Missouri Gov. against sale of Anheuser-Busch

NEW YORK Belgian brewer InBev’s offer to buy St. Louis-based Anheuser-Busch has generated strong opposition from government authorities in St. Louis and the state of Missouri.

InBev submitted an unsolicited bid Wednesday to buy the company for $65 a share, or $46.3 billion.

“I am strongly opposed to the sale of Anheuser-Busch and today’s offer to purchase the company is deeply troubling to me,” Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt said in a statement Wednesday.

Blunt said that he planned to explore “every option and any opportunity” to keep America’s largest brewer in St. Louis, but conceded that there was no immediate tool available at the state level to block it.

City officials in St. Louis also plan to write to Anheuser-Busch shareholders to persuade them to reject the deal.

Founded in 1852 as the Bavarian Brewery, Anheuser-Busch manufactures and markets the Budweiser and Michelob lines of beer, as well as Bacardi Silver specialty drinks. It also imports beers such as Boddingtons Pub Ale, Grolsch and Tiger Beer.