Start-ups Tap the Passion for Beer Pong

New beer comes amid slumping sales for Anheuser-Busch

(NEWSER) - Tastes great, less filling, and more intoxicating? Anheuser-Busch is rolling out what the LA Times calls a "long-germinating beer concept" that it hopes is all that and a bag of chips. Dubbed Bud Light Platinum, the beer will have a robust 6% alcohol by volume, 137 calories, and an eye clearly on the burgeoning craft beer industry. Regular Bud Light has 4.2% ABV and 110 calories, while Bud sports 5% and 145 calories. More»

Craft beer demand is surging, in some cases beyond capacity

(NEWSER) - Chicago-based brewing company Goose Island will be taken over by Anheuser-Busch, the companies announced today. Goose Island beers are "the hometown pride of Chicagoans,” says Anheuser-Busch's president in a statement; in particular, the company is known for its 312 Urban Wheat Ale. Anheuser-Busch will buy a 58% stake in Goose Island for $22.5 million, plus it will acquire the Craft Brewers Alliance's 42% stake for $16.3 million, Chicago Breaking Business reports. More»

(NEWSER) - The nation’s largest brewers plan to raise beer prices in the fall, the Wall Street Journal reports. Anheuser-Busch InBev—maker of Budweiser—and MillerCoors will further test the notion that beer is generally recession-proof. “The environment is very favorable, we think,” says an Anheuser exec. Both companies have been able to offset sales slumps by raising prices in the last year. More»

(NEWSER) - Bud Light is rolling out cans in the colors of the nation's big colleges just in time for football season—and that has some schools fuming, the Wall Street Journal reports. Colleges worried about binge drinking think they'll be seen as sponsors of the “Fan Cans” campaign, which boasts 27 different color schemes and begins this month. “Show your true colors with Bud Light,” says the campaign, adding that the cans are "made for gameday." More»

Natural Light, Busch, High Life see sales jump

(NEWSER) - With the recession drying up cash flow, thirsty Americans are seeking out “sub-premium” beers, and brewers are marketing accordingly, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. Anheuser-Busch is creating its first-ever ad campaign for Natural Light, whose sales are up 4% this year; MillerCoors is pushing Miller High Life, whose sales have risen 1.6%. More»