Budweiser Changed Its Name to Simply 'America'

Courtesy of Budweiser
Courtesy of Budweiser

When you grab a Budweiser out of a BBQ cooler this summer, you'll be holding an ice-cold can of America. No, really -- that's what the sudsy stuff is called now.

That's right: Budweiser, the self-anointed "King of beers," is changing its name to America. In fact, the beer company revealed sweeping plans on Tuesday to take its patriotic promotional packaging to a startling new level, by completely replacing its name with "America" on its 12oz cans and bottles of beer this summer. And instead of its slogan and other branding, the cans will feature phrases from American history, such as lines from the Pledge of Allegiance and "The Star Spangled Banner." So, uh, good luck suppressing your urge to chant U-S-A, U-S-A, U-S-A after having a few.

“We are embarking on what should be the most patriotic summer that this generation has ever seen, with Copa America Centenario being held on U.S. soil for the first time, Team USA competing at the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games,” Ricardo Marques, vice president of Budweiser, said in a statement. “Budweiser has always strived to embody America in a bottle, and we’re honored to salute this great nation where our beer has been passionately brewed for the past 140 years.”

The rebranded beers will arrive on store shelves and convenience store cold cases near you on May 23rd and will stick around through the General Election this November. Judging by how the political process has played out so far, you're probably going to need as many beers as you can get your hands on, right? Come November 8th, you might just have to pour an America out for America.

Here's what the bottles will look like:

Courtesy of Budweiser


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Tony Merevick is Cities News Editor at Thrillist and can't wait to drink all the Americas this summer... Send news tips to news@thrillist.com and follow him on Twitter @tonymerevick.