Budweiser Black Crown, Higher-Alcohol Beer, Could Get Winter Debut

Budweiser is on the verge of releasing a new, higher-alcohol line of beers, AdAge reports, which could be available in time to be promoted in a big commercial during the Super Bowl.

The new line of beers will be called "Black Crown," and was first announced at a private meeting with investors in Budweiser parent company Anheuser-Busch InBev on Monday. Black Crown will likely to be available in stores by early 2013, about a year after the company unleashed its successful Budweiser Platinum, which also higher in alcohol than normal Bud.

Anheuser-Busch InBev has apparently already gotten approval on its label plans from the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau. As for what's inside the bottle, it's alleged to be a "distinctively smooth [...] golden amber lager." It's unclear how exactly that makes it different from traditional Budweiser, which is billed as "the great American lager."

AdAge speculated that Black Crown could help Anheuser-Busch InBev turn its fortunes around after several weak years, during which craft beers have outperformed their more traditional rivals. Many craft beers are higher in alcohol than conventional beers like Bud, so the idea is that the Black Crown line might draw some drinkers back into the mega-brewer fold.