Budweiser's Holiday Cans Feature An Adorable Surprise

The best-selling beer in America that doesn't have "Light" (or "Lite") in its name (via USA Today) just gave you another reason to reach for the "King of Beers" this holiday season. Anheuser-Busch InBev, makers of Budweiser, hope to appeal to your love of animals with holiday-themed cans that feature the brand's famous Clydesdales and Dalmatian (via Fox News).

Budweiser USA said in a recent Instagram post that the holiday cans should be available at a store near you. The cans come in four varieties decked out in green, red, and white. Three feature the iconic Budweiser Clydesdales in various poses, and the fourth can shows an eager Dalmatian puppy. The Dalmatian is new this year. Last year, all four cans displayed images of the beer's Scottish draft horses.

Judging from the comments under Budweiser's Instagram post, the dalmatian can is going to be popular. "I have to find the dalmatian," one commenter said. Another also gave the Dalmatian a thumbs-up: "I think more beer cans should have puppies on them."

Clydesdales and the Dalmatian have been TV-famous since 1967

Clydesdales have appeared in Budweiser's TV advertising since 1967 and started a regular run in Super Bowl commercials in 1996 (via Simply Marvelous). Those familiar with that first Clydesdale commercial may not have noticed, but the also-famous Bud Dalmatian makes a cameo in that 1967 ad. He's riding on top of that old-timey beer-delivery wagon all those Clydesdales are pulling. The Dalmatian would go on to play bigger roles in the commercials, including a 2008 Super Bowl ad in which the dog trains a Clydesdale so he can make the hitch-pulling team.

Perhaps the most memorable Clydesdale ad of all is the holiday-themed TV commercial, which first ran in the 1970s. Given the close association between the wagon-pulling horses and the holidays, the return of the festive Budweiser cans for a second year in a row seems fitting. The cans are modeled off the traditional Budweiser holiday steins, which the brewer has sold for 41 years and are available on Budweiser's merchandise website while supplies last.