Anheuser-Busch Releases Tequila-Flavored Oculto Beer
Anheuser-Busch is going to the dark side this Friday the 13th with the release of its newest beer: Oculto. Oculto sounds ominous, but there's no reason to afraid of a lager blended with beer aged on tequila staves.
We reported on the earlier Oculto announcement this past November. This new libation is "infused with blue agave for a bright citrus flavor that delivers a smooth, bold taste." Plus, you'll look cool drinking it because the bottle packaging is decorated with "multiple crown graphics, tactile printing and black-light inks," as well as hidden messages and skulls that are revealed when the beer gets cold. Plus, Anheuser-Busch says the beer taps into "spontaneous nights out with friends." Between the partying vibe and the black-lit label, this is obviously a beer for a rave.
"Beer drinkers and partygoers are seeking unique, surprising 'mash-up' experiences," said Jorn Socquet, vice president of marketing, Anheuser-Busch. "We worked off untapped insights to bring an innovation that delivers against that expectation. We have a totally surprising brand that revolves around mystery and intrigue—with a product that hits home with consumers looking for ways to break free from the everyday and find something exciting."
The blending of beer with tequila flavors is nothing new, by the way. Heineken U.S.A. — which brings us Dos Equis and Tecate in addition to its eponymous brew and other beers — markets a mashup called Desperados, some of whose contents are aged in tequila barrels. And Anheuser-Busch itself introduced Tequiza, flavored not with tequila exactly but with blue agave nectar (and lime) in some markets in 1998, but it has since been discontinued.