Will Bud translate under European rule?

Iconic American brewer Anheuser-Busch reached a deal to sell itself to European brewing giant InBev for $50 billion (£25bn) last week, raising fears that Bud might lose its US identity.

The sale creates a brewing behemoth that can better market Budweiser (and 200 other brands of beer) around the globe – but will it be recognised for its US heritage and those famously “Wassup” ads?

Anheuser-Busch makes nearly half the beer sold in the United States, and the new combined company will become the biggest brewer in the world.

However, big doesn’t always mean better. According to the 2008 Customer Loyalty Engagement Index from agency Brand Keys, Budweiser ranked as follows among the regular beer category:

1. Sam Adams

2. Coors/Miller Genuine Draft (tie)

3. Budweiser

4. Corona/Michelob (tie)

5. Heineken

6. Beck’s

InBev, who brews Stella Artois, Bass, Becks, and Labatt Blue, says it is going to preserve critical AB brand values. It is going to keep St. Louis as Anheuser’s headquarters for North American so not sour – geographically, so to speak – the beer’s “hometown” reputation.

And it has also pledged to maintain the beer values that Americans have come

to love. But will a European company be able to market American values and will its image translate across the EMEA region and other markets? Perhaps it’ll all come down to the quality of the brand – or the American backpackers.