AB Super Bowl Ad

[Homercidal]

I actually thought Bud would take the high road, but nope, they are fighting back. Targeting people who think craft beer drinkers are ALL snooty snobs. So they are preaching to the choir while not really selling their product for how it's better (Except the beechwood aging part. They did put that in there.)

I'm not sure how brewing Bud is "The Hard Way" when they have the Billions of leverage dollars. Craft breweries have to work their way up financially, AGAINST the Billions the big beer companies can use to prevent competition.

Now I don't hate the beer (well, maybe "light" beer) but their business methods are not something I care to support. Plenty of German brewers today still dislike strongly flavored beer. They perfected a method of creating a beer so unique at the time and continue to believe that only light lagers are worth drinking. And they want to push a commercial accusing craft beer snobs of being elitist?

I say, drink what you like. Finally we have enough craft brewers in the US to allow everyone to try a few beers that AREN'T light lagers! Turns out plenty of them are enjoying some other flavors.

 

[EZCyclone]

I see a lot of the posing on the side of the BMC drinkers who want to make sure that everyone knows they are not drinking craft beer. I'm not sure when drinking mass-marketed, corporate profit driven beer became part of some people's culture, but whatever suits them I guess.

You have got to be kidding me??
Budweiser is the core community product of huge portions of this country. People find it as a one of the most American products you can have. In-Bev is not loosing as much market share, from these people, due to craft options being available, as it is to the fact that they ruined the AB brand's deep American image buy buying them. Hell I've been in a bar and seen a guy get the living hell beat out of him and he tossed into the street because he ordered something other then BMC. Because it was "Un-American and Gay", mind you that was in the late 90's.

 

[hou_me]

When that commercial aired everyone in the room turned and looked at me. And I laughed. So AB took a shot at us for our beer snobbery, who cares? It's not like they're worried about us boycotting them. Just take the chance to laugh at yourself, then take the chance to laugh at them and, of course, enjoy a nice home brew.

-ben

 

[Newsman]

I see a lot of the posing on the side of the BMC drinkers who want to make sure that everyone knows they are not drinking craft beer. I'm not sure when drinking mass-marketed, corporate profit driven beer became part of some people's culture, but whatever suits them I guess.

I agree. I don't know what the allure of drinking crap beer is... the same people who gush over BMC are the same people who think it's "hip" to drink PBR. I just don't understand the thrill of drinking swill like BMC/PBR!

 

[EZCyclone]

the same people who gush over BMC are the same people who think it's "hip" to drink PBR. I just don't understand the thrill of drinking swill like BMC/PBR!

Never, ever are there BMC'ers that are hard core BMC'ers because of the points I made above, that would piss on a hipster on fire. So no, they are not the same group. lol.

 

[Happywanderer]

Well -

That commercial was low. Hypocritical.

My regular drink used to be Budweiser. Then I developed taste buds.

I've gotten my redneck brother-in-law drinking real beer now. He used to drink only Bud Light.

I'll go on drinking my craft beer. Because a Bourbon Barrel Stout beats the hell out of beechwood aged mop water.

 

[Photopilot]

Just makes me wonder how beechwood aging would affect a good beer recipe?

 

[Eucrid]

Just makes me wonder how beechwood aging would affect a good beer recipe?

Isn't it supposed to make for a great clean secondary fermentation?

 

[jbaysurfer]

When that commercial aired everyone in the room turned and looked at me. And I laughed. So AB took a shot at us for our beer snobbery, who cares? It's not like they're worried about us boycotting them. Just take the chance to laugh at yourself, then take the chance to laugh at them and, of course, enjoy a nice home brew.

-ben

When it aired, 30 people lifted up the IIPA that I brewed for the party and toasted. LOL...

