Anheuser-Busch has been under fire the last few months as the company has tried to bring more brands to its exclusive distributors.  With high-end and craft beer brands moving well amongst consumers, A-B’s network of distributors have been all over the King of Beers for more variety.  In an effort to meet this demand A-B fought to acquire InBev’s European brands, as well as form a joint venture with Modelo.  Unfortunately, both deals slipped through the beer giants fingers in the last minute.

Squabbling over growth goals for InBev USA ended A-B’s acquisition of the brands.  Many experts felt that the legs on InBev’s American expansion were short, causing A-B to hesitate.  With more time to consider the purchase, A-B execs rethought the deal and put it to bed before signing any checks.  The Modelo joint venture is another case altogether.  The deal seemed like a perfect match for both brands, however no deal was ever drawn up and the hype surrounding the joint venture fizzled.

Over the last year A-B has been able to score a few beer brands: Rolling Rock, Grolsch, Goose Island and the very small and niche Tiger.  Not exactly the all-star team A-B promised to their distributors.  What a difference a few weeks makes?  Just last month A-B was making headlines for their alliance with Hansen’s and their popular line of energy drinks, Monster.  This deal has success written all over it, but the question remains - Will A-B be able to aquire more brands of this caliber, or will they continue to pick up a few notable labels here and there?  Stay tuned.