Early morning on July 14, 2008 will forever go down in [beer] history as the day the greatest corporate world beer “independence” battle ended.

The self-proclaimed [American] “King Of Beers” has been dethroned. As of this past Monday, Budweiser brewer Anheuser-Busch is now under the dictatorship of Belgium based beer company, InBev.

“The King of Beers will have to pledge allegiance to a new European-Latin American master,” said British trade publication Just-Drinks.

The $52-billion merger will create the world’s largest brewer to be called Anheuser-Busch InBev. Anheuser-Busch shares rose 26% after reports of InBev’s planned bid in May. They gained $5.29, or 8.6%, on Friday and closed up 37 cents at $66.87 on Monday.

This merger marks the end of Anheuser-Busch’s 150-year reign as the largest American owned brewery. As a result, the hypothetical “beer crown” has been seized by long-time Anhueser-Busch rival, Pabst Brewing Company.

Pabst Brewing Company, which owns dozens of beer brands and contracts with MillerCoors LLC to create most of its brews, has now staked its claim as the largest remaining American-owned beer maker.

No longer will Americans raise bottles of Bud to celebrate the nation’s independence. Instead, they will be raising cans of red, white and Blue Ribbon???

Oh, I hope not. Someone gag me now. All I can hope is that the sale of A-B to an international company will result in a [dramatic!] increase in sales for the U.S. craft beer industry. After all, in the crumbling economy of the present, us consumers need to support the small guys more than ever!!!

Many people have asked for my opinion on the merger of InBev and Anhueser-Busch. My response? Well, as for the beer … I could care less. I would rather drink transmission fluid laced with arsonic before so much as touching an Anhueser-Busch product.

Yes, I understand that this makes me sound pretentious and snotty. Frankly, I am not. I do not support gloablization across every spectrum of my life, regardless of the industry.

Quality is a huge factor in my purchasing behavior. Many large corporations make the choice to sacrifice quality for quantity and profit. That is not how I roll.

I would rather pay the premium price for a high-quality beer such as Dogfish Head, than subject my vessel of life to the corn mashed pee-water that is known as Budweisser. Dogfish Head beer is brewed with the freshest, the highest  quality, often locally produced ingredients possible. Every single beer is hand-crafted with love. The beer is brewed in the name of love for the art of beer making.

The only issue I have with the afforementioned merger is that an America has lost a MAJOR domestically owned company. Anhueser-Busch was already cutting American jobs left and right prior to the merger, with intentions to continue. I can only fear what will happen to American jobs and the American economy with one of its major corporations now in the hands of a foreign company.

Please have mercy on us, Belgium. Not all Americans are ignorant, selfish and arrogant!!!

Please allow me to step off my soapbox … Check out what other beer bloggers are saying about this:

• Dr. Beer Love – Beeraucracy
• Lyke 2 Drink – InBev to Own Anheuser-Busch in $52 Billion Deal
• Buttle’s Beer Blog – The Deal is Done
• Beer News – Big Beer News: InBev, Anheuser-Busch finally strike merger deal
• Fermentarium – Checkmate for the King of beers
• Hail the Ale – For All You Do, InBev Bought You
• Hall of Beers – Things are changing, fellahs