Skip to main content

Bud Light maker Anheuser Busch is selling 7 of its better beer brands to Canadian company: Report

Looks like the Bud Light boycott might have had an effect after all

IRVINE, CALIFORNIA – AUGUST 25, 2016: Bud Light Cans in ice bucket. Bud Light is one of the top selling domestic beers in the United States. Steve Cukrov / Adobe Stock

It’s no secret that Anheuser-Busch hasn’t been doing well for the last few months. Particularly Bud Light. We’ve seen all the news stories. The light beer’s sales, mostly due to the recent Dylan Mulvaney controversy, have dipped so far down that it’s not even the most popular beer in America anymore. Sales have been plummeting for months.

Recommended Videos

Now, Modelo (which is owned in the U.S. by Constellation Brands, but by Anheuser-Busch outside the U.S.) has stepped right over Bud Light to take the proverbial beer crown. The Mexican beer brand is now the most popular beer in the U.S. This decline in overall sales has led to job cuts at Bud Light, with the company firing more than 350 people, roughly 2% of its overall workforce. But, while that might be rough for a company that has always seemed to be the leader in American beer, it was just the start.

If you didn’t know it already, Anheuser-Busch has bought up craft breweries like Thanos collecting infinity stones. For a while, it seemed like any time a craft brewery received any type of acclaim, Anheuser-Busch would gobble them up like Pac-Man eating blinking dots.  Big names like Veza Sur, Karbach, Wynwood, and Elysian were added to the Anheuser-Busch Inbev portfolio over the last few decades. But, with a bottom line to deal with, there’s about to be a major shakeup. This means it’s time to unload some of the brands.

Which craft beer labels is the company selling?

According to reports, Anheuser-Busch has decided to sell off a handful of its brands to a company called Tilray Brands. For those unaware, Tilray is the largest cannabis company in the world. By striking a deal with Anheuser-Busch, it will also become the fifth-largest craft brewer and the fifteenth-largest overall brewer in the U.S.

The breweries being sold to Tilray Brands are Breckenridge Brewery, Blue Point Brewing Company, 10 Barrel Brewing Company, Redhook Brewery, Widmer Brothers Brewing, and Square Mile Cider Company. On top of that, it’s also selling off HiBall Energy. The last beer brand included is Shock Top, one of the most popular wheat beers on the U.S. market.

It should be noted that this isn’t Tilray Brands’ first foray into the beer world. It already owns well-known breweries SweetWater Brewing Company, Alpine Beer Company, Green Flash Brewing Company, and Montauk Brewing Company. On top of that, it owns the popular Breckenridge Distillery as well as Happy Flower CBD sparkling non-alcoholic cocktails.

The deal is expected to be finished by the end of 2023, and this leaves us with some lingering questions. Is this the end of Anheuser-Busch’s fire sale, or is there more to come? Is it only a matter of time before Anheuser-Busch decides to unload huge names like Goose Island and Wicked Weed? Will Bud Light turn the corner and gain in popularity again? Will its sales ever come close to what they once were? Are American tastes simply changing, or is it all because of one advertising campaign? There are a lot of questions and not many answers. Hopefully, over the next few months, some of them will be answered. All we know for now is that Tilray Brands is about to become a household name in the beer world.

Christopher Osburn
Christopher Osburn is a food and drinks writer located in the Finger Lakes Region of New York. He's been writing professional
World Whiskey Society is collaborating with Ducks Unlimited on two new whiskeys
World Whiskey Society is partnering with Ducks Unlimited for its new releases
World Whiskey Society

We've often written about releases from the World Whiskey Society. This is because the brand launches unique and interesting whiskeys sourced from all corners of the globe. Its newest releases are no different. That's right, instead of launching one new whiskey, it's dropping a pair of straight bourbons made in collaboration with Ducks Unlimited.
World Whiskey Society and Ducks Unlimited

For those unaware, Ducks Unlimited is a non-profit organization known for conserving North American wetlands, grasslands, and waterfowl habitats.World Whiskey Society is pairing with the organization to launch The Ducks Unlimited Special Edition 10-Year-Old Kentucky Bourbon and The Ducks Unlimited Shotgun.

Read more
These cocktails celebrate bees and their crucial place in the food system
Bees play a vital role in our food system as pollinators
cocktails for the bees 240918 rsh 13869

A cocktail menu for the bees? That's the case at Casa Chi by Chef Richard Sandoval, a lounge in Chicago which brings together flavors from Japan and Peru, which will feature a special menu for Earth Month called Viva Abejas. Running from March 25 to April 22, the menu highlights the important role that bees play in our food ecosystem by acting as pollinators.

The menu uses bee-centric ingredients like orange blossom honey, Alma Finca Orange Liqueur, and blood orange, found in both cocktails and food, and the program is supporting education and initiatives like The World Bee Project. You can get a sneak peek of the kinds of delicious recipes found for Viva Abejas season with the two cocktails shared below.

Read more
The best steaks to cook sous vide for perfect doneness every time
The best steaks for sous vide: Perfect cuts, cooking times, and tips
Chef preparing sous vide steak

Sous vide cooking has taken the guesswork out of making steak. Though I have learned how to make steak over the years, it doesn't mean that I'm not going to use a cheat sheet if it makes the process smoother. I enjoy being able to make a meal without worrying about an overcooked exterior with a raw center or a steak that’s tough and dry. We all know that no matter how nice your family and friends are, you're going to get judged if you mess up the steak meal!

With sous vide, you can achieve perfect doneness every time, but the method is only as good as the steak you choose. Not every cut benefits equally from the slow, controlled water bath. Some steaks emerge from sous vide cooking ultra-tender and full of flavor, while others may not deliver the same mouthwatering results. The secret to getting it right starts at the butcher counter. So, what is the best steak to sous vide in the first place? Let's get into it.
The importance of thickness and marbling

Read more