We've written about the local beer wars in the past, the competition for tap handles between the local beer distributors for taps, shelf space and sales. It's long been no secret that, between the distributors and some of the bars, a sense of "Ubi Est Mea" exists. Craft breweries get lost in the shuffle. Unable to compete with what the major breweries can offer a bar, they either lose out on sales or, in the case of Bell's a few years back, pull out of the market altogether. Anat Baron's Beer Wars covers this trend nationally, but she really only scratched the surface. more ›

Earlier this week, we talked about the Cubs erecting a pair of billboards that would block the view of a rooftop on Waveland emblazoned with an ad for the Horseshoe Casino. Most fans remember the rooftop from previous years when it was painted red and featured the Budweiser logo on it. It seems the new chairman for the Cubs, Tom Ricketts wasn't pleased and Cubs spokesman Peter Chase said the team was: "looking to protect our corporate partner family who invest their resources with us to be our official sponsors. It's important that we protect our brand in the marketplace, protect the value of our corporate partners and protect against anyone trying to ambush our brand." Which seems to be a not-so-subtle way of saying, "We're trying to protect Budweiser." The team never had an issue with the large Budweiser rooftop sign, the bleachers at Wrigley are officially sponsored by Bud Light, and, well, we all know what kind of man Harry Caray was. Not that there's anything wrong with that. But what company is expected to become advertisers on the new billboards? According to CBS 2, Budweiser. more ›

Speaking of The Beatles, hats off to Andrew "Fletch" Huff over at Gapers Block (via Coudal) for pointing out this wicked awesome Budweiser ad shot predominantly along the city's Brown Line. It appears as if the ad was shot for European markets, but thanks to the power of YouTube, we can all enjoy it. more ›

The logistics needed to pull off an event as large as Lollapalooza are enormous. Accommodating the needs of what amounts to a small town within a city take months of preparation. For those vendors and sponsors lucky enough to be able to do business within the gates it also makes for invaluable advertising. more ›

Robert Evans, 5, died Thursday night after falling into Jackson Park Harbor. [Trib, S-T] more ›

From Brew Blog comes word of a new "American ale" being readied for market in the fall by Anheuser Busch. "Budweiser American Ale defines a new style of ale – the American Ale – created by Anheuser-Busch brewmasters to deliver robust ale taste that’s full-bodied, but not too heavy nor too bitter.” more ›