On Saturday, I decided to stop by my friendly Citgo to pick up a case of beer — a little something to help numb the pain of watching the Cavs get slaughted by the Houston Rockets.
As I reach into the cooler to grab my faithful 12-pack of Miller Lite, I look to my right and notice the odd new Busch packaging — hunting camo set behind a bright orange Busch logo. It appears that Busch is currently marketing itself as thee beer among hunters. They’ve even got promotional camoflauge-colored gun cases to match their camo beer cozies.
This was slightly disturbing. After all, I’d always assumed that guns and booze weren’t such a good match. In fact, it’s probably the only thing the NRA and I agree on (see NRA rule No. 6: “Never use alcohol or over-the-counter, prescription or other drugs before or while shooting”).
I did a quick Google search today to discover that I’m not the only one disturbed by this latest marketing gimmick. Check out this news item on Realbeer.com. (
A Busch spokesman actually said he figured the link between beer and hunting was “just natural.”
— Denise Grollmus
This article appears in Dec 6-12, 2006.
There is nothing quite like killing a white-tailed deer after drinking about 7 Busch beers. After 8 beers I can no longer aim, so 7 is the sweet spot. Once I drank 11 Busch beers and I mistook my cousin for a bear. He is still really pissed about that.
When the deer has been shot, I drink the remaining 5 beers in celebration as I field-dress the animal. The smell of Busch blends nicely with the aroma of the animals intestinal contents. It’s an earthy stench, and it really allows the hunter to connect with nature.
A little known fact about Busch beer is that it masks one’s smell as a human being. As every drinker knows, beer makes one urinate copiously. I urinate with abandon from my tree-stand as I gulp down the delicious Busch beers. It seems to attract the deer. I’m sure their tiny brains figure that the smell can in no way be emanating from a living source. I’ve noticed it also attracts skunks, but that may be coincidence.
Time passes quickly in the woods when you have a camo 12 pack of Busch beer as your partner. It’s simple math. Hunting + Busch beer = manly good times.