New beers, transport costs dent AB InBev earnings

BRUSSELS, July 31 (Reuters) - Anheuser-Busch InBev, the world's largest brewer, fell short of earnings expectations in the second quarter due to the expense of marketing new U.S. brands and higher transport costs there and in Brazil.

The maker of Budweiser, Stella Artois and Beck's, on Tuesday reported a 2.5 percent like-for-like rise in core profit (EBITDA) in April-June to $3.59 billion, below the average $3.74 billion in a Reuters poll.