Family of Beers

For those of you asking what brands A-B sells, here we go!!

Showtime!

I've been very fortunate to have a ton of great experiences with A-B, and I believe this may be the coolest. I volunteered to participate as an audience member for ABDraught.com, a website centered around pouring, serving, and enjoying draught beer. Some of you may know it as draft beer, but at Anheuser-Busch, it's draught beer.

If you've ever wondered why you get so full drinking beer (it's not because you are drinking too much liquid usually) or why the end of a bottled beer can taste bad (no, not "backwash"), check out these quick videos featuring yours truly.







Gotta love the BSN [Busch Satelite Network]....here's last year, just lookin' like a goon

Bud Light Platinum

Looking back on all my posts about Bud Light Platinum...I told you so! ha ha I know I really like this beer and (more importantly) I hope all you like it out there as well. As predicted, Bud Light Platinum has been doing phenomenal. Had a couple tonight in a matter a fact, which is probably contributing to this Saturday Night late post. Actually, the whole BL Platinum innovation has been pretty crazy & interesting--we can barely keep it in stock in the stores which seems to be creating even more demand. I believe the number is that we sold our 3 month volume in 1.5 weeks. How crazy of a stat is that?

Anyways, happy Saturday! More to come soon and hope you're enjoy a cold A-B product!

Cheers,

Ryan

What Happens in New Orleans...Ends Up On This Blog

Hello Chicago!!

Tons of action these past two months and I got some pretty good stories for ya so stay tuned.

First off, just wanted to thank everyone for checking out this blog. It's been great being able to travel and stay in touch with everyone back home. But because so many of you have seemed to either follow my blog, end up here in the midst of a hardcore Facebook creep sesh, or end up on this page by accident (which I'm sure 50% of the page views come from)....I added a Page View device to this blog and it bounced back with 845 views as of now. Kind of crazy to think that, but since there were so many views, I applied with Google to have this blog feature advertisements. Well wouldn't you know it, it was accepted and now there they are. So if you like any of the sponsors on this page, make sure to check 'em out because I think I get paid per click? However that works--I made $6.00 yesterday ha ha. Too funny.

But many of you are either reading this from your office, your classroom, dorm/apartment/house, or if you are like all of my friends back at U of I right now (or even my Brother), you are on the beaches of Panama City Beach, FL or South Padre Island, TX. I myself have been to both of those places in the past two years and barely survived, so I salute anyone that can make it through a Spring Break there. It makes Jersey Shore look like nap time.

But I hope everyone is doing well back home and just wanted to say I can't wait to be back at it in Chicagoland. Incase anyone was considering visiting, get ready for the Summer. Lake of the Ozarks is part of my territory and you betta be there. Incase you are unfamiliar with it like I was, google "Party Cove", but you probably should keep that Google filter right on there if you're at work. I think I mentioned that before though.

Get to it already Ryan. Okay, lots to talk about and I promise I won't bore ya.

I just want to let you know that I may not have had an official Spring Break, but I went to New Orleans the week after Mardi Gras for a National Conference and that was as close as I will get to a Spring Break. Sure I had to work a lot and go to meetings, but it definitely doesn't feel like work when work is fun.

But in NOLA, everything was great--the conference, the food, the weather, and of course...the beer. We saw best practices from Wholesalers & District Managers from around the nation, hung out with old friends while making a few new ones, and had pickle races at 3:30AM in a Krystal Burger after hitting the bars with meetings beginning at 8:00Am (which means breakfast at 7:00AM, which means shuttle bus from the hotel at 6:45 AM, which means wake up at 6:00AM...Ouch.) Pickle races are where you throw pickles at a restaurant window and whichever reaches the bottom first wins for those of you wondering. Anyways, it was a great conference where I learned a ton and finally was able to put a few pieces of the puzzle together. For my job, there are 10,000 moving parts and I've been catching on slowly, but this definitely helped. But enough about work...let's hear about cool stuff.

