Anheuser Busch Companies (BUD)

[FUNMAN]

A-B initiative to add solar panels, other investments in acquired craft breweries
By Lisa Brown St. Louis Post-Dispatch 1 hr ago

Anheuser-Busch plans to invest millions of dollars in the craft breweries it has acquired around the country and their communities, including the addition of solar panels and education programs.

Craft breweries A-B has acquired will receive at least $2 million to help organizations of their choice in their communities, the brewer said.

Anhesuer-Busch, the St. Louis-based North American headquarters for A-B InBev, announced the new initiative, dubbed 'Elevate,' Tuesday morning.

Elevate is a part of the brewer's High End division that includes multiple craft breweries acquired since 2011, including Goose Island, Blue Point Brewing Company, 10 Barrel Brewing, Elysian Brewing Company, Golden Road Brewing and Wicked Weed Brewing.

“Best consumed by” date coding will be added next year on all craft beer brands A-B has acquired. Other A-B brands including Bud Light and Budweiser already have "best consumed by" dates on its packaging, which replaced "born on dates" to denote when the beer was brewed.

Additionally, all of A-B's acquired craft breweries will have solar panels installed to power their facilities by 2020, the brewer said, as part of a commitment to shift to 100 percent solar and wind renewable electricity and reduction of water usage by 20 percent.

The Elevate effort also includes plans to add education programs to improve knowledge in the industry about glassware and presentation, and pairing beer and food experiences, A-B said.

"Each craft partner will host open-door quality assurance and safety seminars for craft breweries in our communities to make our industry safer and better," A-B said in a statement."

The announcement comes amid criticism of A-B following its acquisitions. The Brewers Association, a Colorado-based industry trade group, recently rolled out a label logo for craft beers. The Brewers Association defines craft brewers as independent, traditional brewers that produce 6 million barrels of beer annually or less.

In October, the Brewers Association launched a tongue-in-cheek “takeover” campaign to try to buy A-B as a means to raise awareness among consumers to help distinguish small and financially independent craft brewers from big brewers.