 

[GHBWNY]

I don't understand the "hard way" concept. It is apparently intended to be in contrast to "other" ways of brewing, by which they are saying that all other ways of brewing are "easy" by comparison. Their having absorbed notable craft (Mom & Pop by comparison) breweries is simply part of their "search and destroy" mission. In their campaign to alter the public awareness of how REAL (craft) beer is made --- which IS the true "hard way" --- then they can also own a greater stake in the phrase once there is no true "hard way" competition in beer-making. I don't think that will happen. And by the ad, it's obvious AB can't really expect it to happen either. But that's the nature of propaganda. Plant a lie and given the right conditions, it will eventually grow into a "truth" and propagate itself.

Meanwhile, AB's ad is fairly harmless hogwash. Unfortunately, AB knows that there is a very small percentage of people watching who actually know what making beer the true hard way is, and see AB's campaign for what it really is. It is not enough to stir the conscience of AB because they know that their basic consumer is in this sense clueless and gullible = profitable. As per those who have gone before them, other larger craft beer companies should eventually be expecting the same knock on their door: "Either we buy you out, or we run you out. Take your pick."

 

[xzgfhgh]

Why are they making fun of craft brews while simultaneously buying up any that show some success? Because they know people are turning away from their product!

 

[GHBWNY]

Isn't it supposed to make for a great clean secondary fermentation?

Directly from the Budweiser site:

"Beechwood Aging: During lagering, the beer is krausened, naturally carbonated and aged on beechwood chips for 21 days to mature the flavor of the beer. Anheuser-Busch is the only major brewer in the world using beechwood aging."

Krausening is adding back to the lagering stage a small amount of wort. It causes the yeast that may have slowed down due to the cold temps of lagering to wake up and eat and speed up the brewing process and clean up the beer. The beechwood chips are added to give the yeast a greater amount of surface area upon which to cling and settle to do their business. The beechwood chips are washed with a solution that renders them tasteless. But again, they aren't added for flavor as many might think --- their use is as a "bed" upon which the yeast can settle and work for a few weeks (during Bud's infamous "21-day Beechwood Aging process"). Wood is perfect for this application; it's cheap, natural and expendable. Joe Public hears "Beechwood Aged" and thinks, "wow, that's got to be something really special!" But 999 out of 1000 Bud drinkers have no clue what it is or means --- or really care. And Bud doesn't care that they don't know or care. The romanticism of the tagline alone is enough to sell beer.

 

[SamsDogBrewing]

I can see both sides here. AB created a kind of craft-brew strawman and made fun of it. And... insamuch as those beer-snob stereotypes actually exist, I tend to agree with their assessment.

The great news is I don't have to buy beechwood-aged cat urine or Quintuple-Hopped, Imperial Siamese Pale Ale.

I'll just brew and drink whatever I darn well please, thank you very much.

 

[murrahjm]

This ad makes me want to smash things, and it took me a bit to figure out why. Check out the imagery used for the two camps. For Budweiser it's tough guys, factories, axes chopping wood, big machines, manly ****. For craft beer it's curly mustaches, gentle sniffing, sweaters, khaki pants, tiny drinks.

So basically what they're saying is "Stop being a fag, drink like a man". Which of course is what I was told constantly throughout my early twenties when I didn't want to drink bud. So thanks for the memories Budweiser, go **** yourself.

 

[orangehero]

The "made the hard way" slogan is bizzare. I think what they meant is that the Beer of Kings Budweiser is made the hard way. Even their name is lazy.

 

[ArkotRamathorn]

One thing the big three seem to miss is the desire for 'new-ness'. They can buy out whoever they want, but in 2 or 3 years, or however long they make the people they buy out sign non-compete for, they'll open a new brewery. Or someone else across town will open a new brewery and start making beer. We, the craft consumers, thrive on new-ness. We look for something new, maybe not different, but new, fresh, local. BMC can buy as many craft breweries as they want, some of them may continue to produce just as good or better beer, some will produce worse or different beers than the hardcore fans remember (rolling rock ahem).

If a BMC bought New Glarus (my boo here in Wisconsin) I woulld still buy tons of NG as long as the quality was the same (and no one was fired/moved) and would not blame Dan for taking a pay out. I would hope when the non-compete contract was up for them to open a new brewery and I would begin buying from the new place rather than NG (then new NG should hire all the old employees).