So after the conference on our 2nd to last day, we were all invited (and by all, I mean like 6,000 people) next door to this GIGANTIC bar called Sugar Mill. Anheuser-Busch really pulled out all the stops too. The food was amazing, the atmosphere was exciting, and the scenery was sick. They even had the original set from the Budweiser Frog commercial. I was lucky enough to take time during the happy hour to introduce myself to Tom Doyle, our new Region Vice President for A-B in the midwest. He's a great guy and am excited to be working with him in the future.

All in all, NOLA was an amazing time and if you have never been there, I STRONGLY recommend it! Just bring like...3 bodyguards with you.

And as if the week wasn't rowdy enough, hear about how I got home. At this point I had slept a total of 15 hours in 5 days, drinking very little water, and very much beer. Long story short, my connecting flight landed 30 minutes late, resulting in me doing a good 'ol airport run down terminals to catch my final flight, only making it because I jumped into an airport security's golf cart that was driving down the terminal. Too true and I made it as the door closed behind me. Kevin McAllister's got nothing on me. It was exactly like the scene out of Home Alone 2, except lost in Atlanta. I pictured Kevin's Mom yelling once I took my seat in the plane.

Dad, I know you're laughing right now. I'll save the scene where Marv gets electrocuted for another time.

But besides NOLA, work has been steady in Springfield. I spent an hour in the backroom of a high volume convenient store just hanging out with the owner and playing guitar. You may say "that's not work at all", but absolutely it is. People will only buy from other people they trust and like, and if playing guitar is the path to take, hand me the pick. But forming relationships is something I have become very familiar with lately. For example...

• --Hit the links to play golf with a wholesaler on a Monday for a long lunch...instant grown-up status.

--Thanked a bartender for switching tap handles from a competitive beer to Shock Top Ale by buying the whole bar a round.

• Met the staff at Big Whiskey's last night and bought the entire bar a round. Which is a LOT of people when the NCAA tournament is on. OUCH. Thank god we have money allocated to do that.

Which brings me to my final point. If you have never bought a round for the bar (packed bar, not like 11am on a Sunday bar), it is the greatest feeling in the world being called the "Bud Man" and everyone enjoying a nice, Ice Cold Budweiser all thanks to you (Nice little plug for Budweiser there). If you ever, like, find mad money on the street or something...try it out. Cross it off the bucket list type material right there.

Well I know I forgot some things but maybe that will be my excuse to get on here more often and update. Thanks again everyone for tuning in! Talk to ya soon!

Cheers & Happy Friday!

Ryan

And remember...please drink responsibly!

Silver. Gold. Platinum!

Chicago! What up, what up!?

Hope everyone's doing alright--I am on day #25 of my official new life in Springfield, Missouri (AKA "Miss-er-uh" ) and can already say I miss y'all back home. (Do accents transfer over writing like that?)

Anyways, I've got quite a few stories for you surrounding the new gig as well as adjusting to life along the Mason-Dixon line. Some of them are dramatically different, some just a few things I've noticed. Nothing bad at all, just unfamiliar. And new, unfamiliar surroundings just seem funny at first--no matter who you are. When I was in New York, it was the constant need to pepper in a F-bomb into every conversation. For all I know, they could have been talking about going to Church. Didn't matter you were gonna get that F-bomb from them.

But life has been great. No way I can complain--besides the fact that I get a little homesick here and there, but that's just part of growing up I guess. I have been attending Bud Light Platinum launch parties, showing the Region VP around my territory, going to the Missouri State Suite for basketball games, and gearing up for the nationwide conference in New Orleans next month. Mardi Gras falls on Tuesday, February 21st this year and considering I will be there February 26-29, I can either count on the place still being completely rowdy...or absolutely trashed. I'm going with the latter (not gonna lie, I had to google whether I should use "former" or "latter" here...whatever). Regardless, it's going to be a blast hearing more about the future plans and seeing just how well Bud Light Platinum has been doing.

Well I moved down here New Years Day and started work Jan. 3rd by going on a truck, delivering kegs, and starting at 6am. No that's not my job, but I have to do that to learn about the wholesaler from the inside-out. Plus, I get mad street cred from the drivers and sales reps and it really helps to get to know the market and the retailers. Well Ryan...then what is your job? I've heard this many, many times and I used to have a hard time answering this because I wore so many different hats. But after a month on the job, I've thought of a good way of putting what I do.

