The Keystone Light Mascot You Probably Forgot Existed
Keystone Light, a product of Molson Coors, has generally been marketed toward people who don't enjoy strong-tasting brews and desire an easier drinking beer, sort of like the anti-IPA. This was perhaps best illustrated through a humorous series of commercials they ran during the 1990s in which people are shown drinking heavier beers that cause their face to bloat and pucker up in a very unattractive fashion that Keystone Light dubbed "bitter beer face" (via YouTube). The ads touted Keystone Light as "America's least bitter beer," a lighter alternative that would never give you bitter beer face, which the ads not so subtly implied could adversely impact your love life.
Another more recent set of commercials had Keystone Light introducing a character named Keith Stone (per YouTube), whose laid-back cool and smoothness were meant to personify the smooth, refreshing taste of Keystone Light. While you may remember these cheeky marketing campaigns, what you might not have realized is that Keystone Light also created a canine mascot for one of its brands.
Paws up for Lil' Breezy Keezy
In 2020, Keystone Light launched a fruity beer called Keylightful, a mix of lime and raspberry flavors blended into the eponymous original. Keylightful featured the debut of a French bulldog named Lil' Breezy Keezy, who was to become its brand mascot. Lil' Breezy Keezy's image was plastered on all Keylightful products in an effort to promote the beverage.
The dog sported sunglasses (reflecting the Rockies in a nod to parent company Coors) and a blue party shirt, and was even given a background and described as having interests and pursuits such as "tail-gating, dog day afternoons, and keeping updated on pup-ular culture" (per Brewbound). Keylightful even launched a nationwide contest seeking out a real-life French bulldog pup who could serve as the official brand ambassador for a year.
This isn't the first time a brewery has tried the dog mascot approach. Budweiser introduced the world to fictional party pup and bull terrier Spuds MacKenzie in a 1987 Super Bowl ad (via Business Insider). Spuds became a short-lived marketing sensation before being retired in 1989 amid controversy.
While most people who were alive in the 1980s probably recall Spuds, if you're wondering why you've never heard of Lil' Breezy Keezy, there is a good reason for that. It's because Keylightful didn't exist long before it joined the ranks of discontinued beers. Molson Coors stopped selling Keylightful in 2021 according to TMJ4 Milwaukee.