Budweiser renames beer ‘America’ this summer

By: Mary Bowerman, Follow @MaryBowerman on Twitter.

Nothing says ‘America’ like an ice-cold can of mass-produced beer.

Anheuser-Busch announced Tuesday that the company is replacing the Budweiser logo with “America” on its 12-oz. cans and bottles this summer.

The cans of patriotic nectar will be available May 23 through the November election and aim “to inspire drinkers to celebrate America and Budweiser’s shared values of freedom and authenticity.”

The company is no stranger to American-themed summer cans, which have been transformed into American flags and featured the Statue of Liberty in the past. This year, the cans and bottles will try to stir American pride with lines from the Pledge of Allegiance and lyrics from The Star Spangled Banner.

Apparently, the Belgium-based megabrewer, which owns more than 200 brands globally, including Corona and Stella Artois, knows the way straight to our checkbooks. Throw some America on it!

Ricardo Marques, vice president of Budweiser, notes that with Americans partaking in the Summer Olympics and the Copa America Centenario soccer tournament being held in the U.S., the cans are an ideal way to salute the United States.

“We are embarking on what should be the most patriotic summer that this generation has ever seen,” Marques said in a statement. 

Changing the name to “America” is potentially a risky move for the brand, which already “says America, without saying it,” according to John Immesoete, Chief Creative Officer of global marketing agency Epsilon.

“They are basically taking a brand name they’ve spent billions of dollars behind worldwide, and tossing it aside for a while and putting ‘America’ on it,” said Immesoete, who has worked on past Budweiser Super Bowl campaigns, but is not associated with the “America is in Your Hands” campaign.

He notes that while some consumers may be intrigued by the new can design, others will likely be alienated by the company’s attempt to literally “package America.”

Drink it up, America.