Budweiser Renames Itself 'America' to Inspire Drinkers

What could be more American than standing in a backyard at a barbecue while holding a beer on the Memorial Day weekend in the United States? Budweiser thinks it has the answer: Holding a beer called America.

The brewer said on Tuesday it is renaming its eponymous Budweiser brew as "America" starting May 23 and through to the presidential election in November in an effort to "inspire drinkers to celebrate America."

The temporary renaming, to be accompanied by cans and bottles adorned with U.S. icons such as the Statue of Liberty, phrases from the Pledge of Allegiance and lyrics from "America the Beautiful" and "The Star Spangled Banner," also coincides with the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The marketing effort sent both Budweiser and "America" trending on Twitter in the U.S. Tuesday, with social media users reacting in befuddlement and amusement.

"Pretty cheeky for Budweiser to rename its beer 'America' considering it's now a Belgian company," tweeted T.C. Sottek (@chillmage), the managing editor of technology news site Verge.

Budweiser is owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev, a company headquartered in Belgium.

"'No officer I am not drunk, I've only had 15 Americas. Are you really going to arrest me for enjoying some nice cold freedom?' @Budweiser," tweeted Meme (@ArturoChaidez).

(Reporting By Amy Tennery; Editing by Alan Crosby)