What does the B.B. stand for in B.B. Bürgerbraü? I think you’ll be surprised to hear the answer to that one. Watch the video and find out.
Actually, I don’t explain it in the video at all, I was just hoping you’d watch it. I like this video. Sam and I are having fun with it. What’s behind the B.B. in B.B. Bürgerbraü?
Budweiser Bier
If you think that name looks similar to our American adjunct lager-creating friends, you’re exactly right. There was a lawsuit filed fifteen years ago by the former Anheuser-Busch to extend naming rights exclusively throughout the European Union. They were shot down for a couple of reasons, the most obvious being that B.B. Bürgerbraü’s copyright claim is older than Anheuser-Busch’s. You can see on the American label that there is no mention of the word “Budweiser.”
A lawsuit was avoided recently in American beer where a beer company called for the name change of another brewery’s beer and surely increased sales of both. I don’t know why more breweries don’t willingly flaunt copyright for a short term sales gain and increased marketability. Hasn’t anyone ever read the Kodamatic Instant Camera case study? If my memory suits me, Kodak projected their sales on the quite obvious rip-off of Polaroid’s Instant cameras (the Kodamatic, The Handle, and the Colorburst) and decided that they would make more money flaunting the copyright and paying the legal fees and damages than not entering the market. I’m not entirely sure if the “making more money” part was the deciding factor; I’m sure erosion of Polaroid’s market share/weakening of that company’s best-selling item was a big part of the decision.
Either way, why not give it a shot and see what happens? Have a Budweiser for me the next time you’re in the EU.
Just The Facts
Appearance: Clear gold, pillowy white head
Smell: Bready, Dry spice
Taste: Like a PILS!
Mouthfeel: Light bodied, medium carbonation
Drinkability: Smooth as a baby’s bottom
If you like this, you might like:
Budweiser ;-)
