Anheuser-Busch, Beechwood named Fiserv Forum's beer sponsors. That could affect the arena's beer lineup, including Milwaukee-brewed brands.
Milwaukee Bucks fans and others attending events at Fiserv Forum soon could see a change in the arena's beer offerings under a new marketing arrangement with brewer Anheuser-Busch.
The multiyear contract, announced Thursday, calls for St. Louis-based Anheuser-Busch and its local wholesale distributor, Beechwood Sales & Service, to be Fiserv Forum's exclusive beer and hard seltzer sponsor.
That might affect the lineup of beers sold at Fiserv Forum once the new Bucks season begins this fall.
"I think we're exploring what our beverage mix will be," said Bucks and Fiserv Forum President Peter Feigin.
"At this juncture, there's not an answer" as to whether Miller Lite and other brands made in Milwaukee by Molson Coors Beverage Co. will be dropped from Fiserv Forum's beer offerings, Feigin told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
The new sponsorship agreement gives Anheuser-Busch and Beechwood Sales & Service the right to use the Bucks logo to market beer, said John Sheehan, president of New Berlin-based Beechwood.
That will include arena concourse signs for Michelob Ultra, the official beer of the Bucks, as well as retail displays across Wisconsin featuring Bucks logos.
More: Milwaukee Bucks and Fiserv Forum hosting a job fair on July 30
"We hope to use this to grow our business," said Sheehan, whose company has around 300 employees.
“We have a long history with the Milwaukee Bucks as business partners and supporters of the franchise," Sheehan said, "and we are honored to expand this partnership with this new sponsorship.”
The new partnership with the Bucks "will allow us to authentically deepen our connection with fans throughout Wisconsin," said Matt Davis, Anheuser-Busch's head of sports marketing.
Molson Coors, which counts Miller High Life and Leinenkugel's among its brands, has a major presence in Milwaukee.
It now has around 1,300 jobs at its 3939 W. Highland Blvd. offices, and 630 jobs at both the State Street brewery complex and the smaller brewery overlooking I-43 just north of downtown, said Jennifer Martinez, senior director of corporate affairs.
“Milwaukee is more than a sponsorship to us, it’s our home," Martinez said.
"And whether it’s our county parks or community organizations across the Milwaukee area, or the Brewers, the Packers, and Summerfest, we will continue investing here in our hometown," Martinez said in a statement.
Miller Brewing was founded in Milwaukee in 1855, and was sold in 1970 to New York-based cigarette-maker Philip Morris Cos.
Miller Brewing was acquired by South African Breweries in 2002, with its corporate parent's name changing to SABMiller PLC. That company was based in London.
Miller Brewing was then merged with Coors Brewing Co. to form the MillerCoors joint venture in 2008.
Molson Coors became the sole owner of MillerCoors in 2016 when it bought SABMiller's share of the joint venture.
Meanwhile, InBev, a company created by the 2004 merger of Belgium-based Interbrew and Brazilian brewer AmBev, bought Anheuser-Busch in 2008. That company is known as Anheuser-Busch InBev.
Tom Daykin can be emailed at tdaykin@jrn.com and followed on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Fiserv Forum names Anheuser-Busch, Beechwood as beer sponsors
