Federal regulators are reportedly examining Anheuser-Busch InBev’s recent distribution plays — among them deals in Colorado — because they could harm craft brewers, , citing unnamed sources familiar with the situation.
Caption: FILE – In this Thursday, March 5, 2015 file photo, Budweiser beer cans at a concession stand at McKechnie Field in Bradenton, Florida, USA. Budweiser brewer Anheuser-Busch InBev has raised its takeover bid for SABMiller to 70.4 billion pounds ($108.2 billion) Monday, Oct. 12, 2015 in its latest effort to win backing for its plan to create “the first truly global beer company.” (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)
The news agency that the U.S. Justice Department is reviewing allegations from craft brewers that when AB InBev acquires a distributor, the Belgium-based brewing conglomerate pushes out competing brands. AB InBev, which makes Budweiser and owns hundreds of other beer brands, recently acquired five distributors in three states.
In Colorado, Anheuser-Busch and assumed Standard Sales Co.’s operations in Littleton, Pueblo and Colorado Springs in a swap for two Kentucky wholesale operations. Those moves .
The reported probe comes as AB InBev continues to .
