On 5/31/2008 8:42 AM Dick Adams ignored two million years of human
evolution to write:

ObPetPeeve:

BELGIUM is the name of a country.

BELGIAN is the adjective used to describe things and people from
BELGIUM.

> Belguim is the Valhalla for beer.

Often, yes. Always, no. There are plenty of dumpy little dive
pubs in Belgium with a limited range on offer.

> IIRC a Belgium
> company owns half of the Ommegang Brewery in
> Cooperstown, NY.

A *BELGIAN* compay, Duvel-Moortgaat, owns both halves of
Ommegang.

> If Busch is sold to a Belgium company,

The talk is of a merger between A-B and a *BELGIAN* company.

> I foresee a
> loss of some executive jobs in StL, but not a loss
> of any jobs on the brewery floor. Bud's suppply
> chain and its distribution network are vital to
> maintaining its market share and they are all a
> function of the StL brewery.

A-B's distribution network also currently markets InBev's
Belgian imports in the USA. It is possible that many other
brands in InBev's range would get sucked in to that network,
to the detriment of the existing importers. Kinda like what
happened with Corona and Gambrinus Co. in Texas.

> If the Belgians started brewing Industrial Light
> lagers in Belgium, the Trappist Monks would burn
> them at the stake.

That would engender far more "Sturm und Drang" than the monks
would ever want to endure. They would simply rest assured in smug
contemplation that their beers are the best. Some are, some aren't
what they were at one time, and at least one, while very good, is
massively overhyped.
--
dgs