Anheuser-Busch gives new punch to old beer brands

Two new beers rolling off Anheuser-Busch’s production lines in St. Louis carry brand names with a familiar ring. Tapping into the power of the Budweiser and Beck’s names, A-B is offering variations that have higher-alcohol content: Budweiser Black Crown and Beck’s Sapphire. The brewer is betting that the flavor variations with higher alcohol content and new designs will boost the two brand families’ allure among U.S. drinkers. “We have American iconic brands and brands that have been part of the brewing tradition going back 800 years,” Paul Chibe, A-B’s president of U.S. marketing, told the St.