Brewer Anheuser-Busch is said to be in preliminary merger talks with Belgian brewer InBev, according to a report in a Brazilian business daily Valor Economico.
A source close to top InBev investors Marcel Hermann Telles, Carlos Alberto Sicupira and Jorge Paulo Lemann said the two companies have held preliminary talks about a union, the report said.
The trio were behind the $11 billion merger between Brazilian brewer Companhia de Bebidas das Americas, or AmBev, and Interbrew. That deal created InBev in 2004.
Last November, Anheuser-Busch become the exclusive importer of a number of InBev's European brands, including Stella Artois, Beck's and Bass Pale Ale.
InBev's shares rose more than 5% on the report, and sparked a rally in the European brewing sector.