ST. LOUIS, Missouri (AP) — Belgian brewer InBev has announced it will buy its U.S. rival Anheuser-Busch for $52 billion to create the world’s largest brewer.

The deal would create the world’s largest brewer and put the U.S. beer-maker in the hands of Belgian-based InBev.

The acquisition means control over America’s largest brewer, the No. 2 worldwide, moves overseas. Based in St. Louis, Missouri, Anheuser-Busch has more than 48 percent of American market share with brands that include Bud Light.

InBev confirmed the details of the purchase of Anheuser-Busch early Monday. It first bid for Anheuser-Busch on June 11.

InBev is the world’s second largest beer maker, with brands that include Stella Artois and Becks.

The deal must be approved by shareholders and European and US antitrust regulators. The merger will produce the fourth-largest consumer product company worldwide.

Anheuser-Busch Cos. Inc. did not return messages seeking comment Sunday evening.

The Wall Street Journal said the deal was for $70 a share, a $5 increase over the offer Anheuser-Busch rejected in June.

It wasn’t immediately clear how long approval might take from regulators and shareholders. Several Missouri politicians have expressed concerns about the merger — especially how it would affect the approximate 6,000 people employed by Anheuser-Busch in St. Louis.

InBev has said it plans to use St. Louis as its North American headquarters, and that it will keep open all 12 of Anheuser-Busch’s North American breweries.

InBev SA announced its intent to try and purchase Anheuser-Busch on June 11. The Anheuser-Busch board initially voted against the merger, calling the initial $65 per share offer too low.

That prompted much squabbling between the companies over the past few weeks. InBev filed a motion seeking the removal of all 13 Anheuser-Busch board members; Anheuser-Busch filed suit calling the InBev effort an “illegal scheme” that threatened to defraud Anheuser-Busch shareholders. Among other things, the suit noted that InBev failed to disclose it operates a brewery in Cuba.

So it was with some surprise when reports surfaced on Friday that the two companies were sitting down for merger talks, reportedly after InBev upped its offer by $5 to $70 per share.

The merger, if completed, will bring to an end to one of the most iconic names in U.S. business and a name synonymous with St. Louis. From college buildings to offices to the stadium where the Cardinals play, the Busch name is virtually everywhere in the Gateway City.

Eberhard Anheuser acquired the Bavarian brewery in 1860 and renamed it E. Anheuser & Co. His son-in-law, Adolphus Busch, joined the company in 1864 and it was eventually renamed Anheuser-Busch.

The company survived Prohibition by selling products ranging from ice cream to root beer.

In addition to opposition from politicians and civic leaders, at least two Web sites sprung up opposing the merger. SaveBudweiser.com claims to have more than 60,000 signatures from merger opponents. SaveAB.com hosted a recent anti-merger rally that drew hundreds to downtown St. Louis.

InBev has not said if layoffs will occur as a result of the merger. But some cutbacks seem likely.

Even without the merger, Anheuser-Busch said last month it planned to cut pension and health benefits for salaried employees as part of an effort to slash $1 billion in costs by the end of 2010. The plan called for offering early retirement to 1,300 salaried workers 55 and older.

The cost-cutting effort — dubbed “Blue Ocean” by the company — was part of a strategy to fend off the merger.

The beer industry has been consolidating in recent years amid rising costs for transportation fuel and key ingredients.

Looking for a good new beer?  Want to talk to someone about beer?  Looking for a new place to drink?  Going on vacation and want to find a cool place to go?  Looking for festivals?  Check out www.beeradvocate.com!

I have been using it for a year now and you can find anything you want.  I am also a member and receive a monthly magazine from them.

They have forums for different areas and topics so you can find whatever you are looking for.

Pace

I saw this and found an article on it, hope you all enjoy.

The Rev. Jesse Jackson apologized Wednesday for saying Barack Obama is “talking down to black people” during what Jackson thought was a private conversation before a FOX News interview Sunday.

Jackson was speaking to a guest at the time about Obama’s speeches in black churches and his support for faith-based charities. Jackson added before going live, “I want to cut his nuts off.”

His microphone picked up the remarks.

At a hastily arranged news conference Wednesday evening in Chicago, Jackson said he supports Obama “unequivocally” and that he hopes to “get this behind me.”

