How did Anheuser-Busch (A-B), with a dominant market share in the world’s largest beer market, a legacy of marketing brilliance, a strong distribution system and generations of family management, suddenly seem so powerless to resist a buyout in the summer of 2008? In “Dethroning the King: The Hostile Takeover of Anheuser Busch, an American Icon” Ms MacIntosh provides several answers.

For the better part of a year, trade associations and lobbyists for alcohol manufacturers have been fighting with their wholesale distributors over a bill that would strengthen states’ ability to regulate alcohol and make it harder to challenge state alcohol laws in court.

Net revenue increased 0.3 percent to USD 2.12 billion in the quarter to September 2010.

When Harvard-educated Chairman Jim Koch decided to abandon a career in consulting to become a brewer, he set out one of the best beers in America. And that’s what he did: Mr Koch created the award-winning Samuel Adams Boston Lager – the flagship beer in a line of more than 20 varieties – allegedly from an old Koch family recipe that had been passed down for generations.

Earlier in October Constellation Brands said its fiscal second-quarter profits for the three months ended 31 August 2010 fell to USD 91.3 million from USD 99.7 million in the same quarter last year.

Thank heavens Grupo Modelo could improve pricing. That’s why net sales grew 5.0 percent, totalling 23,233 million pesos (USD 1.87 billion). Domestic sales showed an increase of 2.4 percent. Export revenues in pesos increased 6.2 percent and stood at 45.1 percent of net sales. The net export revenues were USD 821 million, a 10.5 percent increase compared to the same quarter of 2009.

Mr Ackman revealed in October 2010 that his fund Pershing Square Capital owns an 11 percent stake in Fortune Brands.

The course is conducted by Lucy Saunders and Randy Mosher, the author of "The Brewers Companion", "Radical Brewing" and "Tasting Beer". Mr Mosher has contributed articles regarding brewing and beer styles to some of the world’s leading brewing publications. He has lectured on brewing & beer styles across the country and has been involved in an ongoing effort to revive extinct historical beers.

The last thing a Californian microbrewery needs is to be associated with the effort against legalising marijuana. As soon as the media got wind of CBBD’s involvement, Sierra Nevada and several other microbreweries were hammered with emails from pro-legalisation people threatening them with a boycott. Even the blogosphere got rolling on the issue, with comments like “brewing industry is paranoid of the competition.”

The reason for the deal is that Coke seeks to gain more control over distribution. Also, it expects USD 350 million in cost savings as a result of the deal.