First, I am the liaison between four wholesalers (which are independent businesses) and the brewery (Anheuser-Busch). I would say that's 30% of my job. The rest of my job is a game. It's the strategic placing of price points, packages, objectives, and missions. There are many different levers I can pull to help sales in my market and I see it all as a game I play against other competitors in order to win and gain market share and margin. Call it lame, but if you do not see your job as a competition--how can work be fun? And how do you avoid complacency?

So Ryan...what's Springfield like?

It's great. It has the feel of a college town, but with 150,000 people. It's a giant grid, so learning all of the new streets was easy. Here are just a few observations regarding my new habitat:

• Driving here is a lot different--People tend to drive quite slower than I'm used to. No really guys, you have no idea how many times I just cut someone off for the sole purpose of feeling like I'm home on I-294 at 5:00pm on a Friday
• When people ask what my last name is, naturally I respond "Hansen". Now I'm used to hearing "Ohhh, like the band" or "ohhh like Mmm-Bop" or "Ohhh, like the energy drink" (yeah I really do get that, A-B owns a majority stake in Monster which is owned by Hansen). But here I've gotten "Ohhh, like the Directory". Yes, apparently the Yellow Pages here is the Hanson Directory. That's a new one.
• The average age of a newborn's parents here has to be 18. I have seen so many young parents at Walmart with their kids, it's unbelievable. Some of my observations may be because I am just more likely to observe new surroundings now, but just an observation I have made. Maybe it's the same back home and I didn't notice before...maybe not. But the upside for them? They are all inside Chuck E. Cheese at 8:00pm on a Saturday night having the time of their life. How do I know that? I was actually there just for fun winning mad tickets on Time Crisis. Well that's just not true, but I did drive past after getting out of Best Buy on Saturday night. Seriously, Chuck E. Cheese's was bumpin ha ha.
  
• When I tell people I am new to town, I will always get asked where I am from. It's kind of funny but I never realized just how proud I am to be from Chicago. But Ryan...you're NOT from Chicago, you're from Bloomingdale--you can't say you're from Chicago if you're from the suburbs. Isn't that the common response back home if you're talking to someone that lives within the city limits? My response to that is that I put mustard on my Gene & Jude's hot dog, I "talk funny", drive fast and talk faster, and I live and die by the Cubs & Bulls. As far as I'm concerned, I am Chicago.
  

There are many, many more examples of things I have noticed, but I will post more as I go I guess.

But anyways, I know you all might be getting sick of me talking about it, but Bud Light Platinum comes out January 30th....in 5 days!! I can't speak enough about how much of a game changer this beer is going to be. Not only is the liquid good, but it's a badge people will carry around the bars. The sleek, hip bottle plus the great marketing campaign going behind it are enough to ensure you that it will be my beer of choice, besides the greatest and highest quality beer made of all time: Budweiser.

Lately, I've taken more time to become familiar with my territory of Southwest Missouri. My territory includes Lake of the Ozarks (e'erybody better come down for at least a week to party here--it's great. Just google "Lake of the Ozarks Party Cove", that will answer any questions), Lebanon ("Leb-a-nun"), Springfield, Nevada (actually pronounced "Neh-VAY-Duh", not "Ne-VAH-duh" like Vegas), and yes, Joplin.

I spent time in Joplin, Missouri last Friday and let me tell you...what an eye-opener. For those of you that don't know, Joplin is the town that was hit with a horrible tornado last year which devastated the community. I remember hearing about it on the news and thinking how horrible it was, but it's just that it was so far removed from home it almost didn't seem real. Well, let me tell you...it's mad real. I drove through the town and the devastation looks like the tornado hit yesterday. Still lots or wreckage and crushed hospitals. Now, of course they cleaned it up some, but how can you clean up a town in just 8 months. It wasn't the wreckage of broken pipes, houses, lumber, etc that got me..it was seeing things within that wreckage like a shirt, refrigerator, and household items that made it seem so real. I didn't take any pictures, but go ahead and google Joplin tornado and it will look the same as it did when I went through Friday. There's a very dramatic YouTube clip of the tornado hitting a gas station...and to think that I was just in the rebuilt version of that gas station on the same land really was unbelievable. Here are a couple of pictures of Joplin:

Makes you thankful for all that you have.

