it is most definitely made by anheuser-busch and developed by anheuser-busch. jimmy buffet probably told them he wanted an "island lager" (corona-style, but with island in the name) and they worked everything out ,then he might've given it his approval. the recipe for the beer itself was modified from another anheuser-busch beer that was very highly rated by people who tried it, but for some reason never caught on (michelob golden draft).
they also spent quite a bit of extra money in engineering because of the new bottle being 1/2" taller and having thicker glass. i'd go into the details, but it's boring. i think it's a pretty good beer, but it seems like it varies from bar to bar. i assume that's because of the clear glass and different bars storing it differently and for different lengths of time (should be stored in the dark).
by the way, jimmy buffet went on a tour last week of the brewery here. he's very short.