“I have great passion for this campaign and traveled across the country … arguing the case for the campaign,” Jackson said. “And this thing I said in a hot-mic statement that’s interpreted as a distraction, I offer apology for that. I don’t want harm or hurt to come to this campaign.”

A crop of 3rd generation barley, originally from .14 ounces of seedlings that spent five months in a zero-gravity environment on the International Space Station in 2006, are being harvested and turned into beer.  According to Sapporo Holdings (the brewer and one of Japan’s largest beverage makers) they plan on collaborating with scientists at Japan’s Okayama University to brew what’s been dubbed “The first space beer.”  Only 100 bottles are being made and the beer will not be for retail sale, however, Sapporo says some lucky consumers will get to try it once it’s ready in November.  Scientists working on he Russian project to investigate growing edible plants in space, claim that they’ve yet to find any differences between Earth-grown and space-grown barley.  And the big question from beer geeks is:  Will it taste out of this world?

I just found this article on ESPN and thought you might enjoy it.  Looks like #4 might not be done for good.  He is getting that itch to play.  Retirement looks like it might not be as good as Brett thought.  Either way he is one of the greatest football players and maybe the greatest competitor of all time.

Favre has communicated his potential desire to coach Mike McCarthy but talks have not advanced to a substantive stage, a Packers source said.

The source said the Packers would be reluctant to open the door for Favre because “Brett retired for the right reasons, even though I know his family is tugging on him [to play].” Another source conceded Favre was “getting the itch” to play football in 2008. However, Favre’s agent downplayed the likelihood that the quarterback could un-retire or that he was prepared to report to camp July 28. “As far as I know, right now, Brett Favre is retired and until he tells me something different, that’s what it is,” James “Bus” Cook, Favre’s agent, said. Favre was unavailable for comment. A Packers spokesman said that McCarthy and general manager Ted Thompson were on vacation.

Favre has two years remaining on his contract at an average of about $12.5 million per season. His salary is not currently counting toward the salary cap because the Packers placed him on the reserve-retired list.

If Favre decides that he absolutely wants to play this season, the Packers could be confronted with a sensitive issue. The entire offseason has been spent preparing Aaron Rodgers to play quarterback to the point where “the offensive scheme has evolved” and, psychologically, closing the door on Favre’s legendary 17-year career. If the Packers resist a stronger push by Favre to return, sources speculate that the quarterback could press the team to release him from his contract so that he could seek a job with another team. A league official said that Favre could force a decision by asking the Packers, in writing, to reinstate him to active status. The team would have to comply or release him.

Time will tell if he is coming back, I guess we should know over the next week or so.

I feel the football itch coming on, and all I have to say is E-A-G-L-E-S.

Pace

July 1st starts NBA free agency.  I understand the importance of having free agency, but why would you opt out of a contract to become a free agent?

Elton Brand opted out of a contract that would have paid him $16.4 million dollars this year.  Baron Davis got out a deal that would have paid him $17.8 million.  Why opt out?  It is not like you are going to get a great amount of cash elsewhere.   GREED is the answer.

Brand says he is willing to re-sign with the Clippers, which is the team he just opted out of. If you are willing to stay why opt out?  Why not just work on an extension?

The Sixers and Memphis are the 2 teams this year with money to go after either player.  And the Sixers only have $12.4 to offer this year.

The NBA is so screwed up with these players making so much money.  Should Elton Brand or Baron Davis be getting Kobe money?  Are they even close to his caliber of play?

Great players should get great money, but average players should not turn down $17.8 million a year for more.

Pace

I found this article on a beer website that I visit, and knew some of you would be interested in it.  Looks like the great American Brewery may stay in America.

ST. LOUIS, June 26, 2008 - Anheuser-Busch Cos. Inc. (NYSE: BUD), a leading global brewer, today announced that its board of directors has unanimously determined that the unsolicited, non-binding proposal by InBev (Euronext: INB) to acquire all outstanding shares of Anheuser-Busch for $65 per share is financially inadequate and not in the best interests of Anheuser Busch shareholders.

