A Bird in the Busch

You know that old saying: A bird in the hand is worth more than a bird in the bush. Now, Anheuser-Busch is firmly in the hands of foreign owners--and America’s favorite beer bird has flown away. Beer drinkers are up in arms. Hey Buddy: this is Bubba’s beer--an icon of American, middle-class male pride. Who doesn’t enjoy quaffing a Bud or two at college football games, or at home, camped out in front of the TV? If you ask most guys, they will tell you: it ain’t a game without a Bud.

Of course, Budweiser is not going anywhere. The brand will still be around, but it may lose some of its brand essence--the secret sauce the adds magic to the product. Bud is as American as apple pie--and we want our apple pie baked right here in America, not in some foreign country, like France [where it would be tarte aux pomme--that ain't apple pie]. Loyal fans will probably still drink the brew. After all, they have had more than 100 years to build up a taste for it [and we all know that guys are creatures of habit].

With the dollar at its lowest value ever against many foreign currencies, firms in Europe and Asia are rushing in to scoop up American companies, real estate and whatever else they can get their hands on--at [relatively] cheap prices. Last week, InBev, a Belgian brewing company bought Anheuser-Busch for about $52 billion in cash, making InBev the world’s biggest brewer. The name will change to Anheuser-Busch InBev, as a consolation for Americans.

In case you haven’t heard, the Chrysler Builder in Manhattan--an architectural icon--was just scooped up by the Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund, and a Dubai fund recently paid $2.8 billion for the General Motors Building. Abu Dhabi also took a $7.5 billion stake in Citibank a few months ago.

What’s next? Don’t be surprised if you hear that some fund in Outer Mongolia is buying Yankee Stadium or the Brooklyn Bridge--or Philadelphia.

--Diva