Anheuser-Busch Bombarded By Backlash After Harley-Davidson Partnership

Beer brewer Anheuser-Busch is facing backlash on social media after Budweiser's new partnership with Harvey-Davidson was revealed.

Last week, new Budweiser cans were unveiled, which feature logos from the beer brand and Harley-Davidson to commemorate the motorcycle manufacturer's 120th anniversary. The designs are inspired by original hand-drawn blueprints from each of the brands, according to Beverage Industry.

However, the cans—which include the words "Kings of our Craft" and "Brewed and built in the USA"—have all but served to ignite further furor from a number of conservative detractors who over the past several weeks have been boycotting Bud Light.

In early April, transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney shared a video on Instagram in which she explained that Bud Light had sent her a beer can with her face on it to commemorate 365 days of her living as a woman. Mulvaney's Days of Girlhood video series, which charts her first year of transitioning, has been a viral success.

The partnership drew condemnation from a number of conservative social media users who issued calls for a boycott. Musician Kid Rock shared footage of him opening fire on a stack of Bud Light cans, a move that was copied by model Bri Teresi as she took aim at a range of brands.

Amid the criticism and reports of plummeting sales, some Bud Light executives took a leave of absence, including marketing head Alissa Heinerscheid and Daniel Blake, who oversees marketing for Anheuser-Busch's mainstream brands.

As a result of the backlash, the timing of the release of Budweiser's Harley-Davidson's cans has proved to be somewhat problmatic, with detractors only ramping up their objections to products associated with Anheuser-Busch.

After the can was unveiled on Instagram, one social media user wrote: "I will never buy or drink this brand of beer ever again."

"Never drinking Anheuser Busch beer again," commented another on a follow-up post. "You turned your backs on your customers."

Over on Twitter, the objections came in thick and fast, with one person writing: "After the trans can fallout, Budweiser is set to pump some testosterone back into its [products] by rolling out a Harley Davidson can for Budweiser…I ain't falling for it!"

"Harley Davidson, you are an American icon. So was Bud Light," tweeted another. "Anheuser Busch badly misread their consumer brand, and are paying the price. AB is going down. Now you have partnered with the people who betrayed their base. You may wish to reconsider this decision."

Another quipped: "Budweiser announces its partnership with Harley Davidson for it's new beer cans in a last ditch effort to save the company after going woke! You really can't make this up."

"I am a Harley Rider and I always prefer Miller Draught," said Twitter user SpaceWeasel. "Budweiser is DEAD. If Miller goes Woke, it will be Sam Adams. Get Woke, Go Broke!"

Despite the uproar, some fans expressed appreciation for the limited edition cans.

"Love it," wrote one on Budweiser's original Instagram post. "The king Budweiser and Harley-Davidson. Hell yeah!!! I ride a Street Glide."

"I'm gonna need you to send me some of these," said another.

Meanwhile, a Twitter user complained about the growing list of companies that have recently faced boycott calls from conservatives.

They wrote: "How many American companies have the crazy right told us to boycott now? Harley Davidson, Goodyear, Budweiser, UPS, Coca Cola, MLB, NFL and NBA etc etc etc. So much for American first. What a joke of [a] party the GOP is."

Newsweek has contacted Harley-Davidson representatives via email for comment.

In recent weeks, a number of social-media users have shared photos and videos of Bud Light on store shelves and at venues in a bid to illustrate the purported success of their boycott of the beer brand.

However, the Bud Light backlash has spilled beyond social media criticism and boycotts with a bomb squad was recently dispatched to an Anheuser-Busch facility in Los Angeles following a threatening email.

An Anheuser-Busch employee told Patch Media that other threats were made to facilities across the U.S. after Mulvaney's Bud Light post.

In an April 14 press release, Anheuser-Busch CEO Brendan Whitworth said the company had no intention of dividing people.

"We never intended to be part of a discussion that divides people. We are in the business of bringing people together over a beer," read the statement. "I care deeply about this country, this company, our brands, and our partners.

"I spend much of my time traveling across America, listening to and learning from our customers, distributors, and others. Moving forward, I will continue to work tirelessly to bring great beers to consumers across our nation."

Conservative TV personality Tomi Lahren recently claimed that "mass layoffs" are in the pipeline at Bud Light as a result of the backlash.

Newsweek has contacted representatives of Bud Light via email for comment.