Anheuser-Busch, a wholly owned subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch InBev, is the largest brewing company in the United States, with a market share of 49.2%.[1] The company operates 12 breweries in the United States and nearly 20 in other countries. Brands include Budweiser, Busch, Michelob, Bud Light, and Natural Light.
Budweiser is a 5% abv pale lager introduced in 1876 by Adolphus Busch and has become one of the best selling beers in the United States.[2] It is made with up to 30% rice in addition to hops and barley malt.[3] Budweiser is produced in various breweries located around the United States and the rest of the world. It is a filtered beer available in draught and packaged forms. Lower strength versions are distributed in regions with restrictive alcohol laws.
Introduced in 1982 as Budweiser Light, Budweiser's flagship light beer with 4.2% ABV and 110 calories per 12 US fl oz (355 mL) serving (1,300 kJ/L).
A slightly sweeter, higher alcohol version of Bud Light to be launched in 2012, this beer boasts 6% ABV and the same easy drinkability of Bud Light. This product is noted for being packaged in a new translucent blue glass bottle.
A version of Budweiser available in Europe. See Budweiser trademark dispute. In other parts of the world, the term 'Bud' may be used as an abbreviation for 'Budweiser'.
Budweiser Select, or Bud Select is a light pale lager that contains 4.3% ABV and 99 calories per 12 US fl oz serving (1,170 kJ/L).[4] Anheuser-Busch has aggressively promoted Budweiser Select. Its slogan was "The Real Deal". The company hired Jay-Z as a spokesman for the brand.
A version of Budweiser Select that contains 55 calories per 12 US fl oz serving (650 kJ/L) is "a direct counterstrike to Miller's MGD 64" according to Anheuser-Busch officials. Budweiser currently claims that it is the lightest beer in the world. The food energy in both Miller's MGD 64 and Budweiser's Select 55 have been reduced simply by lowering the fermentables content. MGD 64 has only 2.8% alcohol content and some Select 55 states "alcohol content not more than 3.2% by weight/ 4% by volume", possibly to allow its sale in areas where that is the limit. The actual alcohol content of "55" is reported to be 2.4% abv; by comparison, most beers have around 5%.
Introduced in 1994 as "Ice by Budweiser", it has more alcohol (5.5% ABV) than Budweiser. It is best known for an advertising campaign that involved a malevolent penguin that stalked Bud Ice drinkers and stole their beer.
Bud Ice is cheaper than most Budweiser products.
Bud Ice Light contains 5.0% ABV and 115 calories per 12 US fl oz serving (1,360 kJ/L). It undergoes fractional freezing, which Bud Light does not undergo. As of 2010 it is discontinued.
Budweiser Brew Masters' Private Reserve is an all-malt lager with a honey color and robust taste. It is based on a Budweiser brewmaster holiday tradition of collecting the richest part of the brew as it is tapped to the brew kettles to toast the holiday season."[5]
Bud Dry was introduced nationally in the U.S. in April 1989[6] with the slogan of "Why ask why? Try Bud Dry." It was originally successful in test markets and was expected to be a popular beer with the rise in light lager popularity. However, after the introduction of Bud Ice in 1994, Bud Dry wasn't heavily marketed. Production was discontinued in December 2010.
An attempt to appeal to the tastes of beer drinkers in the United Kingdom, this specially brewed beer contains 4.1% alcohol by volume.
A beer with caffeine, ginseng, guarana and alcohol. It contains 6.6% ABV as indicated on the label. It was marketed as a caffeinated malt beverage, similar to Sparks. On June 26, 2008, Anheuser-Busch announced that it would remove caffeine and guarana from the beverage in response to concerns that the product was being marketed to consumers under the age of 21.
A blend of Budweiser or Bud Light and Clamato. This beverage became available nationally in late 2007.
Budweiser American Ale debuted in September 2008. The beer claims to offer complex taste without much bitterness. American Ale has a distinctive hoppier flavor than other Anheuser-Busch beers, in an attempt to capture some of the American craft beer market, although most American craft beers are hoppier still. American Ale is the first beer under the Budweiser name that is brewed with a top-fermenting yeast. The beer's darker color is a departure from the other Budweiser brands.