“InBev’s proposal significantly undervalues the unique assets and prospects of Anheuser Busch,” said Patrick Stokes, chairman of the board for the company. “The proposed price does not reflect the strength of Anheuser-Busch’s global, iconic brands Bud Light and Budweiser, the top two selling beer brands in the world, with Budweiser selling in more than 80 countries today. The proposal also undervalues the earnings growth actions that the company had already planned, which have significant potential for shareholder value creation; the company’s market position in the United States, the most-profitable beer market in the world; and the high value of its existing strategic investments.”

The board thoroughly studied the proposal with independent financial and legal advisers on multiple occasions during the two-week period since the proposal was made, and the board’s independent directors also met alone to fully examine its merits.

“The InBev proposal fails to be competitive with alternative plans the company has developed in recent months to generate significant top-line and bottom-line growth, which will increase value for the company’s shareholders,” said Douglas A. Warner III, the board’s lead independent director. “The board will continue to consider all opportunities that build shareholder value.”

The board communicated its decision in a letter sent from August A. Busch IV, president and chief executive officer of Anheuser-Busch to Carlos Brito, chief executive officer of InBev. Full text of the letter follows:

June 26, 2008

* Mr. Carlos Brito
* Chief Executive Officer
* InBev nv/sa
* Brouwerijplein 1
* 3000 Leuven
* Belgium

Dear Carlos,

This is to provide you with a response from the Anheuser-Busch board of directors to your unsolicited and non-binding proposal submitted June 11th.

First, let me express our appreciation for your public comments about your high regard for Anheuser-Busch, its employees, leadership and wholesalers, remarking on the success of our company in building iconic brands and the independence of its board of directors.

We have noted that your letter is expressly not an offer, but only a non-binding proposal. Notwithstanding the non-binding nature of your proposal, the Anheuser-Busch board carefully and thoroughly examined all aspects of your proposal with the assistance of independent advisers.

The board unanimously concluded your proposal is inadequate and not in the best interests of Anheuser-Busch shareholders. In reaching this conclusion, the board considered the advice of its independent financial advisers.

The Anheuser-Busch board believes that your proposed price substantially undervalues Anheuser-Busch, its key assets and its prospects, among them:

* Premier, iconic brands - Anheuser-Busch has built coveted, highly valued brands over the past 150 years. Budweiser and Bud Light are among the top 10 global consumer brands and are supported by valuable marketing properties. Bud Light is the largest selling beer brand in the world and Budweiser is the second-largest. These brands have strong consumer loyalty. Recent change of control acquisitions of other major consumer product companies with iconic brands have been valued at much higher multiples than what you have proposed for Anheuser-Busch shareholders.

* Market leader position - The strength of these brands and the close relationship the company has with its wholesalers have made Anheuser-Busch the U.S. market leader with almost 50 percent share in the world’s most-profitable beer market. In sheer size, the United States is the world’s second-largest beer market and continues to grow.

* Growing international partners - Anheuser-Busch has large, strategic investments in two international brewers in important growth markets. We hold a 50 percent direct and indirect interest in Grupo Modelo, the leading brewer in Mexico, another very profitable beer market. Modelo also has a strong, growing business in the United States. We hold a 27 percent interest in Tsingtao, the leading premium beer and one of the largest brewers in China, which is the largest and fastest-growing beer market in the world.

* Global brand business - Budweiser is a leading global brand, sold in 80 countries around the world, and is the largest-selling beer in Canada. Budweiser is the leading international brand in China, the world’s largest and fastest-growing beer market. We own our Budweiser brewery in India and recently entered Vietnam. We see strong growth for Budweiser in Mexico, Argentina, Paraguay and other Latin American markets.

* Accelerated Earnings Growth - Our company already has developed a detailed, accelerated earnings growth plan that 1.) expands our cost initiative through an enhanced productivity plan that we refer to as the Blue Ocean effort to deliver more than $750 million in savings through 2009 and $1 billion in savings through 2010, while furthering environmental sustainability; 2.) extends the strong revenue growth from our brands that we’ve seen over the past five years; and 3.) drives additional volume growth for core brands through new consumer opportunities and for our successful, higher-margin new products.

Anheuser-Busch’s beer brand building expertise is an asset without comparison. Our brands sell in countries around the world and are sought by consumers everywhere. Our award winning advertising, U.S. and global sponsorships and superior-quality image are second to none.

