Budweiser wants to change its name to something ridiculous

Budweiser has been at the heart of US beer drinking since 1876, but did you know that it was part-founded by a German?

Mr Adolphus Busch settled in St. Louis, Missouri back in 1857, establishing the Anheuser-Busch Company with his father-in-law, and together they launched Budweiser, a revolutionary light lager, inspired by the brewing techniques of České Budějovice in the Czech Republic - a place also known as Budweis.

In subsequent years, however, the beer has become synonymous with all things starry and striped, surviving the Prohibition era and flourishing towards the end of the Twentieth Century, before being taken in European hands in 2008, when it merged with InBev, a company headquarted in Belgium.

However, clearly it's missing its old stomping ground, if the latest plans are to be believed.

Budweiser is apparently planning to - at least temporarily - rename itself, simply: 'America'.

According to a filing with the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, it has sought approval for new labels, which also include phrases such as "E Pluribus Unum" (the motto of the United States), "from the redwood forest to the Gulf stream waters this land was made for you and me," and "indivisible since 1776." It has since confirmed that the new labels will be present from 23 May through to election season in November.

In a recent interview, Anheuser-Busch InBev US Marketing VP Jorn Socquet hinted that the brand would utilise the forthcoming Olympics and Copa America football tournament - being held in the US - in their plans. He said, "You have this wave of patriotism that is going to go up and down throughout the summertime. And we found with Budweiser such a beautiful angle to play on that sentiment." 

If this isn't the official music for the marketing campaign, then we'll be sorely disappointed.