Barfing Bud in 2005

My purpose as a consumer is to try the new products. That’s what I do. I’m a sucker for the new product. If Wendy’s comes out with a new burger, I’ll try it. If Sara Lee has new bread product, I’ll test it out. That’s who I am. So, when I read about Budweiser’s new “B-E” beverage in the Wall Street Journal, I knew I’d drink it. Tonight I did. The front of the can says, “Beer with Caffeine, Ginsing and Guarana Extract and Natural Flavor 6.6% Alc. Vol.” That’s right. It’s beer with caffeine. It comes in a 4-pack of 10 oz. cans. I bought a pack and drank one can. The taste is predictable: 1 part Budweiser and 1 part sugar-free Red Bull. It’s atrocious. It’s gagging. It’s the worst tasting beverage ever. It’s nasty beyond words. The real riddle is this: Budweiser must have run extensive focus groups prior to the release of this product, so how did it survive a cost-benefit analysis? This product is a miracle of market analysis gone completely insane. Apparently, market-driven economics are not infallible. If you disagree, take a long pull off a Budweiser B-E. Tomorrow I'm going to experience a whole new incarnation of 'Bud Butt' when I give birth to my morning turd.