As you state in your letter, there is limited overlap in our respective businesses. Many of the suggested synergies seem not to be synergies at all, but are instead profit enhancements. We believe that we can deliver similar enhancements to our shareholders independent of a transaction, and have included these enhancements in our accelerated earnings growth plan.

From your standpoint, we see that now could be opportunistic timing for you to make this acquisition, given the weak U.S. dollar and sluggish U.S. stock market. From the standpoint of the Anheuser-Busch shareholder, however, a transaction with InBev at this time would mean foregoing the greater value obtainable from Anheuser-Busch’s strategic growth plan. We are convinced that pursuing our program will enable Anheuser-Busch shareholders, rather than InBev shareholders, to realize the inherent value of Anheuser-Busch.

While Anheuser-Busch pursues its plan, its board will continue to consider any strategic alternative that would be in the best interests of Anheuser-Busch shareholders. The board is open to consider any proposal that would provide full and certain value to Anheuser Busch shareholders.

Our two companies know each other well and have a close dialogue and relationship. This has developed over the years through our joint agreements in the United States, Canada and South Korea and through our exploration of other joint business deals. As you say yourself, you dream big. We respect your desires to grow your company. But your growth should not come at the expense of our stockholders.

Very truly yours,

August A. Busch IV

cc: Board of Directors of InBev nv/sa

About Anheuser-Busch:
Based in St. Louis, Anheuser-Busch is the leading American brewer, holding a 48.5 percent share of U.S. beer sales. The company brews the world’s largest-selling beers, Budweiser and Bud Light. Anheuser-Busch also owns a 50 percent share in Grupo Modelo, Mexico’s leading brewer, and a 27 percent share in China brewer Tsingtao, whose namesake beer brand is the country’s best-selling premium beer. Anheuser-Busch ranked No. 1 among beverage companies in FORTUNE Magazine’s Most Admired U.S. and Global Companies lists in 2008. Anheuser-Busch is one of the largest theme park operators in the United States, is a major manufacturer of aluminum cans and one of the world’s largest recyclers of aluminum cans. For more information, visit www.anheuser-busch.com.

The Knuckleball is a baseball pitch with an erratic, unpredictable motion. The pitch is thrown so as to minimize the spin of the ball in flight. This causes vortices over the stitched seams of the baseball during its trajectory, which in turn can cause the pitch to change direction — and even corkscrew — in mid-flight. This makes the pitch difficult for batters to hit, but also difficult for pitchers to control. The challenge also extends to the catcher, who must at least attempt to catch the pitch, and the umpire, who must determine whether the pitch was a strike or ball.

The pitch was invented by a Phillie named Lew Moren in 1906.

Quotes on the knuckleball

• “You don’t catch a knuckleball, you defend against it.” ? Dodgers manager and former catcher Joe Torre
• “Trying to hit Phil Niekro is like trying to eat Jell-O with chopsticks“. ? All-star outfielder Bobby Murcer
• “I never worry about it. I just take my three swings and go sit on the bench. I’m afraid if I ever think about hitting it, I’ll mess up my swing for life.” ? All-star first baseman Dick Allen
• “I always thought the knuckleball was the easiest pitch to catch. Wait’l it stops rolling, then go to the backstop and pick it up.” ? broadcaster and former catcher Bob Uecker
• “There are two theories on hitting a knuckleball. Unfortunately, neither of them works.” ? famed hitting coach Charlie Lau
• “You know, catching the knuckleball, it’s like trying to catch a fly with a chopstick.” ? catcher Jason Varitek
• “If it’s high, let it fly. If it’s low, let it go.” ?Common saying describing how to approach hitting the knuckleball.
• “Throwing a knuckleball for a strike is like throwing a butterfly with hiccups across the street into your neighbor’s mailbox.” ? Hall of Famer Willie Stargell
• “For a knuckleballer, a pitch count of 150 is not a problem. Unless it’s the first inning.” ? Dave Clark
• “Like some cult religion that barely survives, there has always been at least one but rarely more than five or six devotees throwing the knuckleball in the big leagues… Not only can’t pitchers control it, hitters can’t hit it, catchers can’t catch it, coaches can’t coach it, and most pitchers can’t learn it. The perfect pitch.” ? Ron Luciano, former AL umpire
• “Hitting Niekro’s knuckleball is like eating soup with a fork.” ? Richie Hebner
• “You’re not expected to hit it. [I am] expected to catch it.” ? John Flaherty summing up his day catching Tim Wakefield in a spring training game against the Twins by relaying a comment made by fellow catcher Mike Redmond. Flaherty retired the next day.
• “Knuckleballs suck.” ? Geno Petralli after giving up four passed balls in one inning

Try these if you are looking for something a little different.

