USA: Pressing its "born-on dating" to the max, Anheuser-Busch has brewed up a promotion to tout freshness by offering certain Budweiser and Bud Light drinkers the chance to sample the beer the same day it was packaged, News Tribune posted on April 9. The world's largest brewer announced the promotion this week, tapping April as "Freshness Month." As part of the effort, the St. Louis-based company said trucks will pick up Budweiser and Bud Light packaged that morning at Anheuser-Busch breweries, then deliver it to wholesalers to hustle to certain eateries and retailers for sale to consumers those evenings.

Such "freshness days" will be scattered throughout the year across the country. Though it takes about a month to brew Budweiser and Bud Light, Anheuser-Busch says the beer as promoted will be packaged, shipped, delivered and served within 18 to 20 hours. That's a fraction of the 35-day span between the time Budweiser or Bud Light is packaged to when it typically is bought by a consumer.

The message: Unlike fine wine, beer may not taste better with time. It's all about new brew. "We're really doing it to make the point that fresh beer tastes better," said Tom Shipley, Budweiser brand manager. "Some consumers don't realize that beer is a food product. Some wines do get better with age, but beer is different. Beer tastes best when it's fresh, and we're always thinking of new ways to communicate that to consumers."


The company also plans to offer same-day-packaged Budweiser and Bud Light on certain Fridays and Saturdays this month at its tour centers at breweries in St. Louis; Merrimack, N.H.; Jacksonville, Fla.; Fort Collins, Colo.; and Fairfield, Calif.

Anheuser-Busch introduced the consumer-friendly "Born On" date coding in September 1996, noting on each bottle or can the date the beer was brewed. On such packaging, the company touts that Budweiser and Bud Light are at their peak freshness and taste within 110 days from the "Born On" date.

Jim Dorsch, editor of the quarterly trade magazine American Brewer, applauded the move, saying that "people need to be aware of freshness issues when it comes to beer, and this brings that to the fore."

"Freshness is always good in beer; there is a difference," he said, adding that Anheuser-Busch appears to be taking advantage of its national breadth of breweries to press the promotion. "It's something they can quite easily do."

Molly Reilley, a Miller Brewing Co. spokeswoman, declined to discuss Anheuser-Busch's same-day effort, saying that Milwaukee-based brewer generally does not discuss competitors' promotions. Messages left with Adolph Coors Co., based in Golden, Colo., were not returned.

The promotion is the latest by Anheuser-Busch as it looks to blunt a surge by rival Miller. Last month, Anheuser-Busch -- eager to woo weight-conscious drinkers -- launched a marketing effort touting all light beers as a tasty, carb-friendly alternative.

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