Misplaced Pages

Latest revision as of 05:28, 7 November 2024

Budweiser

Type	American lager
Manufacturer	Anheuser–Busch
Country of origin	United States
Introduced	1876; 148 years ago (1876) St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
Alcohol by volume	5%, U.S., Netherlands, Thailand, India, Canada, Colombia 4.5% Bottle, Australia 4.5% U.K., Ireland, Australia 3.6% China
Website	budweiser.com

Budweiser (/ˈbʌdwaɪzər/) is an American-style pale lager, a brand of Belgian company AB InBev. Introduced in 1876 by Carl Conrad & Co. of St. Louis, Missouri, Budweiser has become a large selling beer company in the United States. Budweiser is a filtered beer, available on draft and in bottles and cans, made with up to 30% rice in addition to hops and barley malt.

There is an ongoing series of trademark disputes between Anheuser-Busch and the Czech company Budweiser Budvar Brewery over the use of the name. Usually, either Anheuser-Busch or Budweiser Budvar is granted the exclusive use of the Budweiser name in a given market. The Anheuser-Busch lager is available in over 80 countries, but is marketed as "Bud" in areas where Budvar has use of the Budweiser name.

Name origin and dispute

The name Budweiser is a German derivative adjective, meaning "of Budweis". Beer has been brewed in Budweis, Bohemia (now České Budějovice, Czechia) since it was founded in 1265. In 1876, Adolphus Busch and his friend Carl Conrad developed a "Bohemian-style" lager in the United States, inspired after a trip to Bohemia, and produced it in their brewery in St. Louis, Missouri.

Anheuser–Busch has been involved in multiple trademark disputes with the Budweiser Budvar Brewery of České Budějovice over the trademark rights to the name "Budweiser".

In the European Union, except Ireland, Sweden, Finland and Spain, the American beer may only be marketed as Bud, as the Budweiser trademark name is owned solely by the Czech beer maker Budweiser Budvar. In some countries, such as the United Kingdom, both the Budvar and Anheuser–Busch lagers are available under the Budweiser name, though their logos differ.

Marketing

The Budweiser from Budějovice has been called "The Beer of Kings" since the 16th century. Adolphus Busch adapted this slogan to "The King of Beers." This history notwithstanding, Anheuser Busch owns the trademark to these slogans in the United States.

In 1969 AB introduced the Superman-esque advertising character of Bud Man. Bud Man served as one of the inspiration behind several characters including The Simpsons's Duffman.

From 1987 to 1989, Bud Light ran an advertising campaign centered around canine mascot Spuds MacKenzie.

In 2010, the Bud Light brand paid $1 billion for a six-year licensing agreement with the NFL. Budweiser pays $20 million annually for MLB licensing rights.

Budweiser has produced a number of TV advertisements, such as the Budweiser Frogs, lizards impersonating the Budweiser frogs, a campaign built around the phrase "Whassup?", and a team of Clydesdale horses commonly known as the Budweiser Clydesdales.

Budweiser also advertises in motorsports, from Bernie Little's Miss Budweiser hydroplane boat to sponsorship of the Budweiser King Top Fuel Dragster driven by Brandon Bernstein. Anheuser-Busch has sponsored the CART championship. It is the "Official Beer of NHRA" and it was the "Official Beer of NASCAR" from 1998 to 2007. It has sponsored motorsport events such as the Daytona Speedweeks, Budweiser Shootout, Budweiser Duel, Budweiser Pole Award, Budweiser 500, Budweiser 400, Budweiser 300, Budweiser 250, Budweiser 200, and Carolina Pride / Budweiser 200. However, starting in 2016, the focus of A-B's NASCAR sponsorship became its Busch brand.