At worst its disingenous and arrogant. At best the commercial was extremely comical. The only twenty something I know that drink BMC are the rednecky hunters, the only other BMC drinkers really fall into the old category or a mix of redneck/old.

 

[GHBWNY]

The "made the hard way" slogan is bizzare. I think what they meant is that the Beer of Kings Budweiser is made the hard way. They couldn't even come up with an original name for their swill.

Here's the thing about surreptitiously extolling the virtues of something that doesn't really apply or exist --- until the beer consumer has the truth to compare something to, he will accept the counterfeit.

 

[Homercidal]

I can see both sides here. AB created a kind of craft-brew strawman and made fun of it. And... insamuch as those beer-snob stereotypes actually exist, I tend to agree with their assessment.

The great news is I don't have to buy beechwood-aged cat urine or Quintuple-Hopped, Imperial Siamese Pale Ale.

I'll just brew and drink whatever I darn well please, thank you very much.

But that Quintuple-Hopped Imperial Siamese Pale Ale scored 4.5 and 4.8 on Rate Beer and Beer Advocate respectively!

 

[NickTheGreat]

LOL. The ad is doing exactly what they wanted it to. Guys like me (and most of HBT) isn't going to drink Bud, and the trailer-trash 'Mericans will buy and drink their Belgian beer even more!

Nothing more 'Merican than drinking (European owned) Budweiser and driving your truck (assembled in Mexico)

 

[eric19312]

It was a great commercial.

They are playing to their base who value tradition and identify themselves with the brands they have adopted. They loved Harry Caray who was a "Cubs fan and a Bud man" and the Clydesdales and even dig the idea of drinking the beer their parents drank (they may remember their parents rejecting skunky imported beer). May also have loyalty to a car company (almost for sure an American car company).

Despise their product or not what craft beer company is able to evoke this type of customer response. Nada. Too new and too quickly passed over for the new flavor of the month.

Oh that commercial with the Puppy was also really good and similarly links the product to the tradition.

 

[Photopilot]

This ad makes me want to smash things, and it took me a bit to figure out why. Check out the imagery used for the two camps. For Budweiser it's tough guys, factories, axes chopping wood, big machines, manly ****. For craft beer it's curly mustaches, gentle sniffing, sweaters, khaki pants, tiny drinks.

So basically what they're saying is "Stop being a fag, drink like a man". Which of course is what I was told constantly throughout my early twenties when I didn't want to drink bud. So thanks for the memories Budweiser, go **** yourself.

Funny thing when I saw the beer samplers with beers other than the color of piss, I was thinking they were showing off there plundered microbrew selections not making fun of the microbrew drinking hipsters.

I need to go back and pay attention this time.

 

[GHBWNY]

One thing the big three seem to miss is the desire for 'new-ness'.... We, the craft consumers, thrive on new-ness.

I think that's the essence of 'craft' in craft brewing.

 

[b-boy]

It was a great commercial.

They are playing to their base who value tradition and identify themselves with the brands they have adopted. They loved Harry Caray who was a "Cubs fan and a Bud man" and the Clydesdales and even dig the idea of drinking the beer their parents drank (they may remember their parents rejecting skunky imported beer). May also have loyalty to a car company (almost for sure an American car company).

Despise their product or not what craft beer company is able to evoke this type of customer response. Nada. Too new and too quickly passed over for the new flavor of the month.

Oh that commercial with the Puppy was also really good and similarly links the product to the tradition.

Yep - I thought this commercial was pretty well done.

It was meant to send a message to all the hardcore BMC types out there that it's still Ok to drink your BUD. I'm sure BMC drinkers get pressure to drink craft beers from friends and family. BUD knows this, and is sending a message reinforcing their loyalty. They're not trying to recruit new drinkers, just trying to keep the old ones. They don't care about insulting ex-BUD drinkers. They care about widening the gap between 'cool' (BUD) and 'not cool' (Craft).

