The Black Crown Affair

During the Super Bowl, I caught the commercial for Budweiser Black Crown, “our kind of beer, the golden amber lager to match our night.” In other words, this is really good beer and you should drink it, which is fine by me. But then why would I ever want to go back to drinking plain old Budweiser? When I’m not looking for my kind of beer? When a golden amber lager is suddenly not my thing? The same goes for Beck’s Sapphire—you see, sapphire hops are better than regular hops. But maybe there are days when you just want something mediocre, so keep away from this flavorful quaff. (And why is there a red ruby on the bottle instead of a blue sapphire?)

Not that we should be surprised by all of this. After all, this is the same company that came up with Tequiza, Bud Light Lime-A-Rita, and the Budweiser & Clamato Chelada. Aside from the BusinessWeek profile of AB InBev owner Carlos Brito, I also recommend Steve Pearlstine’s analysis in the Washington Post of AB InBev’s attempted takeover of Grupo Modelo (which includes Corona) and the Justice Department’s efforts to stop it. You may not agree with Pearlstine’s take but it’s nonetheless informative.

And how come I never get invited to these parties?

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