Budweiser has sponsored NASCAR teams such as Junior Johnson, Hendrick Motorsports, DEI, and Stewart-Haas Racing. Sponsored drivers include Dale Earnhardt Jr. (1999–2007), Kasey Kahne (2008–2010), and Kevin Harvick (2011–2015). In IndyCar, Budweiser sponsored Mario Andretti (1983–1984), Bobby Rahal (1985–1988), Scott Pruett (1989–1992), Roberto Guerrero (1993), Scott Goodyear (1994), Paul Tracy (1995), Christian Fittipaldi (1996–1997), and Richie Hearn (1998–1999).

Between 2003 and 2006, Budweiser was a sponsor of the BMW Williams Formula One team.

Anheuser-Busch has placed Budweiser as an official partner and sponsor of Major League Soccer and Los Angeles Galaxy and was the headline sponsor of the British Basketball League in the 1990s. Anheuser-Busch has also placed Budweiser as an official sponsor of the Premier League and the presenting sponsor of the FA Cup.

In the early 20th century, the company commissioned a play-on-words song called "Under the Anheuser Bush," which was recorded by several early phonograph companies.

In 2009, Anheuser-Busch partnered with popular Chinese video-sharing site Tudou.com for a user-generated online video contest. The contest encouraged users to submit ideas that included ants for a Bud TV spot set to run in February 2010 during Chinese New Year.

In 2010, Budweiser produced an online reality TV series centered around the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa called Bud House, following the lives of 32 international soccer fans (one representing each nation in the World Cup) living together in a house in South Africa.

Anheuser-Busch advertises the Budweiser brand heavily, expending $449 million in 2012 in the United States alone. Presenting Budweiser as the most advertised drink brand in America, and accounted for a third of the company's US marketing budget.

On November 5, 2012, Anheuser-Busch asked Paramount Pictures to obscure or remove the Budweiser logo from the film Flight (2012), directed by Robert Zemeckis and starring Denzel Washington.

In an advertisement titled "Brewed the Hard Way" which aired during Super Bowl XLIX, Budweiser touted itself as "Proudly A Macro Beer", distinguishing it from smaller production craft beers.

In 2016, Beer Park by Budweiser opened on the Las Vegas Strip.

On October 7, 2016, the Budweiser Clydesdales made a special appearance on the Danforth Campus at Washington University in St. Louis ahead of the presidential debate. A special batch beer named Lilly's Lager was exclusively brewed for the occasion.

In December 2020, Budweiser sent personalized bottles of beer to every goalkeeper who Lionel Messi had scored against.

In April 2023, a single Bud Light can was made with the face of trans TikToker Dylan Mulvaney as Budweiser attempted to rebrand its image away from its previous "fratty" image. This has caused a massive drop in sales for the company. In July 2023 Budweiser had dropped from the top-selling beer to 14th place because of the backlash.

Containers and packaging

Containers

Budweiser has been distributed in many sizes and variety of containers. Until the early 1950s, Budweiser was primarily distributed in three packages: kegs, 12 U.S. fl oz (355 mL) bottles and 1 US quart (0.95 L) bottles. Cans were first introduced in 1936. In 1955 August Busch Jr. made a strategic move to expand Budweiser's national brand and distributor presence. Along with this expansion came advances in bottling automation, bottling materials and distribution methods. These advances brought new containers and package designs. As of 2011 Budweiser is distributed in four large container volumes: half-barrel kegs (15.5 US gal; 58.7 L), quarter-barrel kegs (7.75 US gal; 29.3 L), 1/6 barrel kegs (5.17 US gal; 19.6 L) and 5.2 US gallons (20 L) "beer balls". Budweiser produces a variety of cans and bottles ranging from 7–40 US fluid ounces (210–1,180 ml). On August 3, 2011, Anheuser-Busch announced its twelfth can design since 1936, one which emphasizes the bowtie.

Packages are sometimes tailored to local customs and traditions. In St. Mary's County, Maryland, 10 US fl oz (300 ml) fluid ounce cans are the preferred package.

Cans

In an attempt to re-stimulate interest in their beer after the repeal of Prohibition, Budweiser began canning their beer in 1936. This new packaging led to an increase in sales which lasted until the start of World War II in 1939.

