BOUDLER, CO – Bob Pease, CEO of the Brewers Association (BA), released the following statement regarding the announcement that Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev) and SABMiller had agreed to terms under which AB InBev would acquire SABMiller:

“The Brewers Association, the national trade association for America’s more than 4,000 small and independent breweries, is carefully reviewing the terms of the acquisition announced today by AB InBev and SABMiller, and, in the days ahead, we would urge the Congress and the Department of Justice to closely examine the potential effects on the U.S. marketplace and American consumers of this proposed deal.

“The size and scope of the AB InBev business has many ramifications for the U.S. beer industry, even with the divestiture of the MillerCoors joint venture. The most obvious is that AB InBev is still by far the largest brewer and beer distributor in the United States. It is vital for the continued success of small brewers that we have access to market with an independent and competitive middle distribution tier.

“Over time, AB InBev will have significant new global revenues to invest in the United States if it chooses to do so as a result of this acquisition. The MillerCoors operation will undergo significant changes. AB InBev’s new international footprint and scale give the company greater influence over commodities used in brewing and many other facets of the beer industry that could affect competition in the U.S. market.

“All of these issues—and their potential effect on small brewers, the broader industry and U.S. beer drinkers—must be carefully weighed and scrutinized by antitrust authorities.”

In late October, U.S. Senators Mike Lee (R-UT) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), the chairman and ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy, and Consumer Rights, announced the committee is planning to hold a hearing that will examine how the proposed merger of AB InBev and SABMiller would impact U.S. competition and consumers.