The 20 Best Super Bowl Beer Commercials, Ranked

The Super Bowl is as synonymous with America as apple pie. Millions of people watch the big game each year, and Super Bowl parties are a tradition across the nation. Outside of the football game itself, the commercials have been an integral part of the day since the very beginning. According to Sports Khabri, the first Super Bowl in the 1960s involved corporate sponsors just like today. Back then, a 30-second spot cost around $37,000. Today, it's over $5 million. 

But commercials aren't simply product advertisements like they were 50-plus years ago — they're entertainment as well. While many brands advertise during the Super Bowl, beer ads have always come out the most memorable. From touching to hilarious, these beer commercials have woven their way into our pop culture vernacular over the years. And they're only going to get better with competition — after having an exclusive contract since 1989, Anheuser-Busch let go of the agreement in 2022 (per CNN), making the 2023 Super Bowl the first one in over 30 years to allow other alcohol companies to get in on the game. 

Read on below for our ranking of the most memorable Super Bowl beer commercials over the years. Does mentioning the Budweiser Frogs ring a bell? How about Spuds Mackenzie? Chances are this list will unlock at least one core memory you've completely forgotten about, along with bringing a smile to your face recalling more recent favorites. 

This funny commercial aired during Super bowl XLI in 2007, and it is a good example as to why you shouldn't let beer come between a friendship — or perhaps the other way around. Two guys reaching for the last Bud Light settle who gets it by playing a good old-fashioned game of rock, paper, scissors. The end result? A winner ... and a probably a concussion. Does the winner show an ounce of remorse? Not really. After all, he won the beer fair(ish) and square. 

This one made our list for being funny but is ranked low for not really having much creativity. We always appreciate a little good old-fashioned slapstick, though. 

If there's one thing to know about Will Ferrell, it's that he's pretty much up for anything, including a beer-related publicity stunt. The marketing strategy behind this 2012 Old Milwaukee commercial is pretty brilliant — create a commercial for a small market, edit it poorly to leave people guessing, and watch it go viral. According to Bleacher Report, the ad was sold to an NBC affiliate in rural Nebraska at the cost of only around $1,500. It only aired locally on TVs there.

The commercial features Will Ferrell saying the Old Milwaukee brand name ... almost. It hilariously cuts off while he's mid-word. Old Milwaukee hoped for viral internet success, which is exactly what it got without spending millions of dollars. This one makes our list because of its awesome creativity, but we're bummed that those of us outside of rural Nebraska weren't in on the joke. 

The Budweiser Clydesdales are famous for being the celebrity spokeshorses of the company. They've appeared in many Super Bowl commercials, but not always in the most sophisticated of ways. In this memorable ad spot, a couple takes a Clydesdale out for a romantic sleigh ride. After bringing out some candlelight to set the mood, the Clydesdale passes gas just as the man reaches down for a Bud Light — leaving his date charred from the chemical reaction. The commercial ends with the perfect line, "Do you smell barbecue?" 

It might not have been the usual majestic portrayal of these beer mascots, but it was entertaining nonetheless. Gross-out humor isn't always appealing, but it still gives us a chuckle.

For Super Bowl LV, Bud Light capitalized off of the Marvel superheroes craze by bringing its own fractured version of the Avengers together, headed up by Post Malone. Still with us? Indeed, the commercial featured past commercial stars that assembled for this tongue-in-cheek ad spot, including the Bud Knight, the "I Love You, Man" man, and Cedric the Entertainer. Because if you're dropping millions on a 30-second ad spot, why not invite everyone to the party? 

In the commercial, the "Bud Light Legends" work together to save a shipment of Bud Light after a truck crashes. Seems like a noble enough cause to us.

In this Samuel Adams commercial from 2022, the company partnered with Boston Dynamics for a pretty silly concept — actor Greg Hoyt plays "your cousin from Boston," who is working as a security guard at Boston Dynamics and meets a rowdy, partying robot at the end of his shift. This leads to the building becoming a bit of a madhouse. From taking the beer to letting out a good belch, the featured robot does, in fact, know how to party, as do its robot friends. It's a bit random and out there, but it works in the humor and creativity departments.

In 2019, Stella Artois brought in two pop culture giants — Sarah Jessica Parker and Jeff Bridges. Playing their respective characters of Carrie Bradshaw from "Sex and the City" and The Dude from "The Big Lebowski," they upend a restaurant by forgoing their signature cosmopolitan and white Russian in favor of the aforementioned beer. The reaction from the restaurant staff is silly and memorable, including broken dishes and a kitchen fire. This commercial was a feel-good win for its recognizable characters and reminding us to not be afraid of change.

Best of all, according to Today, the commercial was part of a partnership to benefit a non-profit committed to getting clean water to people in developing countries.

Busch Beer's first-ever Super Bowl commercial aired in 2017, and the brand decided to use a little humor in its ad spot. A character that instantly became known as "the Busch guy" opens a can of Busch in the forest after pulling a six pack out of a babbling brook. The scene is picturesque and peaceful — until that can of beer is opened, that is. The initial crisp fizz sound of the freshly opened beer continues ... and continues. Multiple forest creatures take note, including an incredibly judgmental eagle staring down from a tree branch. Busch even changed the logo at the end, switching Busch into "Buschhhhh." 

The commercial was a hit, cracking up viewers both live and later on YouTube. According to AdStasher, Busch's marketing team's goal was to create a relatable and funny ad. The brand succeeded. 

Things went south with those revered Clydesdales once again in this Super Bowl XL spot. Starting with a stunning film of the huge horses playing football in an open field, the majesty is quickly hijacked by a shorn lamb that runs through the crowd. As he shakes his bare bottom and soaks in the attention his chaos is causing, all sorts of animals crowd around to cheer him on. The Clydesdales, however, remain quite judgmental of the display before them. The commercial also features two cowboys that aren't all too surprised about the farm streaker. 