Over the years, Budweiser cans have undergone various design changes in response to market conditions and consumer tastes. Since 1936, 12 major can design changes have occurred, not including the temporary special edition designs.

Budweiser cans have traditionally displayed patriotic American symbols, such as eagles and the colors red, white, and blue. In 2011, there was a branding redesign that eliminated some of the traditional imagery. The new design was largely in response to a large decline in sales threatening Budweiser's status as America's best-selling beer. In order to regain the domestic market share that Budweiser had lost, the company tried to update its appearance by giving the can a more contemporary look. The company hoped that the new design will offset the effects that unemployment had on its sales. Although the more modern design was intended for young male Americans, the new design was also part of an attempt to focus on the international market. Budweiser began selling its beer in Russia in 2010, and is currently expanding its operations in China.

The beer

Budweiser is produced using malted barley, rice, water, hops and yeast. The brewing happens in seven steps: milling, mashing, straining, brew kettle, primary fermentation, beechwood lagering and finishing. It is lagered with beechwood chips in the aging vessel. Because the beechwood chips are boiled in sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) for seven hours beforehand, there is little to no flavor contribution from the wood.

The maturation tanks that Anheuser-Busch uses are horizontal, causing flocculation of yeast to occur much more quickly. Anheuser-Busch refers to this process as a secondary fermentation, with the idea being that the chips give the yeast more surface area to rest on. This is combined with a krausening procedure that re-introduces wort into the chip tank, reactivating the fermentation process.

Placing beechwood chips at the bottom of the tank keeps the yeast in suspension longer, giving it more time to reabsorb and process green beer flavors such as acetaldehyde and diacetyl that Anheuser-Busch believes are off-flavors which detract from overall drinkability.

Budweiser and Bud Light are sometimes advertised as vegan beers, in that their ingredients and conditioning do not use animal by-products. Some people object to the inclusion of genetically engineered rice and animal products used in the brewing process. In July 2006, Anheuser-Busch brewed a version of Budweiser with organic rice for sale in Mexico. It has yet to extend this practice to any other countries.

Budweiser brands

In addition to the regular Budweiser, Anheuser-Busch brews several different beers under the Budweiser brand, including Bud Light, Bud Ice, and Bud Light Lime.

In July 2010, Anheuser-Busch launched Budweiser 66 in the United Kingdom. Budweiser Brew No.66 has 4% alcohol by volume, and is brewed and distributed in the UK by Inbev UK Limited.

In 2020, Budweiser introduced Bud Light Seltzer. In August 2020, Bud Light Seltzers added grapefruit, cranberry and pineapple flavors, to its original offerings of black cherry, mango, lemon lime and strawberry. In October 2020, Bud Light Seltzers added Apple Crisp, Peppermint Pattie, and Gingersnap, with the cans sporting "ugly sweater" designs.

In July 2020, Budweiser introduced Bud Zero, its first alcohol-free low-calorie beer. It has zero sugar, zero alcohol, and 50 calories.

Temporary "America" labeling

On May 10, 2016, Advertising Age reported that the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau had approved new Budweiser labels to be used on 12-ounce cans and bottles from May 23 until the November elections. The name "Budweiser" was changed to "America". Much of the text on the packaging was replaced with patriotic American slogans, such as E pluribus unum and "Liberty & Justice For All".

International production

Budweiser is licensed, produced and distributed in Canada by Labatt Brewing Company (also owned by AB InBev). Of the 15 Anheuser-Busch breweries outside of the United States, 14 of them are positioned in China. Budweiser is the fourth leading brand in the Chinese beer market.

