Budweiser is attempting once again to enter the German beer market at a challenging time for American brands. The setting was Berlin’s Olympic Stadium, a venue where a half-liter of beer is priced around $5 on game days. On a cold January evening, Hertha Berlin soccer fans queued to purchase beer, only to discover it was not the usual German brew they expected.
The stadium had swapped its local beer, Beck’s, for Budweiser, an American import. This shift caught fans off guard, as they wondered why an American mass-market lager was featured at a German soccer match. Moreover, Budweiser was being sold under the label “Anheuser-Busch Bud” instead of its more recognizable American name.
Amid global challenges for American products, the parent company of Budweiser, AB InBev, seems to view this as a strategic move in one of the largest beer markets worldwide. Since 2008, AB InBev, a Belgian multinational, has owned American Budweiser and also owns Beck’s.
Despite inquiries, representatives from AB InBev offered limited responses regarding this third attempt to position Bud in the German market. An image of Beck’s brewery located in Bremen, Germany underscores this connection.