We wrote extensively about how Bud Light shot itself in the foot in April 2023 by recruiting transgender personality Dylan Mulvaney for a social media promotion celebrating his "365 Days of Girlhood." To many, it felt like a slap in the face because the flamboyant Mulvaney didn’t sit well with huge numbers of average American beer fans.
The blowback was intense, with sales falling almost 29 percent and parent company Anheuser-Busch shedding billions of dollars in shareholder value. Bud Light lost its number one beer title to Modelo, and sales have still not climbed back to where they were before the fiasco.
But Budweiser might have redeemed itself somewhat on Sunday, at least according to fans, who rated the brewery’s Super Bowl ad as the best of the bunch. Although the spot was for Budweiser, and not Bud Light, the appeal of both brands will likely see a boost from this overtly patriotic spot.
Powered by the classic Lynyrd Skynyrd tune Free Bird, it features two icons: an American eagle and a Clydesdale horse. As RedState’s Susie Moore wrote, “this one hits me right in the feels.”
Watch:
Leave it to Budweiser to save an absolutely abysmal lineup of Super Bowl commercials pic.twitter.com/juNaPQa5nJ
— Austin Krueger (@AustinKrueger_) February 9, 2026
Turns out American Super Bowl audiences have a passion for their country and all it represents:
Budweiser's Super Bowl commercial celebrating America's upcoming 250th birthday topped USA Today's Ad Meter, giving the beer brand a record-setting 10th first-place finish in the annual fan vote.
The winning ad featured one of Budweiser's iconic Clydesdales alongside a bald eagle, leaning heavily into themes of national pride ahead of the nation's semiquincentennial this July 4.
The spot resonated strongly with viewers, outpacing dozens of high-profile commercials aired during the NFL's biggest broadcast.
OOPS: Bud Light Takes Biggest Plunge Yet, Tries Desperate New Move to Stem the Tide
The Bud Light Fiasco - Why Companies Go 'Woke'
With all the controversy over Bad Bunny’s halftime show, which many feel was unpatriotic and a big middle finger to America, it was refreshing to see a commercial that unabashedly celebrated patriotism — and not gender ideology or any other hot-button political issue.
🚨 BREAKING: Budweiser’s patriotic “Free Bird” Super Bowl commercial has gone viral on social media as PROOF they’ve turned the page on being woke.
— Bo Loudon (@BoLoudon) February 9, 2026
The American Dream is BACK thanks to President Trump.
Follow: @BoLoudon
pic.twitter.com/2mZ4rFtoqS
Former Anheuser-Busch executive Anson Frericks told Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo Monday that it was a good move for the company:
I think this is a step back in the right direction where you’re having Eagles, you’re having Clydesdales, you’re having classic rock, Free Bird. I think this is changing the consumer direction back towards people wanting to drink more Budweiser and drinking more beer.
USA Today's Ad Meter rating is determined by viewers who rate commercials right after watching. Also in the Top Five: Lay's, Pepsi, Dunkin', and Michelob Ultra, while Coinbase placed last with their lame Backstreet Boys ad that just featured words on a screen like a karaoke player.
Hope you didn’t spend much on that one, guys, because it was pathetic.
Bud Light is not the only company to pay for leftist messaging in recent years: Target and Jaguar both took big financial hits with their woke marketing, too. We’ll see if this effort is enough to bring disaffected beer lovers back to the table. In the meantime, corporations should pay lots of attention to A-B’s massive misstep, and learn that a whole lot of people don’t like lectures with their brewskis.
Editor’s Note: You too can help us fight the “woke mind virus.”
Although we’re winning at the moment, the fight is far from over. Help continue the Trump momentum and erase the failures of the last four years of Biden malaise.
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