Incredible Technologies and Betson Enterprises Form Sales Alliance

(July 17, 2008 - Arlington Heights, IL)  Incredible Technologies, the maker of the highly successful Golden Tee franchise, and Betson Enterprises have entered into a mutually beneficial agreement to work together beginning immediately.  Betson Enterprises will distribute the entire Incredible Technologies line throughout its nationwide network of 11 distribution centers.

Beam Champions Those With "The Stuff Inside"

Deerfield, Ill. - June 26, 2008 - Integrity and character now have corporate sponsorship with Beam Global Spirits & Wine, Inc. [Fortune Brands, Inc. (NYSE: FO)], a global leader in premium spirits, and Jim Beam®, the world's number one selling bourbon.  Jim Beam has turned conventional marketing on its head by linking the quality of what's inside its bottle to the positive qualities and attributes of selected individuals and organizations that personify "The Stuff Inside" (TheStuffInside.com). 

Bennigan's Owner In Crucial Credit Talks

Source: WSJ

By JEFFREY MCCRACKEN

June 4, 2008; Page B1

The owner of national casual-dining chains Bennigan's, Ponderosa and Steak and Ale is in talks with its major lender GE Capital Solutions in an effort to stave off a possible bankruptcy filing, say three people familiar with the matter.

InBev Sends Second Letter to Anheuser-Busch Board of Directors

BRUSSELS, Belgium, June 15 /PRNewswire/ -- InBev (Euronext: INB) today reaffirmed and clarified certain aspects of its proposal to combine with Anheuser-Busch Cos. Inc. (NYSE:BUD) to form the world's leading global brewer in a letter sent to August A. Busch IV, president and chief executive, and the Anheuser-Busch Board of Directors.  In the letter, InBev said that its June 11th proposal to combine Anheuser-Busch and InBev by acquiring all outstanding common shares of Anheuser-Busch for $65 per-share in cash, representing a 35% premium to the unaffected share price, was made on the basis of Anheuser Busch's current assets, business and capital structure.

Industry Leader Dies

David Friedland, chairman of the top beverage alcohol distributor in Nebraska, died on Wednesday, June 11, after a long illness. He was 75.

The son of a wine and spirits retailer, Friedland started to work in the beverage industry in 1955 with Seagram Distillers in New York.  A year later he returned to Chicago to work for Brown Vintners, the Seagram Import Co., and later joined the Munson Shaw Co.

Tabasco Sponsors 2008 Ultimate Bloody Mary Challenge

The spices will fly at The Ultimate Bloody Mary Challenge July 18, 2008, at House of Blues in New Orleans.  Sponsored by McIlhenny Co., manufacturer of world famous TABASCO brand Pepper Sauce Products, Uluvka Vodka and USBG, the competition to showcase the best Bloody Mary recipes in the world is a featured event of the five-day culinary and cocktail festival Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans.

Nominations Open for 2nd Annual Craft Beer Distributor of the Year Award 

(Alexandria, VA) - The National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA) and the Brewers Association (BA) are seeking nominations for the 2nd Annual Craft Beer Distributor of the Year award.  The award recognizes an American beer distributor who actively markets, sells and promotes craft beer.  The award will be presented October 11 at the Great American Beer Festival, hosted by the BA, in Denver, Colorado.

InBev Close to Financing for Anheuser Bid

Source: Reuters

02/06/2008

Belgium's InBev NV is close to securing a $50 billion financing package to enable it to launch a takeover bid for Anheuser-Busch Cos Inc, maker of Budweiser beer, the Sunday Telegraph reported.

The paper said InBev, the world's second-biggest brewer, had held talks with banks JP Morgan, Santander, BNP Paribas and Merrill Lynch about a financing package.

Once it has guarantees from the banks, InBev could write a formal letter to Anheuser-Busch's board, a move expected as early as this week, the paper said, quoting market sources.

No-one at InBev could immediately be reached for comment.

A source familiar with the situation said last week InBev was still considering whether to bid for the U.S. brewer and had not yet begun merger talks.

The Sunday Times, however, reported Anheuser-Busch had already pulled in a top defense team, hiring investment banks Goldman Sachs and Citigroup to fend off takeover interest from InBev.

The Busch family has a stake of around 3.5 percent in Anheuser but exerts a strong influence over directors. Both former boss August Busch III and his son, chief executive August Busch IV, have said they will not sell.

Sky Ranch Hall of Fame 

The Sky Ranch Foundation has announced that it will hold its 17th annual Hall of Fame dinner on Sunday, June 8, 2008 at the Coconut Grove DoubleTree Hotel in Miami, Florida. The event is being held in conjunction with the annual leadership conference of WAABI (World Association of the Alcohol Beverage Industries, inc). The dinner will honor individuals whose personal and business achievements have made an important contribution to the united efforts of the alcohol beverage industry to provide quality care for the troubled teens at Sky Ranch for Boys.
 

Heineken USA Opens Regional Headquarters in Chicago Area 

Heineken USA has announced the opening of its new central regional business unit office in Downers Grove in the Chicago area. The new office, which builds on the company's recent success in the central region of the country, will support a 30-person team responsible for managing the Heineken USA portfolio in critical sales market areas such as Chicago, St. Louis, Minneapolis and Indianapolis.

Distributors Celebrate 75th Anniversary of Modern Beer Distribution System

April 7, 2008 marked 75 years of a legal, safe and regulated beer industry in America. 2008 marks the 75th anniversary of the repeal of Prohibition and on Monday, April 7, 1933, before Prohibition was officially repealed in December, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed a law, which legalized beer with an alcohol-by-volume percentage of 3.2, thus making beer the first alcohol beverage legally re-enter the marketplace legally.

Belvedere Vodka's 'Music Loves Fashion' 

Belvedere Vodka presents "Music Loves Fashion" Coachella '08: A series of VIP events during the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival 2008. The events will be held at the historic Horizon Hotel in Palm Springs, Calif., April 25-27 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., hosted by Flaunt Magazine.

Free The Hops

Things got a bit political at the J. Clyde bar in Birmingham, Ala., this past winter, and the icy attitude towards the current beer laws doesn’t look like it’s going to be letting up anytime soon.

Tour de Champagne

Lance Armstrong sipped champagne while cycling around the Champs-Élysées. He did so seven times, as a matter of fact, because that’s what happens when you win the Tour de France seven times. Only a few people will ever know what that’s like, but don’t despair. There’s another tour that almost anyone can take part in, and it’s right here in America. 

Doctor's Orders

Rochester, New York, has been an entertainment hotspot since the days of Cab Calloway. Foreigner wrote "Rev On The Red Light" about cruising down Lake Avenue. But Enogh FYI trivia about Rochester. At The Dr.'s Inn there, they work hard to make their patrons feel entertained and to fell like regulars.

Nightclub & Bar Goes "e"