Non-alcoholic version of Budweiser developed for the Middle Eastern market. Also available in Green Apple and Tropical Fruits versions.
Bud Light with lime flavor added. It has 116 calories per 12 US fl oz serving (1,370 kJ/L). Released in May 2008.
On October 5, 2009 Budweiser officially released Bud Light Golden Wheat, a response to the increase in the amount of wheat beers produced from craft brewers around the country. This beer has 118 calories per 12 US fl oz serving (1,390 kJ/L), 8.3 grams of carbohydrates and 4.1% alcohol by volume. It is an American Hefeweizen which is based on the classic German Hefeweizen style.
Budweiser Brew No. 66 is a 4% alcohol by volume lager that is brewed and distributed in the United Kingdom by InBev UK Limited. Launched in July 2010, Budweiser 66 is the newest member of the Budweiser family of beers with 84 calories in a 300 ml serving (just over 10 oz).[7]
Michelob is a 5% abv pale lager developed by Adolphus Busch in 1896 as a "draught beer for connoisseurs".[8] It was named after Michelob Michelob, a Bohemian brewmaster from Saaz, in the region famous for its Saaz hops. In 1961, Anheuser-Busch produced a pasteurized version of Michelob which allowed legal shipment of the beer across state lines. Bottled beer began to be shipped soon after, and the brand was introduced in cans in 1966. Bottled Michelob was originally sold in a uniquely-shaped bottle named the teardrop bottle because it resembled a water droplet. The teardrop bottle was awarded a medal from the Institute of Design in 1962. Five years later the bottle was redesigned for efficiency in the production line, and later it was abandoned for a standard bottle. The teardrop bottle was used again from January 2007 to October 2008.
The company introduced Michelob Light in 1978. Michelob Classic Dark, was made available in 1981 in kegs, with a bottled version following three years later. In 1991, Michelob Golden Draft was introduced to compete against Miller Genuine Draft in the Midwest.
1997 saw the introduction of several specialty beers under the Michelob marquee. These include:
AmberBock is a 5.2% abv amber lager which uses roasted black barley malt in the ingredients, and which received a World Beer Cup Bronze Medal in 1998.
From the beginning, the specialty beers have had a very limited distribution. The chief outlet has been through a "holiday sampler pack" produced during the Christmas holiday season. Other specialty beers that are no longer in production include Michelob Hefeweizen and Michelob Black & Tan. Some (notably Michelob AmberBock) have subsequently gone into larger production, while others have not. The brewery continues to experiment with specialty beers—in 2005 an oak-aged vanilla beer was sold under the Michelob logo, available in single pints. In 2006 Michelob added a chocolate beer to the oak-aged vanilla Celebrate holiday season beer released a year earlier. Michelob also brewed Michelob Bavarian Style Wheat and Michelob Porter for its "holiday sampler pack". In 2007, Michelob launched its Seasonal Specialty Line. These include:
The early 21st century saw in the U.S. a demand for diet beer similar to that of the early 1970s, and in 2002 the Michelob line responded with the introduction of Michelob Ultra, advertised as being low in carbohydrates. Later Michelob Ultra Amber, a darker, more flavorful beer, was added to this sub-line.
Michelob 5 % alcohol; Michelob Golden Draft 4.7 % alcohol; Michelob Golden Draft Light 4.3 % alcohol; Michelob Ultra 4.2 % alcohol; Michelob Ultra Amber 4.0 % alcohol; Michelob: ULTRA Lime Cactus A fruit-infused light pilsner with natural lime flavor and a floral essence derived from the cactus; Michelob: ULTRA Pomegranate Raspberry A pilsner with a berry aroma, raspberry flavor, and a hint of pomegranate; Michelob: ULTRA Tuscan Orange Grapefruit A pilsner with fresh juicy orange notes and a slight pink-grapefruit finish.
All fruit flavors have the following nutrition content: 107 calories, 6.0g carbs, 0.5g protein and 0.0g fat, per 12 oz bottle.
