Mahou-San Miguel could invest as much as $300 million in Anchor Brewers, the San Francisco-based owner of Anchor Steam beer, the people said, asking not to be identified because the deliberations are private. No decision has been made and Madrid- based Mahou could still decide against the purchase and look for other opportunities to grow in the U.S., the people said.
A spokeswoman for Mahou-San Miguel said the company has an interest in expanding in the craftbeer market in the U.S. as shown by its acquisition of a 30 per cent stake in Grand Rapids, Michigan-based Founders Brewing Co. last year. She declined to comment on a possible investment in Anchor. Representatives for Anchor didn’t immediately comment when contacted by Bloomberg News.
Mahou-San Miguel is also among possible bidders for SABMiller’s European beer brands Peroni and Grolsch, people familiar with the matter have said. Selling the SABMiller assets, which include Meantime, would smooth AB InBev’s takeover of the brewer by helping to clear antitrust hurdles in Europe. AB InBev is selling assets around the globe to head off potential regulatory issues for the 73 billion-pound ($109 billion) deal, dubbed “Megabrew,” that would combine the world’s two largest brewers.
Craft beer brands in the U.S. and U.K. have become coveted assets as growth in mainstream suds has ebbed. Budweiser maker Anheuser-Busch InBev NV has acquired three independent brewers in just the past week, while Dutch brewer Heineken NV purchased a 50 percent stake in California craft brewer Lagunitas in September. London’s Meantime Brewing Co., bought by SABMiller Plc in May, is up for sale.
