Struggling Budweiser Introduces New Can To Reclaim Beer Throne

Despite a seemingly neverending revenue stream from legions of frat boys around the country, sales for Budweiser have been down recently, so to combat the loss, the diminished King of Beers is rolling out "sleek" new redesigned cans. Will the brodudes bite?

"We tested a lot of different things," said Rob McCarthy, Anheuser-Busch's vice president of Budweiser yesterday when the cans were unveiled. They ultimately settled on a clean-looking design that emphasizes the can's "bowtie," with a red backdrop instead of blue, and a smaller Anheuser-Busch label off the side. It's kind of like that time that Diet Pepsi tried to sex up their image, only with more popped collars.

It's the 12th redesign in the company's history since they introduced the cans in 1936. Harry Schuhmacher, editor Beer Business Daily, said it's a smart move: "It's bolder and cleaner, representing a packaging trend in many consumer goods," he said. "Beer companies typically redesign their labels every five years or so, so it was time to freshen up the packaging to update it to the times." It remains to be seen whether the hipsters will notice Bud's fresh new look.

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By Jamie Feldmar in Food on August 4, 2011 1:54 PM

Comments [rss]

TunaLoaf

"Brodudes" drink Bud Light. I like Budweiser regular, but nothing beats Schlitz!!!

Mike

Meh. High Life had a nice label re-design, this is boring.

dizzy5

Enjoy your French-owned Bud while you cruise on your Chinese-made Harley to the unemployment office.

tsol

If they wanted to appeal to hipsters they should have revived the 1936 can design, churchkey and all.

brian

even at $16 a case it's a waste of money. there are so many better options out there especially when 2-3 budweiser have the same effect as 1 of any decent micro.

crappy beer is crappy beer and is a waste of money at any price point

AzzTech

So you're saying that any decent micro brew will have 15% abv?

That's the thing, just because your old man drank bud and it's a cliched beer doesn't mean that it's a bad beer. For what it is, a pilsner style lager, it's a good quality beer.

You guys are like the non-conformists on South Park. Conform to hating mass marketed beer.

brian

if i want decent cheap beer i'll get a yuengling. beats bud any day.

AzzTech

You know, I actually like Bud. It's the best-tasting cheap pilsner-style lager beer out there. I think it tastes like a light Molsen Canadian (I avoided saying watered down). Don't get me wrong, I like getting a micro brew ale here and there. But as an everyday beer for having with meals, it hard to beat at $16 a case.

Rocknrope

You know what canned beer I'm diggin' a lot, Dale's Pale Ale. That shit rocks, and it's great to be able to drink good beer out of a can again. The Brooklyn Sixpoints are pretty good as well.

Eric Gordon

I love Sixpoint but their price point is all off for the cans. 4 cans for $11?

whitecastlerock

Taste? Who fucking cares? How quickly does it get you hammered?

Rocknrope

Unfortunately they're related. The more it tastes like water, the more it is water and the more crappy beer you'll have to drink. On the other hand, down three cans of Dale and you'll get a good buzz on.

whitecastlerock

Crazy Horse used to do the trick for me back in the day...

TunaLoaf

Mad Dog was my drink of choice as a young 'un when I sought to get hammered fast. Can't even smell it without retching now in my twilight years.