Advertisements for Michelob Ultra feature people engaged in sporting activities. The Michelob ULTRA Open at Kingsmill and Michelob Ultra Futures Players Championship, are sponsored by Michelob Ultra. Michelob Ultra serves as a presenting sponsor of the Tour of Missouri bicycle race and sponsors the King of the Mountains jersey. Michelob also sponsors the Rugby Super League, and many of its teams have shirt sponsorships with its AmberBock brand. PGA Tour player Sergio García is sponsored by Michelob. Seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong signed on October 6, 2009 a three-year agreement to become Michelob Ultra's new spokesperson and ambassador.
Michelob sponsored several episodes of the Diggnation podcast. The hosts, Kevin Rose and Alex Albrecht, sampled the beer during the show and several episodes included interviews with the company's head brew-master to discuss the different products that can be found in the sampler packs. Also, an episode of the show was filmed inside the Michelob brewery.
Shock Top is a 5.2% abv Belgian-style wheat ale introduced under the name Spring Heat Spiced Wheat brewed in Wichita KS as a seasonal beer in 2006, then all year from 2007.[9][10] The beer is brewed with wheat malt, two-row barley, orange, lemon, lime peel, coriander and Cascade and Willamette hops. Entering as the Spring Heat Spiced Wheat, Shock Top Belgian White won gold and bronze medals in the Belgian Wit (White) category at the 2006 and 2007 North American Beer Awards, respectively.[11]
Busch Beer, a 4.7% abv economy brand pale lager was introduced in 1955 as Busch Bavarian Beer;[12] the brand name was changed in 1979 to Busch Beer.[13] Other beers marketed under the Busch brand name are Busch Light, a 4.1% pale lager introduced in 1989, Busch Ice, a 5.9% ice beer introduced in 1995,[14] and Busch NA. Ingredients are a mix of American-grown and imported hops and a combination of malt and corn.[15]
Rolling Rock is a 4.5% abv pale lager launched in 1939 by the Latrobe Brewing Company. In May, 2006, Anheuser-Busch purchased the Rolling Rock brand from InBev for $82 million and began brewing Rolling Rock at its Newark facility in mid July, 2006.[16] Other pale lagers marketed under the Rolling Rock brand name are Rock Green Light, 3.7% abv, and Rock Light, 3.5%; the company also produces a 5% abv amber lager, Rolling Rock Red. Ingredients are pale barley malt, rice, corn and hops.[17]
Natural Light is an economy brand 4.2% abv reduced-calorie pale lager introduced in 1977.[18] In 2008 the Wall Street Journal listed it as the fifth largest selling beer in the U.S.[19] Natural Ice is an economy brand 5.9% abv ice beer, introduced in 1995.
Land Shark Lager, brewed in Jacksonville, Florida, is a 4.7% abv pale lager launched in 2006 as the house lager for "Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville" restaurant chain. Under a sponsorship deal, Dolphin Stadium, home of the Miami Dolphins, Florida Marlins, and the Miami Hurricanes was renamed "Land Shark Stadium" for the 2009 football season. The contract ended in early 2010, and the stadium has since been renamed "Sun Life Stadium" as of January 18, 2010 in time for both the 2010 NFL Pro Bowl and Super Bowl XLIV.[20][21][22]
Land Shark also has restaurants in Pensacola, Florida and in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.[23]
Jimmy Buffett's song "Fins" is about "sharks that can swim on the land," (in reference to men in a beach town trying to woo a vacationing woman) while the landshark is a recurring character portrayed by Chevy Chase in the TV show Saturday Night Live.
King Cobra (also known as "Venom") is a 6% alcohol by volume malt liquor introduced in 1984. It is brewed with a warmer fermentation than used for the company's pale lagers, and the ingredients include barley malt and corn.[24]
Hurricane High Gravity Lager is an 8.1% alcohol malt liquor beverage available primarily in the United States. It is available in 40 ounce bottles, as well as 12, 16 & 24 ounce cans. Recently, Hurricane High Gravity 8.1% has gone from a Black Label to a Silver Label in all of its serving sizes.
Tequiza was a 4,5% abv fruit flavoured pale lager introduced in 1998 in limited markets in the USA, then withdrawn in January 2009.[25] Tequiza Extra, with more Tequila flavour and less lime, was tried out in 2000.
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