Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Have a Few Brewskis



Anheuser-Busch is one of the world's largest brewing companies and by far the biggest in the US., Its headquarters is in St. Louis. The picture above is the huge brewery here. Their corporate offices are adjacent.

These people know marketing and want to stuff their products into your brain and down your throat. Many of you around the world are hit with
advertising for Budweiser. (Click this link to see one of their time-tested techniques.) In some EC countries, they have to sell it as Bud because of the never-ending trademark battle with the Czech Republic's Budějovice Budweiser, or Budvar.

A-B's marketing is inescapable in this country. I went to the Cardinals' baseball game last night at Busch Stadium (yes, as in Anheuser-Busch; the Busch family has run the business for generations). Their trademarks are everywhere. You can't go a day in the US without seeing their ads dozens of times unless you hole up in the wilderness. When you return, it will be one of the first things you see, right next to Coca-Cola.

I drink beer occasionally but I don't like Budweiser. It tastes slightly sweet and cloying to me. When I do drink beer, I prefer Mexico's Pacifico (which, ironically, is half owned by A-B) or another Czech beer, Staropramen. I hate to say this because I adore the country, but I think the worst beer I've ever tasted is Argentina's Quilmes. To my palate, it's flat and bland with a bit of a soapy taste.

What's your favorite beer? What would you never drink again?

TOMORROW: Thursday Arch Series

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Funny, I thought their headquarters was in Milwaukee.

As for my favorite brand, I don't really have one. Actually, I couldn't stand beer at all until I went on a tour of the Heinekin brewery in Amsterdam and tasted the freshly-made brew (which, by the way, was nothing like the Heinekin beer sold in the U.S.).

I was astonished -- I loved it! That was when I learned that I can like beer, but only when it is fresh, clean & hoppy.

By the way, the "tour the brewery and fall in love with the brew" strategy didn't work when I went to Dublin. I toured the Guiness Brewery and absolutely hated the stuff they produced. At the end of the tour, they pour as much as you want for free and I couldn't manage to down more than a sip.

Pat said...

Really interesting. I don't care for the taste of beer though so can't answer your question! ;)

We have a guest's photo in the Guelph blog today!

My PAD and
Guelph Daily Photo

Anonymous said...

I have to say that any beer apart from Bud, Miller, Coors etc, but then I'm European. Ale of course is a different animal from these lager type beers, but for the lager type beers German ones are difficult to beat, but I'd also go along with Czech brands like the original Budvar and Staropramen.
South American beers, so trendy and overpriced over here - the beers everyone drinks over there because it's cheaper than water