Beer is becoming very patriotic this summer. Anheuser-Busch announced on Tuesday that it will replace the Budweiser logo with “America” on its cans and bottles.
The move is part of a marketing campaign called "America in Your Hands." The cans and bottles will aim to inspire drinkers to celebrate America and Budweiser’s shared values of freedom and authenticity. The America cans and bottles will hit the shelves May 23 and be available through the November election. Budweiser will feature the America beer at events on the Fourth of July, at the Copa America Centenario soccer tournament, the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service and the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio, according to ABC News.
"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, AdWeek notes, "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."
Budweiser has had American-themed cans in the past. Those cans have had the American flag and the Statue of Liberty on them. This year the cans and bottles will have lines from the Pledge of Allegiance and lyrics from "The Star Spangled Banner" on them, according to USA Today.
Budweiser’s famous creed has been changed to include phrases from, not only, the Pledge of Allegiance and the "The Star Spangled Banner," but also "This Land is Your Land" and "America the Beautiful." TV ads featuring the new packaging will start airing on June 1.