But on a happier note, I have been attending Bud Light Platinum Launch parties at night these past couple weeks and the turnout and feedback have been great. Here are a few pictures I have taken from the Bud Light Platinum Facebook Page:

Exciting stuff!

Sorry for the long post, more to come soon!

I'm trying to make a trip back home soon to see everyone, looking forward to going Platinum with ya!

--Ryan

Up, Up & Away

To anyone back home, I apologize it's been so long. As usual, it's been the craziest month and a lot has happened....so if you have 5 minutes, strap in!

My last post was in early October, and considering today is December eh, something....it's been quite a while. (I've been living in dog years, at least it seems like it). But I ended the last post as I checked in to my hotel room in Kansas City. Since then, I have been "drinking from a fire hose" as people here tell me--and I couldn't have said it better myself. After Kansas City, I traveled to Columbia, Missouri--home of Mizzou. Not only was I able to learn about the Columbia market & wholesalers, but I was also able to sample the college town. By that, I mean go out ridiculously hard until 2 am on a Thursday night (for you college students, that's a big deal now) only to be present and functioning at a Sales Meeting starting at 6 am 45 minutes away. Dear Mom, if you're reading this, that's slang for went to bed early and had a hearty breakfast in the morning...I promise.

So then, I come back to St. Louis and work for a couple weeks more and blah, blah, blah.

Then, the long-awaited, strongly anticipated Sales And Marketing meeting in Dallas ("SAMCOM"). Let me just say, Dallas was nuts! I arrived in town on Sunday morning and traveled to my hotel to only find out I had an amazing view from my balcony that included the rest of the skyline, 3 McDonalds within sight (gotta scope out that late night beer food...but seriously, Three? Is that necessary?), and a great location to bars & restaurants (most importantly).

The first night we hit the hotel bar with the rest of A-B, had a few dozen drinks with great people, and attempted to cash in early to have a legitimate shot at a successful day at SAMCOM. Upon arriving at the convention center, we were greeted by way too good-looking "ushers". Turns out A-B hired all models to help us to our seats ha ha too funny. But at the convention, Anheuser-Busch introduced Bud Light Platinum to the wholesalers. For those of you unfamiliar with Platinum, get ready...it will be your beer of choice in no time.

As it was introduced, 300 concessionaires walked in the doors of the convention center/stadium with two cases of Platinum each. As the convention continued, we sat, listened, and did 12 oz. descending bicep curls (12 oz., 10 oz., 8 oz.......). Bud Light Platinum is great. Can't wait for you all to try it. It comes in a cobalt blue bottle and tastes amazing...not to mention it is actually 6% alcohol. It launches at the end of January and will be featured as a Super Bowl commercial...so heads up! Okay, that was my plug....

But yeah, they came through and served us all beer. Little did we know, that would be the first of many that night. We hit the hotel bar, another bar and then X amount of beers later, we were at the McDonalds walk through ordering McNuggets--all on a Monday night. But what a great time. It was a blast meeting all new people with such different backgrounds/experiences.

The next day was filled with more successful meetings, consisting of a marketing presentation outlining each brands actions for the 2012 business year. How exciting! No seriously, it was. Let me just say...Shocktop is going to have an incredible campaign and as an advertising major, I loved hearing about it.

So that brings me here to say that I move out of my St. Louis apartment tomorrow to take on the challenging markets of Southwest Missouri. Springfield, Mo will be my home for now...talk about stress. Not only do I have to begin a new role, but now I'll have to find a place to live, move out, return the cable and furniture...the whole sh-bang.

-------
UPDATE:

I started writing this post from my couch in St. Louis, and it looks like I'm going to be finishing it here from Candlewood Suites in Springfield, MO (Is that a plug? Can I get money for that?). I got into town today and checked in around 4:00PM. After telling them I work for Anheuser-Busch (they asked, I don't know why) they wanted to negotiate a corporate rate and asked if that was okay. Um, aren't I supposed to ask for that?! Anyways, they dropped the rate $20/night and I'm definitely down with that. I almost like free stuff as much as my Mom.  Looks like that's one business deal down--many, many to go.

