King Of Beers gets new crown
By Canadian Packaging Staff
GeneralBudweiser to unveil new beer brand on January 21, 2013 with the first TV spot to be shown during Super Bowl.
ST. LOUIS—It started with a bold experiment. A year ago, leading American brewer Anheuser-Busch InBev, owner of the Budweiser brand, asked its 12 brewmasters to envision their own unique version of one of the world’s most iconic beers. After 12 recipes, six beers brewed for national sampling, and 25,000 opinions, the experiment has resulted in a new golden amber lager based on the voice of the people: Budweiser Black Crown.
The winning recipe from Budweiser’s “Project 12” is now a new brand available for purchase starting Monday, Jan. 21. In suitable fashion for the self-proclaimed ‘King of Beers’, Budweiser says its Black Crown will official make its advertising debut during a 30-second television commercial airing during Superbowl XLVII (47) on February 3, 2012.
With a blend of two-row caramel malt and four types of domestic hops, Budweiser Black Crown is finished on a bed of Beechwood chips for a smooth, balanced taste. Incorporating the proprietary yeast directly descended from the original Budweiser yeast strain used by Adolphus Busch in 1876, Budweiser Black Crown retains the key characteristics of Budweiser with its clean taste and high drinkability. Featuring more body, color and hop character than the flagship lager, it also has a slightly higher alcohol content at 6% ABV. Yay!
The Budweiser Black Crown recipe was the creation of Los Angeles brewmaster Bryan Sullivan and was the crowd favorite among the more than 25,000 adult drinkers from across the U.S. who participated in the brand’s Project 12 sampling initiative.
“It didn’t matter where in the United States we asked, this is the beer that consistently drew the best feedback, and overwhelmingly so,” says Budweiser vice-president Rob McCarthy.
During the process that led to Budweiser Black Crown, Sullivan and his fellow Budweiser brewmasters personally sampled the beer with consumers to get their direct feedback. Sullivan collaborated with Fairfield, Calif., brewmaster Scott Ungermann and Houston brewmaster Dave Cohen to perfect the recipe.
“People respond really well to Budweiser Black Crown, which has a little more body and color and a touch more hop character than our flagship Budweiser lager,” explains Sullivan, who heard from beer drinkers during a sampling program at the Budweiser Made in America music festival over the 2012 Labor Day weekend in Philadelphia. “As brewmasters we spend most of our time in the brewhouse. Project 12 gave us a chance to hear firsthand from the people we brew our beers for. Budweiser Black Crown is a great beer and it is a thrill for our whole brewing team to see it launch with a Super Bowl spot.”
The beer will be sold nationwide in 12-ounce glass bottles available in six- and 12-packs and in 22-ounce single bottles. While not officially stated, it’s a good bet the beer will be available immediately in Canada, as well.
The packaging for Budweiser Black Crown is distinctive and modern, with the crown “design cues” on the bottle and secondary packaging a nod to the history and heritage of Budweiser, McCarthy said.
McCarthy said Budweiser Black Crown will debut a TV spot during the Super Bowl XLVII broadcast. “We’ve set our sales-to-retailers date for Jan. 21 so we’re fully ready for sales on Super Bowl Sunday,” McCarthy said.
In 2012, during the Superbowl, Budweiser debuted the Bud Light Platinum beer to much fanfare and sales. Budweiser looks to exceed that success with the Black Crown beer.
The beer’s national advertising campaign also includes outdoor, digital, radio and print. In social media, the new brand will have interactive consumer programs on Facebook and Twitter that are designed to be participatory, similar in spirit to when consumers were asked to help choose the recipe that would ultimately become Budweiser Black Crown.
Nate Scudieri, senior brand manager for Budweiser Black Crown, says the beer is, like Budweiser, very refreshing and appealing to a large base of beer drinkers.
“Our research shows that after beer drinkers try Budweiser Black Crown, 84 percent would purchase it,” Scudieri said. “It stays true to the original Budweiser recipe but has its own unique take. It’s flavorful, smooth and highly drinkable.”
Budweiser Black Crown is brewed at Anheuser-Busch’s state-of-the art breweries in St. Louis, Los Angeles, Columbus, OH and Williamsburg, VA.
For more information on Budweiser Black Crown, visit www.budweiser.com/blackcrown.
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