Budweiser unveiled a new look for its Budweiser cans, just the 12th time in the flagship beer brand's history that the brewer has tinkered with its appearance.

The new design features a cleaner look, one that is less ornate, with a heavier reliance on the color red. The name Budweiser is still written in a cursive script, but now the name is cast in white against a red backdrop instead of blue on white. 

The new look is featured on Budweiser cans and the brand's cardboard packaging. Labels on Budweiser glass bottles will not be changed.

"We tested a lot of different things," Rob McCarthy, A-B's vice president of Budweiser, told Lager Heads Wednesday.

The brewer tried hundreds of different designs before settling on this one -- and it also concluded that tinkering with the bottle design was not necessary.

The change comes as A-B tries to stop the long-term bleeding of U.S. market share by its flagship brand and tries to push Budweiser in foreign markets, turning it into a global brand. (Whatever troubles Budweiser has in the United States, the brand has done well in places such as England and China.) 

The new look also reflects the brewer's push for innovation, which has included the recent addition of write-on labels for Bud Light and the special edition patriotic flag-draped Budweiser cans.

Other changes to the can design:

The "AB" medallion is de-emphasized, moved to one side from the can's center and above the Budweiser name.

The Budweiser creed -- memorized by legions of fraternity brothers, among others -- is even more prominently displayed.

The new can also features a QR code for scanning by smart phones.