Look at the imagery:
*****ey-looking guys with handlebar mustaches drinking craft beer.
Rough, tough, regular guys drinking the BUD.
Trucks, Clydesdales, and women.
MACRO vs micro.
HARD vs soft.

I'm guessing we'll see more of this type of ad. Marketing is an amazing thing.

 

[A2HB]

Hey thanks for breaking that down like you did, I have always wondered what beechwood aging meant

 

[fastengine]

Just a huge company doing buisness with advertising. People are still going to drink what they like, no matter how much money AB spends.

 

[aprichman]

It may just be marketing but it's pretty disingenuous for them to claim their beer is made the hard way. Their brewing process is almost entirely automated whereas craft brewing (especially small setups under 10bbl) require a ton of dirty work and manual labor. I think it's also kind of weird that they are framing Bud drinkers as being "real americans" but the reality is that craft breweries are mostly small businesses that are highly integrated into their communities whereas ABI is being traded on the stock market as we speak.

The thing I hate the most about the commercial however is the "us vs them" attitude. As long as we're able to come together and share a beer it shouldn't matter what's in the glass (although you won't find a bud in my glass any time soon).

 

[lowtones84]

Brewed the hard way? I don't see them hand-cranking a corona mill to crush their malt!

(I do, which makes me better than them )

 

[b-boy]

I don't think HARD actually means it's hard to brew the beer. It's just a buzz word. HARD vs SOFT. If BUD is 'HARD', then craft must be 'SOFT'.

HARD - trucks, women, sports, beer.
SOFT - sweaters, glasses, dainty fruit beer in fancy glasses that you sniff.

As a guy, which would you rather be called?

 

[masaba]

Yep - I thought this commercial was pretty well done.

It was meant to send a message to all the hardcore BMC types out there that it's still Ok to drink your BUD. I'm sure BMC drinkers get pressure to drink craft beers from friends and family. BUD knows this, and is sending a message reinforcing their loyalty. They're not trying to recruit new drinkers, just trying to keep the old ones. They don't care about insulting ex-BUD drinkers. They care about widening the gap between 'cool' (BUD) and 'not cool' (Craft).

Look at the imagery:
*****ey-looking guys with handlebar rmustaches drinking craft beer.
Rough, tough, regular guys drinking the BUD.
Trucks, Clydesdales, and women.
MACRO vs micro.
HARD vs soft.

I'm guessing we'll see more of this type of ad. Marketing is an amazing thing.

This is basically what I meant when I said that I have started to see a lot of BMC drinkers posing - they make a big deal out of the fact that they drink BMC in order to look cool, tough, whatever else. Some craft drinkers do the same - they make a big deal out of the fact that they drink craft beer in order to seem smart, wealthy, etc. Both sides are equally *****ey.

 

[murrahjm]

The thing I hate the most about the commercial however is the "us vs them" attitude. As long as we're able to come together and share a beer it shouldn't matter what's in the glass (although you won't find a bud in my glass any time soon).

Exactly! At the end of the day we're all doing the same thing, drinking beer in a bar or a backyard or whatever. It would have been just as easy to make a commercial extolling the virtues of beer in general and bud in specific. There's too much damn divisiveness in the world today.

 

[drainbamage]

U mad, Bud?

Let's face it, the ad was just done for posturing. They're grasping at straws. They know they aren't going to lose any of our business (because they already have), but they needed to give their core demographic a nice pat on the back and an "attaboy" to reinforce their impression that they're drinking real beer. You don't need to taste your beer...you're a man, dammit!

I didn't take any offense, but then I've never been mistaken for a manly man. If anyone should be offended, it should be the employees at GI, Elysian, etc. who were bought out by AB-InBev and were no-so-subtly told by their overlords that their product is inferior.

 

[GHBWNY]

SOFT - sweaters, glasses, dainty fruit beer in fancy glasses that you sniff.

