In business, mergers and acquisitions happen all the time. But the Belgian brewer InBev’s takeover of Budweiser is unsettling because Bud is such an iconic American brand.

InBev seems pretty confident that the hefty offering price of 52 billion (anemic dollars) will be more than offset by leveraging the brand into profits from emerging markets, profits American ownership will never see.

While job cuts were coming anyway, look for a shake-up in management and the shedding of white collars as well.

Bud. It bills itself the ‘King of Beers’ and ‘The Great American Lager’. It conjures up images distinctly U.S. of A.: football, baseball, stock car racing and hot summer barbeques. Often, a pretty young woman would peer out from a poster to offer us a cold one with a smile– obvious and adolescent, but effective. The marketing department would still have us imagine these things, but they just won’t quite be the same.

Almost forget. Those white-legged Clydesdales, pulling the beer wagon? They were cool.

FYI. Vaarwel means ‘farewell’ in a melancholy sort of way.