No More Miller Time At Fiserv Forum

Looking for the champagne of beers to celebrate the next Milwaukee Bucks title? You probably won’t find it at Fiserv Forum.

The Milwaukee Bucks formally announced Thursday that the arena and team’s exclusive beer and hard seltzer sponsor will be Anheuser-Busch and distributor Beechwood Sales & Service.

Although team officials have not definitively confirmed a final drink lineup that likely means out goes Molson Coors‘ Miller Lite, Coors Light, Miller High Life and Leinenkugel’s brands from stadium taps. In comes Budweiser, Bud Light, Michelob ULTRA, NUTRL hard seltzer and Stella Artois. A team representative said that Beechwood and the Bucks are “just starting” the process to determine a drink menu.

“We’re proud to work with locally-based Beechwood and Anheuser-Busch to bring a premier experience to Bucks fans and event goers at Fiserv Forum and to visitors throughout Deer District,” said Bucks President Peter Feigin in a statement announcing the change. “This exciting partnership brings the full fan experience to Fiserv Forum and we’re thrilled to be entering a new era alongside Beechwood and Anheuser-Busch.”

The Bucks have sought to raise additional revenue from sponsorships following the 2021 NBA championship.

“Beechwood Sales & Service is excited to join Anheuser-Busch to make the game experience even more exciting for the thousands of Bucks fans and guests who visit Fiserv Forum on a regular basis,” said John Sheehan, president of New Berlin-based Beechwood. “We have a long history with the Milwaukee Bucks as business partners and supporters of the franchise, and we are honored to expand this partnership with this new sponsorship.”

A press release says in-stadium and retail display promotions are also planned around the Michelob ULTRA brand. Miller products distributed across Wisconsin have long been co-branded with the Bucks logo, including everything from Coors Light “Fear the Deer” beer cans to large promotional signs at bars.

Molson Coors reportedly was engaged in attempting to renew its Fiserv Forum contract, but could not agree on a price. In recent years, the company also saw its naming rights partnership for Miller Park (now American Family Field) end after being outbid by an insurance company. The brewing giant maintains a headquarters in Chicago, but has approximately 1,000 employees in Milwaukee at its Miller Brewing complex.

Anheuser-Busch is headquartered in St. Louis, but owned by the even larger AB InBev. The parent company is Belgium based with a portfolio of more than 600 beers. In 2015, AB InBev acquired the non-Miller assets of SABMiller.

Beer Capitol is the Molson Coors distributor that serviced Fiserv Forum.

The new partnership does not impact hard alcohol sales at the arena. It does include non-exclusive sponsorship rights for ready-to-drink canned cocktails.

This article was updated shortly after publication to reflect additional comments from the Bucks.