Back in February, Carlos Brito, chief executive of brewing giant InBev NV, summarized his business philosophy in a talk at Stanford's business school, his alma mater. "To dream big or dream small takes the same amount of energy," he said. "So why not stretch a little bit?"

InBev is stretching plenty with its $46.35 billion unsolicited bid for legendary American brewer Anheuser-Busch Cos. But the gambit is in keeping with the aggressive corporate culture built by Mr. Brito and the coterie of Brazilians who dominate InBev. InBev is counting on the deal to give it access to the U.S. market ...