But I have a meeting tomorrow morning bright and early and then will continue looking for an apartment. I actually viewed one today as soon as I got in town and told the lady showing me the apartment that I felt like I was on HGTV. She didn't laugh...

It was good seeing everyone last week and hope to see everyone over Christmas break! I'll be home around the 22nd. First rounds on me!

Peace. Love. Bud Lightbeer.



--Ry

Hello World!

First off, I just wanted to say thanks to everyone who's been following along. I've had a lot of people tell me they've read this beer battered blog and I just want to say THANKS!! Hope everyone's doing alright.

But I haven't posted on here in such a long time! Don't know how I'm going to catch up now, but I'll try. Anheuser has treated me great--letting me pretty much travel around, see different cities, and go to some really cool events. Last time I checked in, I was in New York City towards the end of August and since then, I've:

• Chilled with Hurricane Irene
• Felt the rumble of the Earthquake in NYC
• Went to a Dave Matthew's Band VIP concert
  
• Saw my Dad run a half-marathon
• Had the craziest weekend of my life in Champaign
• Worked the U of I Career Fair for A-B
• Ran up some serious bar tabs
• Moved back to St. Louis only to find out someone stole the basketball to my mini hoop above my garbage can at work.
  
• Subsequently moved my cubicle across the office.
• Picked up 6 free cases of beer for beer pick up week
  
• Saw Bon Iver in concert at The Pageant in STL (Bud Box!)
  
• Saw The Script in concert at The Pageant
  
• Brought a coffee mug to work (It's official. I'm old)
• Touched Hendrick's official race car even when the sign specifically told me not to
• Went to the National Budweiser Happy Hour and drank Budweiser brewed that day!
  
• Went to the Cubs/Cardinals game and was part of the Human Billboard in left field--check out the video on our SMT blog! http://smt2011.tumblr.com/
  
• Got a Bottoms-Up draught beer at the Cubs/Cards game http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGyVHf2Yit4
• Went to another Beer/Food Pairing Dinner. Absolutely incredible.
• Went to my first casino with Kirsten until 5:30am. I won $3!! (then lost $13)
• Went on the Brew Master's tour of the Brewery and saw beer being born.
• Watched the Cardinals Clinch a playoff berth. Yay?
• Stood outside for 30 min on my lunch break to get a $1 sandwich because the Cardinals were now in the playoffs only to learn that it was actually Customer Appreciation Day and that I'm not in college anymore so $1 subs shouldn't make me so happy.
• Chilled with the Clydesdales outside of work and drank burrr
• Took a picture with the Soccer FA Cup and touched it when once again a sign told me I couldn't. Get off me signs.
• Went back to the fantasyland a.k.a. Champaign
• Worked the Shocktop sampling station at the U of I tailgate for a bit
• Met the Jimmy John's staff at the tailgate where they were passing out free Bud Light, I asked for one and was told "No. Do you think you will ever actually get Bud Light for free?" I just said" you're right, that would be crazy if I ever drank a Bud Light for free" Jokes on them.
• Drove to Kansas City
• Stopped at McDonald's on my way here and my first two Monopoly pieces of the season were a free medium fries and Park Place. What a great start and finish to my McDonald's Monopoly season.
• Checked in to room #1111. That's good luck or something right?
• Learned a TON in the little time I've been here
• Went to a Death Cab For Cutie concert for Budweiser last night (great time)
• And caught up on my blog from my hotel room while looking out the window into the heart of Kansas City: The City that Always Sleeps

But what a ride it's been. I've learned so much my head feels like it's constantly spinning, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I can't thank everyone enough that's taken me in in New York City, St. Louis, Kansas City, New Jersey, Champaign and tomorrow: Mizzou!

So what's the future look like? I might be traveling back to NYC in a few weeks for a week (schedule permitting) and then off to Dallas the week of my birthday for a National Convention! Really pumped for that.

But to everyone reading back home, thanks for all the feedback! Can't wait to hang out when I get back someday--first round's on me!

Cheers,
Ryan


Pictures to come soon!