US beer icon Budweiser to rename itself 'America', for a while

Washington: Not content with being the most popular beer brand in the United States, Budweiser is going a step further, renaming itself "America".

In an unabashed paean to patriotism during the election year, bottles and cans of Bud will sport "America" on the front together with popular national slogans "to inspire drinkers to celebrate America and Budweiser's shared values of freedom and authenticity," the brewer said.

It won't be a permanent move: the rebranding will span the presidential election campaign, starting on May 23 and running to the national vote on November 8.

It is an adventurous move for one of the world's most recognizable brands, owned by the Belgium-based global beer giant AB InBev.

But Budweiser and other US brewers have never shied from wrapping themselves in the US flag.

"Budweiser's bold new look serves as the focal point for its summer-long campaign -- 'America is in Your Hands' -- which reminds people from sea to shining sea to embrace the optimism upon which the country was first built," the company said.