The tides of change reached the shores of motorsports this week as Anheuser-Busch announced that Budweiser will no longer serve as the official beer of the Anheuser-Busch series and that its thirty years of support for Kenny Bernstein Racing’s NHRA team has been put on the blocks.  According to Anheuser-Busch this ends a historic association that over-takes STP’s 28 year sponsorship of NASCAR’s Richard “The King” Petty as the longest run between a racer and a sponsor.
Anheuser-Busch hasn’t announced who they’re going to throw their sponsorship behind for 2009. They may go with Kasey Kahne, who they sponsored in 2008, …read more

We’ve reported on the sale of Anheuser Busch and its flagship Budweiser brand beer to InBev. At this point, A-B and Budweiser are effectively synonymous, at least in the US, but there was a time when there were many different Budweiser beers across the US (including one brewed by Miller). Indeed, the name “Budweiser” really just means “from Budweis” in German, much as “Pilsener” means “from Pilsen.” US brewers, familiar with the long brewing history of Budweis, used the name in the US to connote old-world brewing quality.
The last of the American Budweisers was brewed by the DuBois brewing …read more

Joris Pattyn, a Belgian beer expert and champion of Belgian beers, recently gave Budweiser a whirl. Pattyn tried out InBev’s newest “flagship” beer and didn’t exactly give rave reviews. Among other things Pattyn had to say, he commented that Budweiswer was “a beer for students getting drunk…it will take hours but eventually it will happen.”
Hmm, wasn’t that Bud’s slogan?
You can see what else Pattyn had to say here:

Say “hallo” to the new face of Budweiser: the Belgian brewer InBev has confirmed that it will purchase Anheuser-Busch for $52 billion, creating the world largest brewer. The purchase will result in the fourth-largest consumer product company worldwide.
The Missouri based Anheuser-Busch was America’s largest brewer and the world’s second largest. Its brands include Budweiser (”the great American lager”), Bud Light, Michelob and Busch.
InBev’s brands include Stella Artois and Becks.
InBev claims that it will use St. Louis as its North American headquarters. InBev has also promised that it will keep open all 12 of Anheuser-Busch’s North American …read more

Despite what is an apparent confirmation that InBev is moving ahead with its acquisition of Anheuser-Busch, fans of A-B are still hopeful.
An online petition at SaveBudweiser.com has garnered nearly 62,000 signatures. You can sign the petition here.
You can also buy a “Save Budweiser” tee shirt on the site. The “keep our beer here” shirts run $8.

InBev, the Belgian brewer, in talks to buy American brewer Anheuser-Busch, has indicated to the Securities and Exchange Commission that it will replace all of the current serving board members of A-B. The proposed board includes Adolphus Busch IV, who has encouraged A-B to negotiate with InBev.
InBev has offered 35% over the current share price for A-B and 18% over the previous all-time high. Yet, A-B rejected the proposal last month.
Really?
Don’t misconstrue my disbelief. Like Chris, I won’t lose any sleep over the purchase – after all, I’m more likely to pick up an InBev brewed Stella …read more

No, Obama is not tossing back Bud Lights in an effort to shake his “elitist” tag – but he is standing behind Anheuser-Busch these days. At a news conference in St. Louis, Obama said it would be “a shame” if Anheuser-Busch were to be acquired by a foreign company.
Hmm.
I wonder what John McCain thinks – since his wife’s wealth is tied to A-B, I’m guessing he would think it’s quite a shame, too.

Apparently this is the week of the stupid beer drinker (well, it is a holiday week in the US). After I reported on the three teens who robbed a convenience store and left a trail of beer cans behind, I came across this little gem…
On the other end of the age spectrum, a 74 year old woman drove through Joe’s Food Mart and Video in Norwalk, California – only Joe’s isn’t a drive through.
Lynne Rice drove her 1988 Cadillac halfway through the store, destroying 2 glass panels. She then got out of the car, walked to the cooler …read more

So, here’s a strange beer fact for you. Last year, Anheuser-Busch gave $100,000 to Al Sharpton’s charity which, as it happens, is currently being investigated for misuse of charity funds for his presidential campaign. That’s particularly ironic given the source of much of John McCain’s cash.
I guess they’re just hedging their bets.

So, does anyone really think Rob Riggle drinks Bud? For more on the silliness of the major breweries’ ad campaigns, check out this post from Philly’s own Joe Sixpack.