Black Velvet - A classic drink originating from late 19th century England.
Ingredients - 3/4 champagne or ginger ale 1/4 dark stout beer (ex Guniness)

Boilermaker - A drink made popular by the many industrial workers.
Ingredients -1 glass of beer 1 shot of whiskey The shot can be either poured into the beer or chased by the beer

Depth Charge - The cousin of the boilermaker. The difference is that the shot (glass with whiskey) is actually dropped into the beer then consumed.
Ingredients - 1 glass of beer 1 shot of whiskey Pour the beer then pour the whiskey into the glass. Drop the glass into the beer and drink.

Hefemosa - Similar to the champagne mosa you would drink with a Sunday brunch only with a white wheat beer (hefeweizen) taking the place of the bubbly.
Ingredients - 3/4 glass of white wheat beer 1/4 glass of champagne or sparkling wine

Raspberry Stout - For those of you with a sweat tooth this dark giant should do the trick.
Ingredients - 1 glass of dark stout (ex Guniess) 2 table spoons of raspberry syrup

Broadway - A very carbonated blast of beer and cola. 1/2 beer 1/2 cola Snakebite- With the popularity of cider on the rise many folks should give this one a try.
Ingredients - 1/2 woodpecker cider 1/2 dark stout

Black Pecker - With the popularity of cider on the rise many folks should give this one a try.
Ingredients - 1/2 woodpecker cider 1/2 dark stout

Woodruff Berliner Weisse - A beautiful eye catching green drink. If you can find the woodruff syrup( aka Waldmeister) give this tasty drink a chance. 1 glass of white wheat beer 2 shots of woodruff syrup.

The Woodruff Berliner Weisse is very good, I had it this weekend at Nodding Head.

Pace.

George Carlin passed away last night in Santa Monica Ca. Carlin died from heart failure.

Carlin, who had a history of heart and drug-dependency problems, died at Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica about 6 p.m. PDT (9 p.m. EDT) after being admitted earlier in the afternoon for chest pains, spokesman Jeff Abraham told Reuters.

Known for his edgy, provocative material developed over 50 years, the bald, bearded Carlin achieved status as an anti-Establishment icon in the 1970s with stand-up bits full of drug references and a routine called “Seven Words You Can Never Say On Television.” A regulatory battle over a radio broadcast of the routine ultimately reached the U.S. Supreme Court.

In the 1978 case, Federal Communications Commission vs. Pacifica Foundation, the top U.S. court ruled that the words cited in Carlin’s routine were indecent, and that the government’s broadcast regulator could ban them from being aired at times when children might be listening.

The Grammy-winning Carlin remained an active presence on the comedy circuit. Carlin was scheduled to receive the John F. Kennedy Center’s prestigious Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in November and his publicist said Carlin performed in Las Vegas this month.

His comedic sensibility revolved around a central theme: humanity is a cursed, doomed species.

“I don’t have any beliefs or allegiances. I don’t believe in this country, I don’t believe in religion, or a god, and I don’t believe in all these man-made institutional ideas,” he told Reuters in a 2001 interview.

Carlin told Playboy in 2005 that he looked forward to an afterlife where he could watch the decline of civilization on a “heavenly CNN.”

“The world is a big theater-in-the round as far as I’m concerned, and I’d love to watch it spin itself into oblivion,” he said. “Tune in and watch the human adventure.”

Carlin wrote three best-selling books, won four Grammy Awards, recorded 22 comedy albums, headlined 14 HBO television specials, and hosted hundreds of variety shows. One was the first episode of “Saturday Night Live” in 1975, when he was high on cocaine.

Drug addiction plagued him for much of his life, beginning with marijuana experimentation as a teen, graduating to cocaine in the 1970s, and then to prescription painkillers and wine. During the cocaine years, Carlin ignored his finances and ended up owing about $3 million in back taxes. In 2004, he entered a Los Angeles rehab clinic for his alcohol and Vicodin abuse.

George Carlin Facts