Bud Light controversy gives birth to ‘woke free’ competitor

Bud Light’s partnership with trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney continues to tap into conservative outrage, with an entrepreneur now marketing a “100% woke-free” beer aimed at disgruntled Bud Light drinkers. Also read: AB InBev breaks silence on Bud Light controversy Conservative Dad’s Ultra Right beer is being sold directly to consumers in 42 states for $19.99 a six-pack, according to its website. Co-founder Seth Weathers is the former director of Donald Trump’s 2016 Georgia campaign. He runs Freedom Speaks Up, an e-commerce site selling “Let’s Go Brandon” merchandise, and has 30,000 followers on Twitter. The new flare-up comes as Bud Light continues keeping a very low profile. The Anheuser-Busch InBev brand has not offered any comment on the controversy surrounding its ties to Mulvaney aside from a three-sentence statement issued a week ago defending the use of influencers to “authentically connect” with audiences. Read more about Bud Light's Dylan Mulvaney partnership Ultra Right essentially uses Bud Light as its selling point. A video shows Weathers at a baseball field and briefly intersperses scenes from Mulvaney’s Instagram videos featuring Bud Light. “America’s been drinking beer from a company that doesn’t even know which restroom to use,” Weathers says in the ad. “As conservatives, we’re constantly getting hit in the face, left and right, by the woke mind virus.” The ad climaxes as Weathers sets a Bud Light can on a batting tee and violently smashes it with a swing. A Bud Light spokesman did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Weathers told Newsweek he had already received “thousands” of orders for the beer, which won’t be available until May 11. As Crain's Chicago Business reported, brewers must register labels for their products with the U.S. Treasury Department's Alcohol & Tobacco Tax & Trade Bureau prior to selling them, and a label has not been filed. Also, most states require brewers to become licensed beer retailers before they can start selling products there, Ray Stout, executive director of the Illinois Craft Brewers Guild, told Crain's. “It's highly unlikely that they will be able to gain the proper licensing in time,” he said. Weathers’ video had 18.7 million views and 12,000 replies as of Thursday afternoon. Reactions ranged from full-throated support to those confused as to whether it was a parody. Others predicted trouble for the new brand, from the complexities of direct beer selling to potential legal issues with Anheuser-Busch InBev, should it want to defend the “Ultra” name of its Michelob Ultra beer. Imagine being so triggered you start a brewery— Robin LeBlanc, from work (@TheThirstyWench) April 13, 2023 I’m very excited for the proprietor of Ultra Right Beer to lose his mind when he figures out direct to consumer beer shipping is a big problem for way more than the handful of states he lists as off limits on his site. 🙄🍻 https://t.co/d200vP58S2 pic.twitter.com/JYez48lJFW— Chicago Bars (@chicagobars) April 13, 2023 love how this WORKING MAN'S ALL-AMERICAN WOKE-FREE bev is $20 for a six-pack, you have to order it online and it's lower ABV than a smirnoff ice. america is so funny https://t.co/lgq0FcWTWs— PRINCESS PUKEY ＼(^o^)／ (@vomitswallower) April 13, 2023 Hey guess what this dipshit didn’t realize? You can’t use “Ultra” in the name of your “$35 for 6 cans” beer. A little company called Anheuser Busch is super litigious about it lol. https://t.co/3noXYBzuOT pic.twitter.com/eArx9SYhI8— Catastrophic Failure (@ohshidt) April 13, 2023 Bud Light’s Twitter channel last posted on April 1, the same day Mulvaney’s Instagram posts about the Bud Light collaboration were published. Bud Light’s Instagram and Facebook accounts have not posted since March 30. Ad Age Breakout Brand Leaders New award honors the people behind emerging brands Enter here

Bud Light controversy gives birth to ‘woke free’ competitor

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