Stella!

If you've been having trouble getting a Stella Artois, Bass, Beck's or other beer made by Belgium's InBev SA, you're not alone.

Since Anheuser-Busch became the exclusive U.S. importer of 19 InBev brands in February it has run into all sorts of distribution problems.

As The Wall Street Journal reported:

"At the root of the supply problem are the complicated rules of the U.S. beer business. Under a U.S. law dating to the end of Prohibition in the 1930s, brewers generally must sell their beers through wholesalers, who distribute to bars, restaurants and retailers. Anheuser ... is known for its vast network of distributors, many working exclusively for Anheuser. Anheuser had acquired the right to import InBev beers, but which companies would distribute them in the U.S. remained to be nailed down."

The Journal quoted Dave Peacock, an A-B executive, as saying his company and InBev are working "to accelerate deliveries" to the U.S. "and have taken multiple steps to relieve the delays as quickly as possible."

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