Anheuser-Busch closing Merrimack, New Hampshire brewery
Anheuser-Busch is closing its plant and event center in Merrimack, New Hampshire as the company says it aims to modernize U.S. manufacturing operations.
The New Hampshire brewery, which is located on Daniel Webster Highway in Merrimack, will close in early 2026.
Anheuser-Busch plants closing
An Anheuser-Busch spokesperson said that in addition to closing the Merrimack plant, the company is selling its Newark, New Jersey facility to the Goodman Group and closing its another facility in Fairfield, Calif.
The 475 full-time employees who work at the facilities in Merrimack, Newark and Fairfield will be offered full-time roles at other Anheuser-Busch plants around the country.
Employees that do not accept transfer offers will be provided severance packages and other resources.
The Merrimack facility included tours that show visitors how Budweiser is made. It also was a popular destination for its holiday light display and Christmas market.
Until 2019, Budweiser's signature Clydesdale horses trained in Merrimack. That year, they were relocated to Warm Springs Ranch in Missouri.
The Anheuser-Busch spokesperson said that in the last five years, Anheuser-Busch as "taken steps to update and modernize our U.S. manufacturing operations, investing nearly $2 billion in our 100 facilities across the country."
In 2024, Anheuser-Busch notified Massachusetts that it would lay off nearly 200 workers at a Medford facility.
Bud Light sales
Bud Light was for years America's best-selling beer, but Anheuser-Busch lost that title in 2023. The company suffered a 23% percent drop from the year before and Modelo Especial took the No. 1 spot.
The drop in sales came amid backlash from a promotional campaign with TikTok star Dylan Mulvaney, a trans rights activist and actress, that sparked an uproar among many conservatives. When the company attempted to distance itself from the ad campaign, it caused backlash from the LGBTQ+ community.
Anheuser-Busch InBev's U.S. chief marketing officer stepped down following the controversy.