U.S. probes allegations AB InBev seeking to curb craft beer distribution

Why would you think there's anything special about the US and middle men?

The three-tier system was created after the end of prohibition to provide a single point for the control and taxation of alcoholic beverages by the states, the wholesalers (distributors). It also protected the smaller suppliers (breweries) from the bigger ones by requiring that wholesalers be independent from the suppliers, who are independent from the retailers.

However, when you're as big as InBevAB, you essentially own any wholesaler you deal with, since your sales will account for such an overwhelming share of their overall sales.

Many craft breweries can get around this three-tier system by operating their own brewpubs, where they produce and sell their product on the same premises.

I feel like the three-tier system has probably outlived its use and is likely more harmful than beneficial.

Before prohibition, big brewers owned most of the bars and you could only buy their brand. Ken Burn's "prohibition" documentary explains how a single brand of beer owned all the bars for several blocks in a city.

State legislatures had this in mind and adopted the 3 tier system barring producers from controlling distribution and/or owning the bars.

yep, don't people know how Capitalism works? This sort of stuff is perfectly expected, just like the VW cheat. It's a fight for money and there aren't many rules.