Beer giant Budweiser has gotten a lot of flack for its “Brewed The Hard Way" Super Bowl ad, which some brewers charge takes a dig at craft beer drinkers --even as Budweiser’s parent company continues to buy smaller breweries. “It’s brewed for drinking not dissecting,” the spot proclaims of its "macro" brew while hipsters sip brews from tiny glasses. The tag line on the ad is: "Let them sip their pumpkin peach ale. We'll be brewing us some golden suds.'' But Abita Brewing Co., a Louisiana based microbrewery, is firing back with a spot of its own. "We're not a dog and pony show,'' reads the Abita video ad copy, over a backdrop of pint beer glasses. "We're Louisiana. Proudly American-owned. Yeah, we made a pumpkin peach beer. And it was good. Damn good.'' The Times-Picayune went to Abita to talk to patrons about what they really think of Budweiser versus craft beer. But instead of talking trash, Abita fans pretty much just confirmed what most of America already know: People who like craft beer are just regular people who like beer. And Bud is basically for people who want to get drunk without really tasting what they’re consuming. “I...
The Abita Brewing Company is proud to announce their craft-brewed root beer will now be available in cans. The naturally caffeine-free root beer that’s made with pure Louisiana cane sugar will soon be available in cans for the very first time. “Ever since we launched Abita beer in cans, people have been asking for our root beer in cans too,” said David Blossman, president of Abita Beer. “It’s the same great old-fashioned root beer you’ve loved for years, but now you can get it in portable, recyclable 12-pack aluminum cans. Abita root beer fans can bring it along to their next picnic, soccer game or pack it in their lunchbox.” Abita root beer will also continue to be sold in six-pack glass bottles. Abita has been craft brewing their root beer for over 20 years. The drink is made with herbs, vanilla and yucca (which creates the foam), and it is sweetened with Louisiana sugar cane rather than the corn syrups that are the standard of the large soft-drink makers. The root beer is hot brewed rather than cold mixed, and there’s no caffeine – it would have to be artificially added to the soft drink, and that’s not the...