Anheuser-Busch to unveil Budweiser Black Crown

Budweiser Black Crown beer / Anheuser-Busch/PRNewsFoto

ST. LOUIS Anheuser-Busch InBev (BUD) said Tuesday that is introducing a new specialty beer - an amber lager with a higher alcohol content - and will promote its new brew with a Super Bowl ad.

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The maker of Budweiser, Bud Light and other brews will launch Budweiser Black Crown with a 30-second ad on Feb. 3 during Super Bowl 47, though the beer will be available in stores nationwide starting Jan. 21. It will be sold in 12-ounce glass bottles in six- and 12-packs, and in 22-ounce single bottles.

The maker of Budweiser, Bud Light and other brews said Tuesday that Budweiser Black Crown is an amber lager. The first ad promoting it will run on Feb. 3 during Super Bowl 47, though the beer will be available in stores nationwide starting Jan. 21.

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The launch comes a year after Anheuser-Busch InBev introduced Bud Light Platinum, another specialty beer, during the 2012 Super Bowl. Like Budweiser Black Crown, Bud Light Platinum has an alcohol content of 6 percent - Budweiser's is 5 percent.

Benj Steinman, editor of Beer Marketer's Insights, said Anheuser-Busch InBev is seeking to compete with the large variety of specialty products now on the market. Though Budweiser outsells its four nearest competitors combined in what is known as the "premium regular beer" market, that market isn't what it used to be.

"Budweiser peaked at 50 million barrels in 1988 - it's only about one-third of that at this point," Steinman said. "There's a constant desire among beer consumers these days for innovation, flavor, variety. That's why cocktails and spirits have gained strength."

Black Crown's recipe resulted from a challenge to Anheuser-Busch InBev's 12 brewmasters -- an effort dubbed "Project 12," the company said. The brewmasters crafted six beers, which customers sampled last year during a testing phase. The winning recipe came from Bryan Sullivan, a brewmaster in Los Angeles, and was the crowd favorite among the more than 25,000 adult drinkers who participated in the project's sampling initiative.

"As brewmasters we spend most of our time in the brewhouse," Sullivan said. "Project 12 gave us a chance to hear firsthand from the people we brew our beers for."

Company officials said Budweiser Black Crown blends two-row caramel malt with four types of domestic hops, finished on a bed of Beechwood chips. "It stays true to the original Budweiser recipe but has its own unique take," said Budweiser Black Crown's senior brand manager, Nate Scudieri.

In addition to the 30-second Super Bowl spot, national advertising will include billboards, digital, radio and print, along with social media.

Benj Steinman is editor of Beer Marketer's Insights. He says Anheuser-Busch InBev is trying to compete with the large variety of specialty products now on the market.

Black Crown has 6 percent alcohol content, roughly 1 percent more than Budweiser.

[simkatu]

I was hoping it was a beer marketed to black people, like King Cobra! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqT0TWMeb54

[vegasrobert]

anchor steam is my favorite or a sierra nevada

[rwsmith29456]

Bud has sold out..... give me plain old long necks.

[desert_druid]

If Budweiser wants to compete with the "specialty beers," then it's not alcohol content they need to focus on with the advertising - it's improved flavor... and variety.

[technocoffee]

American beer is wimpy, it's about time it grew a pair...

[TimeToRetire]

If alcohol content makes a man, then drink liquor. Better yet, drink pure grain ethanol.

Black Crown having a percentage point more alcohol content than Budweiser means that it actually has 20% more alcohol.

[TimeToRetire]

Beer is like any other food. If it tastes good, then the brewer must have put chemicals in it, flavoring, to get return customers. If you want beer, drink beer, not some some concocted solution to your taste buds. I always like a steak with nothing on it, just the meat. I don't steak sauce, pepper, salt, etc.

[east_coast1]

I can not believe that it took them this long to realize that they needed to produce a beer that doesn't taste like water. Everyone in that Exec board room should be canned........ Or bottled as the case may be.

[bobbychuckles]

If it still tastes like 'Bud' it's going to be rubbish.

[maz_beachbum]

I'll stick to Pacifico, if you do not mind.