Budweiser become new sponsors of FA Cup

[oldironside]

"The Football Association today confirmed Budweiser as the lead partners of the FA Cup for the next three years.

The world's oldest knock-out competition will be officially known as 'The FA Cup with Budweiser'."

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/budweiser-become-new-sponsors-of-fa-cup-2298341.html

Are there no depths the Football Association will not plumb? Do they really have no shame? Couldn't they even find a drinkable beer? I am truly shocked.

Okay, they couldn't choose a German beer or The Sun would have gone into meltdown, but Budweiser?

[Hopeless Romantic]

1. Don't see how it makes any difference really. Wasn't it called the Coca-Cola cup till recently?

[oldironside]

2. Coca Cola at least has some measure of quality.

It is one of the finest (if not the finest) sugar loaded, caffeinated, fizzy drinks in the world. Budweiser is more suited to flushing the toilet.

[Hopeless Romantic]

5. I quite like Budweiser. It has no pretensions. It is was it claims to be

A cheapish mass market beer for the ordinary bloke.

Nothing fancy.

[muriel_volestrangler]

7. It seems to be its *image* that you like

Do you actually like the taste? Or do you really use adjectives like 'pretentious' to describe how a drink tastes?

[Hopeless Romantic]

10. Taste? It's wet and fizzy and tastes a bit like beer. Certainly no

worse than poncy Peroni or Stella "Reassuringly Expensive" Artois.

I've had better, and of course, worse.

[oldironside]

8. I really don't want to get into a row with you...

... but Budweiseer is for people who are afraid of real beer. May I make a small suggestion next time you are in Tesco?



A simple, uncomplicated lager that doesn't taste like dregs.

[Hopeless Romantic]

11. Sure, I like Becks. Similar market really.

Actually though, have you tried the proper Czech Budweiser? That's pretty good actually.

[oldironside]

12. Have I tried it?

I went swimming in it in Prague. :evilgrin:

Yes, now that's a proper beer, and the only thing it has in common with the American stuff is the name.

I'm a great believer that, when it comes to beer, the big names are usually rubbish. An American friend of mine assures me that the small breweries in the states produce really good stuff. I can understand American beer being light - you can't drink Old Speckled Hen by the bucket full if you are standing around in the heat of a Texan summer - but there really is no excuse for Budweiser to be so bad.

They are not the only guilty parties. I'm sick of trying to defend English beer to Germans who think it's all Guinness or Tennents. One's not English, the other's not beer.

[Hopeless Romantic]

13. LOL

[T_i_B]

16. Ah Budvar.

Not too fussed about regular Budvar but Budvar Dark is magnificent! Bernard & Erdinger also make decent black lager's. And I like Brewdog Zeitgeist but Zeitgeist doesn't agree with me. :-(

[Nihil]

20. OT: If you're after a nice black lager ...

... try the Zero Degrees one if you get the chance.

They're a small chain that have a microbrewery + restaurant on each
of their four sites (Bristol, Reading, Cardiff & Blackheath).

I've only been to the Bristol one so far but the whole family loved
the place and me & "the student" enjoyed sampling the brews!

http://www.zerodegrees.co.uk/beer.html

I know you're based up North but if you get the chance ...

:toast:

[T_i_B]

21. I may have heard about Zero Degrees

but I haven't had the chance to sample any of their beers as yet. Bristol Beer Factory and Otley are the breweries from that neck of the woods getting all the plaudits at the moment.

As for good beer brewed near me, Thornbridge are nearby and generally considered one of the UK's top Breweries, although I have a sneaky preference for Acorn Brewery in Barnsley right now.

[T_i_B]

15. Becks is very much like making love in a canoe.

F**king close to water!

There's LOADS of miles better German brews. Kupper's Kolsch, Saphir Weisse, Maisel's Weisse, Schenkerla Rauchbier (if you like beer that tastes of hot dogs!), too many good Bock's to mention and so forth.

Mind you, I did try the Hopfen-Weisse brewed by Germany's Schneider and America's Brooklyn Brewery on Saturday in the Devonshire Cat Sheffield and that one didn't really work that well IMHO.

Oh, and I very nearly sampled the Brunch Weasel I mentioned on another thread on my most recent visit to London but decided against it. The Euston Tap and The Cask & Kitchen in London really are must visits if you like good beer.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=191x33472

[oldironside]

22. All of which I'm sure...

... are available in Hopeless Romantic's local Tesco.

If you want to become the beer snob that's fine. Post as much as you like about nutty undertones. I could do with a good laugh.

[T_i_B]

23. Tesco? You'd be suprised.

Tesco (and the other supermarkets) are stocking more exotic beers these days.

And yes, I already am the beer snob, doesn't help that this http://www.sheffieldtap.com/ is on my route home from work.

[muriel_volestrangler]

3. The Coca-Cola Cup was the Football *League* Cup

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coca-Cola_Cup

That's always been second-rate. Being sponsored by Coca-Cola was quite appropriate :evilgrin:

Though previous FA Cup sponsors have been Littlewoods, AXA and E.ON. Nothing that inspires you to think of 'quality'.

[Hopeless Romantic]

4. What would be an appropriate sponsor for it then?

Some how I don't think Garrards or Louis Vuitton would see it as fitting with their brand image.

How about Coutts?

[oldironside]

6. As a West Ham supporter...

... I would have to say Stanley Hand Tools.



Although if I supported Spurs I could probably find an appropriate American sponsor.

[Hopeless Romantic]

14. West Ham? My sympathies!

I'm one too so I know how you feel!

[oldironside]

18. I'm actually mildly optimistic at the moment.

Signing a decent player like Nolan for what seems like 1990s prices is a very good sign. Now if we could just find some third world despot as our sugar daddy...

[muriel_volestrangler]

9. Louis Vuitton would be appropriate for the footballers

I bet they are frequent customers. The other two you mention may well make a lot of money from them as well.

I find it hard to admire many companies, to be honest. I have done marketing surveys which ask 'which of these companies would you be proud to work for?', and rarely are there any that fit. Why not dispense with the sponsorship, and tell the top teams to take the money out of their player's wages instead?

[Nihil]

19. L'Oréal would be better for that crowd ...

... not only because it suits their ponced-up public images
but because no-one other than another footballer genuinely
thinks they're "worth it"!

:evilgrin:

[T_i_B]

17. Coke have also sponsored The Championship & Leagues 1 & 2.

Personally I'm not too fussed as it's more money coming in. Sponsorship money is not the problem, players wages are the problem.

Beats being sponsored by Chupa Chups.