Earlier this year, people were upset that Anheuser-Busch InBev (Budweiser’s parent company) decided to take shots at craft beer—and more specifically, Pumpkin Peach ale—with its “Brewed The Hard Way” Super Bowl ad.
The weirdest part of AB InBev pissing off craft beer fans with its Super Bowl spot: In an attempt to catch up with the evolving tastes of America’s beer drinkers, AB has purchased a number of high-profile craft breweries recently. The multi-million dollar commercial ran just a few days after AB purchased Elysian brewery, which brews its own peach pumpkin ale.
But it appears that Anheuser-Busch’s marketing team has forgotten—or completely ignored—the backlash that resulted from the Super Bowl pumpkin peach fiasco.
https://twitter.com/Budweiser/status/619595006521663488
Looks like AB thought it would be a good idea to step on another craft brewery’s toes, and alienate craft beer fans once again. To basically everyone who likes craft beer and has a Twitter account, this appears to be a direct dig at 21st Amendment Brewery and its Hell or High Watermelon Wheat Beer.
Many are wondering why AB is choosing to attack (and thus alienate) craft-beer drinkers, if those are the consumers Anheuser has been trying to keep or win back. Twitter responded to Budweiser’s haterade, showing their support for 21st Amendment and craft beer in general:
https://twitter.com/ggreap/status/620035666018045954
https://twitter.com/NCBeerLawyer/status/620008368942546944
https://twitter.com/NCBeerLawyer/status/620010427142041601
https://twitter.com/majog3/status/620011215004135424
https://twitter.com/bmurph83/status/620036223256670209
https://twitter.com/JohnQHockey/status/620042663010512896
[via Beer Street Journal]