Flash Mob at Rec League Hockey Game

For all the heartache we like to give the Galactic Empire that is ABInBev, we have to tip our hat when they do good. We understand that it's a commercial and is as much marketing for Budweiser as anything else but it's a great reminder that sports is not about being in the pro leagues.



h/t theCHIVE

Why So Serious?

Though focused on the craft brew segment, we have a place in our hearts for Budweiser; a place that is growing smaller by the day. Those paying attention at home know that Bud is constantly battling with Bud in Europe. While we don't necessarily support the home team (home being relative now that the American Bud is owned by InBev) but we understand the obvious business issue. You can't have two Budweisers anymore than you can have two FoMoCos (hmmm....two Mustangs?).

We learned via HuffingtonPost that Budweiser is not taking the battle to wine by ordering Budini wine to stop using the name Budini. As it turns out, AB-InBev claims the "trademark for all alcoholic beverages beginning with letters BUD." We strongly encourage you to check out the story and find out why Budini importers, now importing Bodini, decided to cease and desist rather than fight Goliath.

All of this brings us back to our point that we like to have the occasional Bud. We grew up around Bud, enjoy it's taste now and again, and still think there's something inherently American and cool about ordering a bottle of Bud at the local dive. So, if you're from the Budweiser family and reading this please stop being a corporate bully. It's easy enough to hate global conglomerates (and non-conglomerates). We support buying local but don't make us go all hardcore because we're not cut out for cloth bags at the grocery store and living the "vegan lifestyle."

Laying A Big, Fat Egg

We're just over 4 minutes into the second period of the Blackhawks-Red Wings game and for the first time since Chicago drafted Patrick Kane we find ourselves rooting for the Wings. We're Eastern Conference-centric so most nights this game could end in a tie and we could live with it. A fair number of people believe in the prowess of the Western Conference but while they have Hockeytown we have Hockey Heaven (admittedly under construction).

The real reason for our Windy City animosity this evening is the disappointing news that the Goose Island Beer Company (aka Fulton Street Brewery, LLC) is selling out to Anheuser-Busch (aka Anheuser-Bush InBev). In a blog post sent to us by our Midwest Correspondents, CEO John Hall explains that it's primarily about increasing capacity, innovation, protecting the future of Goose Island, yadayadayada. Said Hall, "[t]oday's agreement...will provide us with the best resources available to continue along our path of growth and innovation."

Forgive our skepticism but this smacks of selling out the way your favorite punk band goes pop rock for the coin. The big brewers have been forcing their way into the craft segment for the past few years and it makes good business sense. It's likely hard for AB to be half of a global brewing conglomerate and open a startup craft brewing company both logistically and from a public relations perspective. Besides, you have to do something when sales of your flagship brand have been stagnant for years.

The real reason for skepticism is Mr. Hall's talk of innovation when the agreement includes news that Brewmaster Greg Hall is stepping down. According to Chicago Breaking Business, AB is pumping $1.3 million into increasing capacity but losing your head brewer is no small matter. One also wonders why not go small before going big? The same CBB article notes that Dog Fish Head recently pulled out of four states because they didn't have the brewing capacity.

It could be worse - AB could have hired Gilbert Gottfried as the new voice over for Goose Island commercials. For those keeping score at home, Chicago's leading 201 with 16:30 gone in the second period. We're going to grab a Bell's.

Dark Times and Free Beer

Anheuser-Busch's Budweiser brand has been getting killed lately.  According to USA Today, Bud unit sales are down 9 percent from last year.  Further evidence of the decline is Bud's place on the Brand Keys Loyalty Leaders list, which ranks consumer loyalty of the top 501 consumer brands (presumably Levi's 501 Original Jeans ranks high on this list).  In 2003, Bud was number 16 but dropped to 220 in 2010.  Things are so bad for the brand that Anheuser-Busch recently started charging up to $2,000 for Budweiser's Clydesdales appearances - sorry Timmy, your stuck with Bozo the clown for your birthday.

The folks at Anheuser-Busch are not going to let the craft brew industry get in the way of their world beer domination so they're unveiling a new, hip marketing push: Bud Emo.

That's right, born in Washington, DC and now representing much of what's hip in music, fashion, and Justin Beiber, emo is going adult contemporary.  Anheuser-Busch is attempting to reach the under 30 crowd, which it has all but ignored in recent years.  Going forward, all Bud brand labels will be in black though certain labels will include a trim of nauseatingly bright colors.  The new slim fitting Bud bottles will be decked out in studded black belt trimmed labels.  Select cases of Bud and Bud Light will come with a free pair of thick, black, horn-rimmed glasses.  The movement will culminate with a free Bud tasting on September 29, 2010, at the National Budweiser Happy Hour (ages 21 and over).

If you're under 30 and want to get ahead of the curve we are here to help.  We scoured the interwebs to find the graphic below.  Follow the detailed fashion advice, download some Weezer, order a Bud, and commence with sharing the tragedy that is your life.  Never forget that you're emo, you're under 30 so nothing is more important than the trumped up pain your feeling right now.  In fact, you should stop reading this and tweeter your pain so we can all share in the center of the universe that is you.

Budweiser is Going Green

We routinely rail on Anheuser-Bush InBev (ABIB) for anything negative that might come out of their shop. Sometimes, you have to recognize that the big boys can go a long way to setting positive precedent in the industry. So, today we give a slight tip of our hat to ABIB for announcing its green initiative.

Sure, many micro brewers went green on day 1 and there are many leaders at the micro level when it comes to environmentally friendly operations. ABIB brings scale to the game. A promise to cut water consumption by 30 percent* means a lot when you have 130,000 employees in 30 countries. ABIB boasts that they will save enough water to fill 25,000 Olympic size swimming pools. The ABIB press release states other goals including achieving a 99 percent recycle/reuse rate and a 10 percent reduction in carbon dioxide output.

Of course, there are two sides to every story so ABIB may still be the Evil Empire. The New York Times reports that the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) requires companies to disclose their environmental risks, including water supply issues. "Water conflicts and risks are already coming to a head in expanding beer and beverage markets in the developing world, regions where 1.1 billion people still lack clean drinking water access and the agriculture sector demands its fare share." For example, China and Brazil are two large growth markets for ABIB and the two countries also have water quality and supply issues.





*30 percent reduction of 2007 water consumption levels.