Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch InBev, is the largest brewing company in the United States. The company operates 12 breweries in the United States and nearly 20 in other countries. It also operates ten theme parks across the United States, through the company's family entertainment division, Busch Entertainment Corporation.

History

Adolphus Busch was the first U.S. brewer to use pasteurization to keep beer freshfact: date=April 2009, the first to use artificial refrigeration and refrigerated railroad cars and the first to bottle beer extensively.fact: date=April 2009 In 1876, Busch introduced America's first national beer brand: Budweiser. In 1877, Busch introduced the company's first cola: King Cola.

Anheuser-Busch became the largest brewer in the United States in 1957.

Anheuser-Busch International, Inc. was established in 1981, and is responsible for the company's foreign beer operations and equity investments.

As of 2008, it has 48.9% share of beer sales (by barrels), and produces about 11 billion bottles of beer a year.fact: date=April 2009

Acquisition by InBev

main: Anheuser-Busch InBev

On July 13, 2008, Anheuser-Busch and InBev said they had agreed to a deal, pending shareholder and regulatory approval, for InBev to purchase the American icon at $70 per share, creating a new company to be named Anheuser-Busch InBev. Anheuser-Busch would get two seats on the combined board of directors. The all-cash agreement, almost $52 billion in total equity, would create the world's largest brewer, uniting the maker of Budweiser and Michelob with the producer of Stella Artois, Hoegaarden, Leffe and Beck's, Bass, Labatt and Brahma. The two companies would have yearly sales of more than $36.4 billion, surpassing the current No. 1 brewer, London-based SABMiller.

Changes introduced by InBev

On November 18, 2008 the acquisition was completed and the company is now known as Anheuser-Busch Inbev. Within six months, InBev "turned a family-led company that spared little expense into one that is focused intently on cost-cutting and profit margins, while rethinking the way it sells beer." InBev is applying an approach the "stresses a sharp eye on costs and incentive-based pay structures" that it inherited from AmBev in a prior acquisition; among the changes:

• 1400 U.S. employees (6%) and 415 contractors were laid off
• introduced what InBev called an "increased focus on meritocracy" that means salaried workers receive a base salary targeted to be 80% to 100% of the market rate
• about 40 of its executives were granted a total of 28 million stock options, "potentially worth tens of millions of dollars to each recipient, if the company reduces its debt-to-income ratio by about half in five years"
• for senior management, elimination of executive assistants and private secretaries
• for employees, elimination of free beer formerly available at the breweries and theme parks
• announced it would end contributions to its pension plan for salaried employees in 2012
• ornate executive suites" were replaced by a "sea of desks"
• the number of company-supplied BlackBerrys for employees cut from 1200 to 720
• accounts payable terms lengthened to 120 days
• zero-based budgeting
• put all its corporate jets for sale
• announced that in January 2010, it will stop providing life insurance for retirees