You forgot flight boards with no "manly" recesses in them. Although, what would a macro-brew company doing a commercial about craft beer tasting know about a flight board? Not that they would care if the dainty little craft flight glasses carried by the craft beer waitress slid off the board en route to the craft beer flight tasting and fell to the craft brewpub floor and broke anyway. Looks like they used someone's frat hazing paddle for a prop.

 

[1977Brewer]

I've seen Louisville slugger flight boards. They were cool as heck. MANLY.

 

[LandoLincoln]

The "made the hard way" slogan is bizzare. I think what they meant is that the Beer of Kings Budweiser is made the hard way. Even their name is lazy.

You think it's EASY to spend tens of millions of dollars hiring grain specialists to examine every single batch of grain that they get, hiring yeast specialists to ensure the yeast is just right, automating a brewery with the very latest in brewing technology, blending batches of beer, all to ensure that the beer coming out tastes EXACTLY THE SAME IT HAS FOR DECADES AND DECADES?

And THEN...THEN you get a bunch of beer-drinkers that simply DO NOT CARE if the beer they drink tastes the same as it did a month ago? These beer drinkers actually go out and FIND BEERS THAT TASTE VASTLY DIFFERENT FROM THE BEER THEY JUST DRANK TWENTY MINUTES AGO? YOU THINK THAT'S EASY?

The craft beer movement is a slap right in the face to the big macrobrewers who have spent decades cultivating brand loyalty.

I'd like to see some craft brewers make a commercial showing how BMC is akin to old-style communism ("You will take the beer we make! You will not worry about enjoying it! You will just drink it! Life is hard! Don't expect to get what you want!") and juxtapose that with the absolute freedom of the craft beer movement. "You want a beer that tastes like a bratwurst? We've got that. You want a beer that tastes like a pumpkin pie? We've got that too. You want a beer that tastes like whatever you want it to taste like? We've got that too. This is AMERICA. You should have more CHOICES than 'light yellow' or 'a darker yellow.'"

 

[ktblunden]

I'd like to see some craft brewers make a commercial showing how BMC is akin to old-style communism ("You will take the beer we make! You will not worry about enjoying it! You will just drink it! Life is hard! Don't expect to get what you want!") and juxtapose that with the absolute freedom of the craft beer movement. "You want a beer that tastes like a bratwurst? We've got that. You want a beer that tastes like a pumpkin pie? We've got that too. You want a beer that tastes like whatever you want it to taste like? We've got that too. This is AMERICA. You should have more CHOICES than 'light yellow' or 'a darker yellow.'"

Someone call Sam Calagione and Greg Koch, I can totally see them doing that.

 

[MyCarHasAbs]

I don't think HARD actually means it's hard to brew the beer. It's just a buzz word. HARD vs SOFT. If BUD is 'HARD', then craft must be 'SOFT'.

HARD - trucks, women, sports, beer.
SOFT - sweaters, glasses, dainty fruit beer in fancy glasses that you sniff.

As a guy, which would you rather be called?

The only thing HARD about their beer is it's HARD to put up to your nose and swallow.

 

[Silentdrinker]

The only thing HARD about their beer is it's HARD to put up to your nose and swallow.

Ya... Their beer insults me more than their commercials.

 

[the_ale_scale]

To me this ad insulted their beer drinkers than it did craft beer drinkers. Implying that they're unintelligent, have no taste, and only care about getting wasted.

 

[Billy-Klubb]

I had one person regurgitate that commercial at me today and I unloaded on him. I really don't give a flocc about their product. I don't like it and I don't drink it. even if it's free. and they can make fun of me sniffing my beer or analyzing the initial taste. that's fine. but for the love of all things barley and hop related, keep your alcohol delivery system sheep out of it! you've been drinking the same brand of beer for 30 years? happy floccin' b-day! it still don't mean you know enough about brewing to tell people how the beer s#!ts on the beechwood.

 

[sompls]

When in doubt (especially in the woods of Northern WI)...this guy will always go with a bud in a bottle. They will always, without a doubt, have it and will most times let me grab a couple for the road. :rockin: