Budweiser Launches NFTs That Unlock Future Benefits in ‘The Budverse’

Delivering on a promise made three months ago, iconic American beer brand Budweiser has launched its debut NFT collection … with one eye firmly on the metaverse.

A total of 1,936 collectibles (the number referencing the year Budweiser began marketing its beer in cans) will serve as access points to an as-yet-unrevealed ‘Budverse’. Sound familiar?

Priced from US$499 (core edition) to $999 (gold, limited to 36), each NFT features elements of classic photos, ads and design aspects charting the history of the brand. Tokens can be bought only via the official website with fiat currencies, credit card or bitcoin/ether via Coinbase Commerce, with a maximum purchase of US$10,000 per person per day, including fees and sales tax.

No Transaction Fees (Except a Gas Fee, That Is)

“These NFTs [minted on the Ethereum network and sold on leading NFT marketplace OpenSea] will act as your key to the Budverse and can unlock exclusive benefits, rewards and surprises,” Budweiser announced on its official Discord server. In a move ostensibly designed to shield buyers from exorbitant Ethereum transaction fees, Budweiser will itself mint the NFTs before distributing them. However, each NFT purchase attracts an additional charge to cover a gas fee of US$75. Go figure, as the Americans say.

Phallic Symbols Fly Through the Cryptosphere

Parent company Anheuser-Busch has also changed Budweiser’s Twitter name to “beer.eth”. At the same time as it purchased a Bud-themed piece from Tom Sachs’ Rocket Factory collection and used it for the brand’s official Twitter page in August, Budweiser bought its new Twitter handle from the Ethereum Name Service (ENS). An ENS name is used to point to an Ethereum wallet, in the same way a URL or domain name points to a website.

However, within hours of posting its Rocket Factory NFT, Budweiser’s wallet was bombarded with similarly penis-shaped NFTs sent by other collectors. All very adolescent, really, so it comes as a shock to be reminded that buyers of alcohol-branded collectibles must be certified as being over 18 years of age.