Bud Light Toasts Luck of the Irish With Shamrock Green Aluminum Bottle

Bud Light Continues Trend of Innovative Packaging With Special St. Patrick's Day Bottle.

09/03/06 ST. LOUIS -- If you enjoy "wearing the green" on St. Patrick's Day, Bud Light has another reason for you to celebrate. Just in time for St. Patty's Day, Bud Light has introduced a cool new green aluminum bottle decorated with shamrocks in honor of the March 17 holiday.

The 16-ounce bottles will be available at select bars, restaurants and convenience stores across the country for a limited time.

"What better way to celebrate a toast with friends and family this St. Patrick's Day than with a cool shamrock green aluminum bottle of Bud Light," said Rick Leininger, director of marketing, Bud Light, Anheuser-Busch, Inc. "This is another fun and innovative package that we think beer drinkers will enjoy."

Known for its creative packaging, Anheuser-Busch continues to bring new options to beer drinkers. Recent new packages include:

-- Aluminum bottles - Anheuser-Busch debuted the aluminum bottles last year for Bud Light, Budweiser, Budweiser Select, Anheuser World Lager, Michelob and Michelob Light. Demand for the aluminum bottles is so high that capacity was doubled for this package. Bud Light aluminum bottles are now printed with ultra violet (UV) ink which gives them a glowing effect in bars that feature ultra violet lighting. In addition to the St. Patrick's Day aluminum bottle, specialty Bud Light UV aluminum bottles have been created for events such as Halloween, the NBA All-Star Game and Bud Light Maxim parties across the country.

-- Shrink wrap bottles - This technology has been used for a variety of promotional occasions such as the 7-ounce festive bottle featuring six different designs to celebrate the winter holiday months, a winter ski resort bottle and the upcoming summer beach resort package in appropriate markets. In addition, Bud Light is using this package to celebrate special events such as Fiesta in San Antonio, a rodeo themed bottle in Texas, the Bud Bowl in Detroit, March to the Championship, and the FIFA World Cup.

-- Applied plastic labels (APL) - Bud Light introduced the new clear label in 2004 to reinforce the brand's fun and social image. After much success, the Bud Light logo on the APL bottle has been enhanced with more color and the new bottles are rolling out now.

In addition to the St. Patrick's Day packaging, Anheuser-Busch and its nationwide network of wholesalers, along with local retailers, also will be promoting responsible drinking and encouraging the use of designated drivers for the holiday. This includes point-of-sale materials that remind adults to "Do The Ride Thing," plus "Kiss Me, I'm the Designated Driver" consumer stickers to recognize those providing safe rides home. Wholesalers also may offer the Alert Cab program to provide free cab rides home for bar and restaurant patrons who may have overindulged.