It had to happen . August Busch IV today formally departed from the board of Anheuser-Busch InBev following the election of new board members at the brewer's annual shareholders' meeting in Brussels. August had already announced in March that he would not seek re-election for "personal and health reasons" after the tragic death of his girlfriend. Yesterday's vote was more of a symbolic gesture. But this marks the first time in over 150 years that a Busch hasn't sat on the Board of Anheuser-Busch, now ABI. Not only that, but there aren't even any Americans on the Board anymore, which is strange given that it's their largest market and 46% of their earnings come from North America. It's a new era to be sure. C'est la vie