See also

• Beer Wars (2009), documentary film about the American beer industry
• Ulterior Emotions (2002) – an album released by Anheuser Busch as part of their "Bud Light Institute" campaign

References

1. Brown, Lisa (October 11, 2016). "A-B InBev finalizes $100B billion acquisition of SABMiller, creating world's largest beer company". Chicago Tribune. Chicago. Archived from the original on November 15, 2019. Retrieved January 29, 2017.
2. Lockhart, Bill; et al. (2006). "Carl Conrad & Co. – The Original American Budweiser" (PDF). Society for Historical Archeology. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 22, 2015. Retrieved May 30, 2015.
3. Protz, R., The Complete Guide to World Beer (2004), ISBN 1-84442-865-6.
4. "History of the brewery". Budějovický Budvar, n.p. Archived from the original on December 6, 2017. Retrieved December 6, 2017.
5. Carey, Susan; Kiviniemi, Peppi (July 29, 2010). "EU Rejects Appeal for Bud Trademark". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on February 1, 2022. Retrieved August 12, 2017.
6. Případ uzavřen: Značka Budweiser v EU patří do Českých Budějovic, rozhodl soud Archived August 1, 2010, at the Wayback Machine (in Czech)
7. "Results for "budweiser"". TESCO. Archived from the original on May 13, 2021. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
8. "GAMHOF Adolphus Busch Biography". GAMHOF – German-American Hall of Fame. 2008. Archived from the original on May 4, 2011. Retrieved April 14, 2010.
9. McGrath Goodman, Leah (November 3, 2016). "Budweiser's Battle for Beer Market Dominance Hinges on the U.S." Newsweek. Archived from the original on May 7, 2017. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
10. Manning, Rob (June 4, 2002). "The King of Beers vs. the Beer of Kings". Willamette Week. Portland, Oregon. Archived from the original on February 17, 2017. Retrieved February 16, 2017.
11. "Budweiser Bud Man - Guide to Value, Marks, History | WorthPoint Dictionary". Archived from the original on November 21, 2022. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
12. Taylor, Kate. "Bud Light just revived its most controversial mascot of all time". Business Insider. Archived from the original on June 5, 2020. Retrieved June 5, 2020.
13. ^ "Beer – global sponsorship analysis". imrpublications.com. IMR Publications. n.d. Archived from the original on April 1, 2017. Retrieved March 31, 2017. In 2010, eyebrows were raised when Bud Light paid a record breaking $1 billion for its six-year deal for NFL rights, roughly twice the amount incumbent, MillerCoors had been paying. Budweiser's rights to the MLB are considerably cheaper at $20m per year.
14. "Ad of the Day: Bud Light remixes the famous Budweiser Frogs ad for a new generation". The Drum. Archived from the original on June 5, 2020. Retrieved June 5, 2020.
15. Rayman, Noah (January 30, 2014). "The 9 Best Super Bowl Beer Commercials Ever". Time. ISSN 0040-781X. Archived from the original on June 5, 2020. Retrieved June 5, 2020.
16. "Don't Leap on Budweiser Lizards, Just Enforce the Laws". Los Angeles Times. May 10, 1998. Archived from the original on June 5, 2020. Retrieved June 5, 2020.
17. "Budweiser : Wassup". adage.com. March 19, 2006. Archived from the original on June 5, 2020. Retrieved June 5, 2020.
18. Shikes, Jonathan (August 23, 2011). "The five most memorable Budweiser Clydesdale commercials; the horses are leaving Fort Collins". West World Blogs. Archived from the original on December 6, 2013. Retrieved December 3, 2013.
19. "After building a dynasty and leaving unlimited hydroplane racing 15 years ago, Miss Budweiser still fuels sport". The Seattle Times. August 2, 2019. Archived from the original on June 5, 2020. Retrieved June 5, 2020.
20. "Bernstein's Goal: Finish in Fast Lane". Los Angeles Times. February 8, 2002. Archived from the original on June 5, 2020. Retrieved June 5, 2020.
