourbon Ping!
I don’t drink anymore...but I don’t drink any less.
good Choice,
The only American booze.
I recommend Buffalo Trace as Pappy Van Winkle is just to damned expensive.
I’ll have to keep an eye out for that one. One of our local micros makes a wonderful IPA.
The logical alternative for beer drinkers is to brew your own.
I’d love a job as a “Global Drink Analyst” like Mr Forsyth. I’m sure I could learn and acquire the qualifications.
If the giants stopped producing gnats’ p!ss and put flavor and alchohol back into their products, they would be able compete with the craft beers.
As long as Moosehead continues producing the same product, all will be good here.
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