USA: Miller blasts Anheuser-Busch for altering Bud Light

Miller Brewing Co. has launched an attack against its chief rival, Anheuser-Busch Cos., after the St. Louis beer brewer admitted that it had altered the formula for Bud Light on several occasions, The Business Journal of Milwaukee reported on April 28, 2006.

The admission comes after repeated denials by Anheuser-Busch management that the brewer hadn't changed the recipe for its beers.

Milwaukee-based Miller ran a full-page newspaper advertisement in Friday's edition of USA Today accusing Anheuser-Busch of lying when it previously dismissed claims that it had altered the formula of its beers, including top-selling Bud Light.

Miller's advertising campaigns for Miller Lite, which has experienced steady growth since 2003, had proclaimed that the beer has more taste than Bud Light.

A Wall Street Journal article earlier April 28 included statements from Anheuser-Busch's brewmaster Douglas Muhleman and chairman August Busch III admitting that the brewer made changes to the formula for Bud Light and other brews, including increasing the proportion of hops. The move has been made as consumers have turned to microbrews and other specialty beers that have more flavor.

"Despite these now admitted changes, Miller Lite still has more taste than Bud Light," Miller management said in a statement.

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