ST. LOUIS -- Anheuser-Busch is rolling out a brand extension of its flagship this fall called Budweiser American Ale, according to a report in AdAge.
Scheduled to launch Oct. 6, the product will be a darker, richer beer than Budweiser lager, said Marlene Coulis, A-B's vice president of consumer strategy and innovation.
The move comes weeks after rival Miller Brewing Co., Milwaukee, rolled out the three-label Miller Lite Brewers Collection, a group of craft-style beers under the Miller Lite brand umbrella.
But Coulis said A-B's Michelob brand family, which has been spinning [image-nocss] off new craft styles for more than a decade, was the real model for the new brew, which is designed to help the King of Beers ride a trend of consumer preferences favoring imports and crafts over macrobrews.
"Michelob was a perfect model for this," she said. "Obviously seeing the growth that's occurred in craft and micros, it's a perfect opportunity for us."
It wasn't clear if Budweiser American Ale would be receiving advertising support, or who would be making the ads if it did, according to the report.
Coulis said such brand extensions would help strengthen the core brands by bringing new drinkers to the Budweiser brand family. "We believe this will positively reflect on Budweiser," she said. "It'll help us reach a whole new set of consumers."
Coulis said she wasn't yet able to discuss the scale of the launch.
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