Booze News

Why Is Anheuser-Busch InBev Trademarking Area Codes?

Goose Island's popular beer may go national.
Goose Island’s popular beer may go national. Photo: courtesy of Facebook

Don’t be too alarmed, but it appears that Anheuser-Busch InBev has already trademarked telephone area codes in fifteen cities, including 415 (San Francisco), 305 (Miami), 602 (Phoenix), 702 (Las Vegas), 202 (Washington, D.C.), and even 314 (St. Louis). Why would the largest global brewer want to snatch up the digits for many of the country’s biggest cities? Well, to sell beer, of course. Though we are not 100 percent sure of the details, we think President Obama might be to blame.

The move seems to be related to Anheuser-Busch InBev’s recent purchase of Goose Island back in March. The Chicago brewery is famous for its 312 Urban Wheat Beer — 312 is Chicago’s area code — especially since President Obama has been seen drinking it on occasion. He even bet British Prime Minister David Cameron a case of it that the United States would beat England in the World Cup. The beer immediately shot up in popularity after the bet, eventually becoming Goose Island’s No. 1 product. InBev obviously sees the possibility to make more money off of it.

Of course, Chicago’s pride in the product may become a little diluted if every other city in the nation has its own identical area-code-themed beer. Still, though not exactly the greatest beer in the world, the wheat beer is surprisingly delicious on a hot day.

Anheuser-Busch Moves to Trademark Area Codes: Set to Roll Out the Goose Island Barrel Nationally? [ABC]
InBev/Anheuser-Busch Trademarking Area Codes [Chicagoist]

Why Is Anheuser-Busch InBev Trademarking Area Codes?