Cervecería Bavaria
Bogotá, Bogotá, Colombia · Est. 1889
Tally's Take
Why this matters
The undisputed giant of Colombian beer. Tasting a cold Club Colombia or Aguila is a quintessential rite of passage for any visitor.
The Museum
Timeline
- 2016Absorbed in the SABMiller takeover
Passes to Anheuser-Busch InBev on 10 October 2016, when AB InBev completed its takeover of SABMiller — a roughly $79bn deal that reshaped brewing on four continents in a single transaction. As part of the same transaction AB InBev transferred SABMiller's Panama business to Ambev in exchange for Ambev's businesses in Colombia, Peru and Ecuador, so this brewery sits under Ambev within the AB InBev group rather than being held directly. Source: AB InBev 20-F, FY2016.
The Beer Library
Beers
Aguila
Year-RoundPale Lager
German immigrant Leo Kopp built Bavaria into Colombia's dominant brewer starting in 1889, and Aguila — 'Eagle' — launched from the coastal city of Barranquilla in 1913. Over a century later it's still the country's best-selling beer, made by a company whose founder never lived to see just how big it got.
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How it changed hands
1 recorded move- 1889Founded
- 2016Absorbed in the SABMiller takeover
Passes to Anheuser-Busch InBev on 10 October 2016, when AB InBev completed its takeover of SABMiller — a roughly $79bn deal that reshaped brewing on four continents in a single transaction. As part of the same transaction AB InBev transferred SABMiller's Panama business to Ambev in exchange for Ambev's businesses in Colombia, Peru and Ecuador, so this brewery sits under Ambev within the AB InBev group rather than being held directly. Source: AB InBev 20-F, FY2016.
Today the chain tops out at Anheuser-Busch InBev.
Show your working
Sources
- controlConfirmed
Cervecería Bavaria is controlled by Founder / family.
Anheuser-Busch InBev — SEC filing · U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission · 2026-02
PrimaryHigh reliabilityAccessed 2026-08-05Reviewed 2026-08-05
Only the claims above are sourced. Everything else on this page is the archive's own research and has not yet been tied to a document — which is worth knowing rather than hiding.
Straight answers
Common questions about Cervecería Bavaria
- Who owns Cervecería Bavaria?
- Cervecería Bavaria is owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev. Cervecería Bavaria is based in Bogotá, Bogotá, Colombia.
- Is Cervecería Bavaria still independent?
- No. Cervecería Bavaria is owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev and is no longer independent.
- When was Cervecería Bavaria acquired?
- 2016. Passes to Anheuser-Busch InBev on 10 October 2016, when AB InBev completed its takeover of SABMiller — a roughly $79bn deal that reshaped brewing on four continents in a single transaction. As part of the same transaction AB InBev transferred SABMiller's Panama business to Ambev in exchange for Ambev's businesses in Colombia, Peru and Ecuador, so this brewery sits under Ambev within the AB InBev group rather than being held directly. Source: AB InBev 20-F, FY2016.
- When was Cervecería Bavaria founded?
- Cervecería Bavaria was founded in 1889 in Bogotá, Bogotá, Colombia.
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