21. "CHAMPCAR/CART: Della Penna Gains Budweiser Sponsorship". us.motorsport.com. Archived from the original on January 7, 2022. Retrieved January 5, 2022.
22. "NHRA Official Sponsors". testandtune.com. NHRA. n.d. Archived from the original on August 10, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2017.
23. Caldwell, Dave. "Anheuser-Busch Taps Into NASCAR's Thirst For An Official Beer". Forbes. Archived from the original on June 5, 2020. Retrieved June 5, 2020.
24. Weaver, Matt (February 24, 2012). "Budweiser to Sponsor Speedweeks and Duel At Daytona Beginning in 2013; drops Shootout sponsorship". SBNation.com. Archived from the original on June 5, 2020. Retrieved June 5, 2020.
25. "Anheuser-Busch to promote Busch brand in NASCAR starting in 2016". Fox Sports. August 24, 2015. Archived from the original on April 5, 2016. Retrieved February 18, 2016.
26. Bianchi, Jordan (August 24, 2015). "Kevin Harvick to switch beer sponsorship from Budweiser to Busch". SBNation.com. Archived from the original on February 27, 2016. Retrieved February 18, 2016.
27. "Bud to sponsor Andretti's Indy 500 car". Crash. March 20, 2002. Archived from the original on April 5, 2023. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
28. Madden, Normandy (August 26, 2009). "Chinese Beer Consumers to Create the Next Budweiser Spot Through Online Contest". Advertising Age. Archived from the original on February 7, 2011. Retrieved August 30, 2009.
29. "Bud Will Make Your Dreams Come True". Advertising Age. May 16, 2011. Archived from the original on May 7, 2014. Retrieved August 27, 2011.
30. ^ "Infographic: Meet America's 25 Biggest Advertisers". Advertising Age. Detroit. July 8, 2013. Archived from the original on February 22, 2017. Retrieved February 16, 2017.
31. "Anheuser-Busch InBev's advertising spending in the United States from 2009 to 2014 (in billion U.S. dollars)". statista.com. Statista. n.d. Archived from the original on February 17, 2017. Retrieved February 16, 2017.
32. "APNewsBreak: This Bud's not for you: Anheuser-Busch wants Budweiser removed from film 'Flight'". The Washington Post. November 5, 2012. Archived from the original on February 9, 2013. Retrieved November 6, 2012.
33. "Bud Is Proudly 'Macro' Amid Micro-Brews in Swagger-Filled Super Bowl Ad". Advertising Age. February 1, 2015. Archived from the original on February 2, 2015. Retrieved February 2, 2015.
34. "Beer Park by Budweiser". Food & Beverage Magazine. November 24, 2015. Archived from the original on January 28, 2016. Retrieved January 23, 2016.
35. "The mane event: Clydesdales to parade through campus". 2016 Presidential Debate. October 5, 2016. Archived from the original on August 4, 2019. Retrieved August 4, 2019.
36. "Lionel Messi: Which goalkeepers got the 644 bottles of Budweiser beer?". GiveMeSport. December 27, 2020. Archived from the original on January 13, 2021. Retrieved December 28, 2020.
37. "Bud light sales plunge 25 7 Modelo closes beer gap". New York Post. May 5, 2023.
38. Billson, Chantelle (April 11, 2023). "'No future' for Bud Light without ads with stars like Dylan Mulvaney, VP says". PinkNews. Archived from the original on April 11, 2023. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
39. Mancini, Jeannine. "Bud Light Plummets To 14th Place Among Beers As Anheuser-Busch CEO Pleads For Consumers To Think Of The 65,000 Employees Impacted By Boycotts". Benzinga. Retrieved July 11, 2023.
40. "Official website: Our History". Archived from the original on January 6, 2012. Retrieved August 27, 2011.
41. "August Anheuser Busch Jr. – Britannica Online Encyclopedia". Encyclopædia Britannica. September 29, 1989. Archived from the original on February 26, 2008. Retrieved September 30, 2010.
