Last year was another tough one for Big Beer, especially over at Anheuser-Busch, reports Beer Marketer's Insights.

Seven of the top 10 U.S. beer brands -- including five A-B brands -- saw shipments fall in 2010 compared to 2009. And the three winners -- Coors Light, Corona Extra and Keystone Light -- eked out only very small gains.

Coors Light, the No. 3 brand, saw shipments inch up about 1 percent last year to just over 18 million barrels.

No. 2 Budweiser saw shipments drop 7.25% to about 18.5 million barrels.

The distance between those two brands is disappearing -- standing at just 475,000 barrels at year's end. "Barring big trend reversals, Coors Light will easily grab #2 spot this yr.," Benji Steinman, editor of Beer Marketer's Insights, wrote in his most recent newsletter.

But A-B has shown it is not going to concede the No. 2 spot.

Last year, A-B president Dave Peacock said the company "has drawn a line in the sand" and is determined to see Budweiser grow.

Budweiser has gotten increased marketing support and a new ad campaign with the tagline, "Bring Some Buds." And late last month, A-B and Major League Baseball agreed on a multiyear deal to keep Budweiser as the league's official beer.

Perhaps more important to preserving Budweiser's No. 2 ranking is Bud Light, which is a more natural competitor to Coors Light. Both are in the premium light beer category. 

A-B last year secured rights for Bud Light to become the official beer of the NFL beginning after the upcoming Super Bowl.

Who did Bud Light take those rights from?

Coors Light.