Shares in Hansen Natural Corp. were up almost 7 percent Friday after the company announced it had signed a distribution and sales deal for its wildly popular Monster Energy drinks with the world’s largest beermaker, Anheuser-Busch Cos.

The St. Louis-based brewer will sell the Corona-based beverage company’s drinks in bars, restaurants and nightclubs, expanding an earlier agreement that covered retailers and liquor stores.

Anheuser-Busch, which controls 48 percent of the U.S. beer market, will manage sales, distribution and promotions for Monster, the companies said Friday in a joint statement.

The beermaker began distributing Hansen drinks including Monster, Lost and Unbound to retailers in last year.

According to the statement, the move will give the Monster drinks a strong presence in the bar market which accounts for about 25 percent of all energy drink sales in the country.

Shares in Hansen surged 6.7 percent ($2.63) to $39.69 in midday trading Friday.