42. "Business Briefs". The Sun News. August 3, 2011. Archived from the original on February 4, 2013. Retrieved August 3, 2011.
43. "St. Mary's celebrates 10-ounce beer". Gazette.net. Archived from the original on October 12, 2018. Retrieved September 30, 2010.
44. "Where the 10-Ounce Bud Is the King of Beers". NPR.org. NPR. Archived from the original on October 28, 2010. Retrieved September 30, 2010.
45. "Official website: Our History". Archived from the original on January 6, 2012. Retrieved February 20, 2012.
46. ^ "Budweiser Unveils New "Bowtie" Design". Archived from the original on February 14, 2012. Retrieved February 20, 2012.
47. "Budweiser Cans Get a New Look—the Bow Tie". August 3, 2011. Archived from the original on August 5, 2011. Retrieved March 2, 2012.
48. ^ "Budweiser Can Redesigned". ABC News. Retrieved March 2, 2012.
49. "Brewing Process | Commitment to Quality". www.budweisertours.com. Archived from the original on August 8, 2019. Retrieved August 8, 2019.
50. "The Oxford Companion to Beer Definition of beechwood chips". Craft Beer & Brewing. Archived from the original on August 19, 2022. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
51. "Greenpeace Exposes Anheuser Busch's Use of Genetically Engineered Rice in Beer Brewing Process". Greenpeace. October 8, 2007. Archived from the original on November 28, 2007. Retrieved December 26, 2007.
52. Woods, Bob (November 16, 2019). "Anheuser-Busch invests $100 million in hard seltzer, the new drink craze". CNBC. Archived from the original on November 21, 2020. Retrieved November 19, 2020.
53. Settembre, Jeanette (August 28, 2020). "Bud Light Seltzer rolls out new flavors amid aluminum can shortage". FOXBusiness. Archived from the original on November 27, 2020. Retrieved November 19, 2020.
54. Prokop, Hannah (November 14, 2019). "Bud Light Seltzer to Enter Market in First-Quarter 2020". CSP Daily News. Archived from the original on September 19, 2020. Retrieved November 19, 2020.
55. Valinsky, Jordan (October 27, 2020). "Bud Light gets festive with new holiday hard seltzer flavors". CNN. Archived from the original on November 7, 2020. Retrieved November 19, 2020.
56. Salaky, Kristin (October 27, 2020). "Bud Light Is Releasing An Ugly Sweater Seltzer Pack Of Holiday Flavors Including Peppermint Pattie". Delish. Archived from the original on November 18, 2020. Retrieved November 19, 2020.
57. Valinsky, Jordan (July 28, 2020). "Budweiser's new beer is missing a key ingredient: Alcohol". CNN. Archived from the original on November 27, 2020. Retrieved November 19, 2020.
58. "Budweiser Zero". www.bevindustry.com. Archived from the original on November 27, 2020. Retrieved November 19, 2020.
59. ^ Irby, Kate (May 10, 2016). "Not a joke: Budweiser will rename beer 'America'". The Sun News. McClatchy Newspapers. Archived from the original on May 11, 2016. Retrieved May 10, 2016.
60. Schultz, E.J. (May 6, 2016). "A-B InBev Looks to Replace Budweiser With 'America' on Packs". Advertising Age. Archived from the original on May 9, 2016. Retrieved May 10, 2016.
61. "The Molson Amphitheatre is now the Budweiser Stage, and not everyone is happy about it". Archived from the original on January 6, 2017. Retrieved January 6, 2017.
62. "An Average US Brand in the China Market – The Budweiser Story". Archived from the original on May 12, 2012. Retrieved February 20, 2012.
63. New Budweiser Beer “The King of Beers” Specification Manufacturing

External links

• Official website
• Belgian official Budweiser website (archived 31 January 2010)
• Collection of mid-twentieth century advertising featuring Budweiser beer from the TJS Labs Gallery of Graphic Design (archived 14 June 2020)

• AB InBev brands
• American beer brands
• 1876 introductions
• 1876 establishments in the United States
• Culture of St. Louis