Tap Handle #378: Anheuser-Busch - Natural Light
Rarity: Rare
Mounting: standard 3/8" ferrule on 5/16" anchor bolt
This is a pretty nice tap featuring a lighthouse, although it's a little on the small side. Because A-B does not devote a lot of advertising dollars to Natural Light, there are fewer of these taps than you would expect for a larger name brand. That, combined with a high demand, keeps the prices for this tap on the high side, although bargains can occasionally be found.
Click through to read more about the Natural Light brand, and see more photos of this tap...
Natural Light is a reduced-calorie light pilsner brewed by Anheuser-Busch since it was created in 1977. Originally, the brand formulation had 97 calories, to compete with Miller Lite's 96 calories, and was called Anheuser-Busch Natural Light. The brand was Anheuser-Busch's first widely-distributed light beer, followed by Michelob Light and Bud Light, introduced in 1978 and 1982, respectively. The name was later shortened to the current Natural Light, and was re-formulated to have similar taste but slightly fewer calories. Over the years, the brand was also re-priced downward, especially after Budweiser Light was introduced, eventually ending up at its current value pricing. It is commonly consumed by younger adults and the beer has been referred to as "Natty Light" and "Unnatural Light". In its early years, Natty Light had commercials featuring Christie Brinkley and Mickey Mantle.
After Natty Light was introduced to the market, Miller filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission and claimed Anheuser-Busch was using deceptive packaging and advertising to sell the beer...because there was absolutely nothing "natural" about it. The FTC rejected the complaint.
The magazine Consumer Reports in 2001 published a review of many beers in which Natural Light was ranked as the number two light beer and additionally characterized as one of the "best buys." Additionally, in 2008, Natural Light received a Bronze Medal in the World Beer Cup in the American Style Light-Lager category, and The Wall Street Journal lists it as the fifth largest selling beer in the U.S. In contrast, it is listed as the worst beer in the world by ratebeer.com, with a weighted average of 1.04 out of 5.
For more about Anheuser-Busch, see this post.
Source Material
Natural Light website
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