Together, Anheuser-Busch InBev and MillerCoors control nearly a third of the world’s beer market. The two companies are involved in a decades-long beer war that began in the U.S. and has spread across the globe. But for now, the two are putting their rivalries aside and helping out a cause on the home front. Both brewers are assisting in the Hurricane Harvey relief effort by donating thousands of cans of water.
The Anheuser-Busch brewery in Cartersville, Georgia, has already delivered 50,000 cans to a Red Cross facility in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and plans to deliver another 100,000 to Arlington, Texas.
This isn’t the first time the brewery has helped Americans in a time of need. In the past, the Cartersville brewery provided drinking water to firefighters working wildfires in Washington and to the victims of hurricanes Sandy and Matthew.
“Throughout the year, we periodically pause beer production at our Cartersville, Georgia brewery to produce emergency canned drinking water so we are ready to help out communities across the country in times of crisis,” Brewmaster Sarah Schilling said in a statement. “Putting our production and logistics strengths to work by providing safe, clean drinking water is the best way we can help in these situations.”
Chicago-based MillerCoors has also converted one of its breweries to help out in the relief effort. “We’re currently shipping 50,000 cans of drinking water from our Shenandoah brewery to our craft partner, Revolver, where trucks are ready to mobilize under the direction of Red Cross to move supplies and help out in communities hit hard by Hurricane Harvey,” a MillerCoors spokesman said in a statement.
Although water is one of the most important needs the people in southeast Texas have during this time of crisis, one can bet most wouldn’t mind cracking open a few cold Buds to help them through the ordeal as well.
