Beer History Storyline
Brewing Empires and Industry Consolidation
Follow brewery mergers, multinational combinations, major acquisitions, and corporate restructuring from regional consolidation to global brewing groups.
Chronological milestones
Sources and further references are available on each individual event page.
February 9, 1899
Twenty-One Breweries Merge to Form Pittsburgh Brewing Company
March 1906
Three Major Japanese Brewers Combine to Form Dai-Nippon Beer
September 1949
Dai-Nippon Beer Is Divided into Asahi and Nippon Breweries
July 1, 1999
Brahma and Antarctica’s Controlling Shareholders Form AmBev
2002
South African Breweries Acquires Miller to Form SABMiller
August 27, 2004
Interbrew and AmBev Combine to Create InBev
November 18, 2008
InBev Acquires Anheuser-Busch
May 1, 2011
Goose Island Is Acquired by Anheuser-Busch
October 10, 2016
AB InBev Completes Its Acquisition of SABMiller
March 2, 2026
BrewDog Enters Administration and Its Core Assets Are Sold