Lager Heads

Take a virtual tour of Anheuser-Busch

Evan Benn — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 17:44:15 +0000

Post-Dispatch photojournalist Huy Mach and graphic artist Brian Williamson teamed up for an impressive virtual tour of Anheuser-Busch.

Narrated by A-B tour guide Andrea Gioia, the interactive display takes you throughout the brewery’s sprawling St. Louis campus, inside the beechwood…

MillerCoors reports 4Q 2009 profit jump despite weak beer sales, calls 2010 “challenging”

Todd Frankel — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:22:53 +0000

credit:Brandweek

Anheuser-Busch InBev doesn’t report for a couple more weeks, but today the No. 2 U.S. brewer, MillerCoors, announced October-December 2009 profit rocketed 89% on prior-year charges, but overall beer volume and sales declined.

MillerCoors was created in 2008 by combining the U.S.…

Big Beer’s merger frenzy hits bump as Kirin/Suntory talks break down

Todd Frankel — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 20:53:45 +0000

Kirin can

Japanese beermakers Kirin and Suntory “dropped plans to create a combined food and drinks group with $43 billion in annual sales after disagreeing over levels of control in a merged firm,” Reuters and others report.

Investors — the ones who seem to…

UPDATEDDid Anheuser-Busch get its money worth in Super Bowl ads? Plus, one Bud Light ad makes surprise show.

Todd Frankel — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 02:55:58 +0000

Budweiser Clydesdale ad. credit:A-B

So, Lager Headers, did you like the Clydesdale ad?

**UPDATE 7:07AM** Budweiser Clydesdales ad ranks a very strong No. 4 fav ad in USA Today Ad Meter, pretty much justifying A-B’s decision to run it. Bud Light “Light House”…

It’s official: Budweiser Clydesdales ad will appear during Sunday’s Super Bowl

Todd Frankel — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 17:10:21 +0000

Making a Clydesdale ad back in 2008. (See the video below.)

After several days of indecision and a plea for public input, Anheuser-Busch said today it plans to include a Budweiser Clydesdales spot in its five minutes of advertising during this…

2010 already rough for A-B InBev: Brewer’s U.S. beer sales down 12.2% in January

Todd Frankel — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 11:00:16 +0000

A barrel of beer. credit:flickr.com/pegasus13

*Exclusive to Lager Heads* Anheuser-Busch InBev saw U.S. beer sales drop 12.2% last month compared to last January, according to internal sales figures shown to the Post-Dispatch.

The brewer’s total U.S. beer sales, for both domestic and imports,…

Punxsutawney Phil brings spring beer to winter prediction

Evan Benn — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 21:15:25 +0000

Punxsutawney Phil's Inner Circle hoists Samuel Adams Noble Pils. Michael Ishman/Punxsutawney Spirit

The folks at the Boston Beer Co., makers of Samuel Adams, are putting a lot of effort into getting the word out about their new spring-seasonal release, Noble Pils.…

A-B InBev, weak in South Africa, caves and gives SABMiller a chance to sell beer at World Cup

Todd Frankel — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 19:54:12 +0000

Budweiser and the World Cup together. credit:beersodasports.com

This might seem like a minor hiccup, but it does strike Lager Heads as noteworthy because it shows that even Anheuser-Busch InBev, the world’s largest brewer by volume, does have its limits.

A-B InBev’s Budweiser…

Now you can see for yourself the potential Budweiser Clydesdale Super Bowl ad

Todd Frankel — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 17:31:36 +0000

Here it is. The spot is called “Fence” and it is about a Clydesdale and a young bull who grow up in the same field, separated by a fence. This ad has been the subject of considerable controversy. First Anheuser-Busch wasn’t…

First look: Michelob Ginger Wheat

Evan Benn — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 12:00:34 +0000

Michelob Brewing Co., part of A-B, will be rolling out its newest beer in mid-March, and Michelob brewmaster Adam Goodson poured me a sample last night in his brewery’s tasting room.

Michelob Ginger Wheat is an unfiltered Belgian-style wheat ale…