This commercial was an adorable win for Budweiser. In 2021, it was rated by Wide Open Pets as one of the funniest Clydesdale commercials to date.

In 2020, just before the world was rocked by the global pandemic, the Chiefs beat the Niners while we were also entertained by a strong roster of commercials. Bud Light recruited Post Malone for its ad spot, featuring a complex operating system controlling Malone's brain. The dilemma at hand? Whether to purchase regular Bud Light (a known Malone favorite), or reach for the new Bud Light Seltzer. 

In true marketing fashion, he chooses both while managing to knock over the majority of the store merchandise. CBS rated this as one of the top 10 commercials of that year's Super Bowl, thanks in part to Malone's hilarious parting line, "Got any pretzels?"

Super Bowl commercials love to feature famous or retired athletes, and Michelob followed suit in 2022 with a commercial featuring Peyton Manning and Serena Williams. They are joined by other known sports stars, along with actor Steve Buscemi, who plays a bartender inside of a bowling alley called the Superior Bowl.

According to USA Today, the commercial was meant to emphasize the light, low-carb feel of Michelob Ultra — the sort of drink one could enjoy while chilling out at a low-intensity activity like bowling. Fine with us! We're just here to be entertained by the all-star lineup found in this ad.

1998 brought us the lobster commercial. If you're old enough to remember, this spot featured a lobster plucked out of his restaurant tank on his way to his boiling pot demise. He saves himself by snatching a Bud Light just in time, holding it hostage in hilarious action movie fashion. An entourage of kitchen chefs attempt to save the "hostage," but the lobster prevails, taking himself and the beer quickly out of the building. The commercial ends with a restaurant patron settling on ordering the steak instead. 

The lobster commercial is clever and campy — basically everything one would expect from a 1990s marketing campaign. According to Forgotten Advertisements, the ad was directed by David McNally, who also directed another '90s gem — "Kangaroo Jack." 

It's hard not to love little Weego, an actual rescue dog that found fame in a 2012 Bud Light Super Bowl commercial. The ad featured Weego responding to his owner's command of "here we go" by running to fetch a beer. As the phrase is used in passing by various people at the party, poor Weego runs himself ragged fetching beers for everyone, including rolling out a keg and floating in a pool. 

According to Bleacher Report, alongside the ad campaign, Bud Light also raised money for other rescue dogs. Thank you for being such a good boy, Weego. 

Featuring the same observing cowboys as the streaker commercial, Budweiser brought humor to the farm again with this commercial featuring some seriously perturbed Clydesdales. In this one, viewers first see a close-up of a horse's hoof as they play football in the snow, only for the scene to rewind and play again — and again. Then, the camera pans out to show both Clydesdales and cowboys annoyed at a zebra replaying a video recording over and over. The commercial ends with one of the cowboys sharing their opinion on of this "ref." 

The commercial aired in 2003, at the end of a football season during which — according to the commercial's creator Jeremy Schwartz — referees obsessing over replays was a real thing. And to make it that much better, this commercial ended up airing immediately after one of those replay reviews. Classic. 

In this 2006 Bud Light commercial, a corporate employee finds himself in an elevator with his boss. He explains he's spent most of the weekend in the office working, but he had the idea of hiding some Bud Lights to "boost morale." The elevator doors open to reveal what is quite possibly some of the finest beer cinematography out there, as we see businesspeople tearing down ceilings, punching holes in walls, and ripping out trees from planters in search of Bud Light bottles. This ad spot was a hilarious take on not only beer but corporate America as well. 

For Super Bowl LI, Budweiser took more of an arthouse film approach than humor. In celebration of over 140 years of beer making, the commercial depicted a young Adolphus Busch, who emigrated to Missouri from Germany. The scenes in the spot feature a harrowing adventure of fiery boats, muddy treks, and a less-than-welcoming greeting from others. In the end, he meets Eberhard Anheuser, and they go on to found the now-famous Anheuser-Busch brewing company. 

While the commercial obviously tells a romanticized version of the story — according to Britannica, the real Busch had the help of a family inheritance to get him started — it is a poignant, inspiring account of the brand's formation. 

Bud Light stuck with the funny in 2011 with an ad spot featuring a dog-sitting friend that uses some information to his advantage. The owner of the huge squad of dogs tells his friend two key facts — the dogs will do whatever is asked, and the fridge is stocked with Bud Lights. 

Enter a house party scene where the dog sitter has turned the dogs into everything from a bartender to a DJ. Some of the party guests look a little confused and uneasy — primarily a woman getting a draft beer poured by a bloodhound — but everyone is willing to go along with the ruse in exchange for some Bud Light.

For anyone alive in the '80s and '90s, Spuds MacKenzie was an important part of brand-name pop culture. He first appeared in a Bud Light Super Bowl commercial in 1987, coined by the company as "the original party animal." According to the "Comedy History 101" podcast, Spuds was the brainchild of a 23-year-old art director, and the youth behind the concept was pretty apparent in the initial series of commercials featuring the dog in Hawaiian shirts being fawned over by attractive women. Spuds MacKenzie is still referenced in pop culture today, and Budweiser has brought him back on occasion, as well.

All good things must come to an end — or do they? While Spuds MacKenzie was not known by younger generations of Super Bowl watchers, Budweiser decided to resurrect the icon in a commercial that aired in 2017. Spuds returns in spirit form to help a mellow guy liven up his night. The ghost is a hero, supplying him with plenty of beer for his friends. 

It was a great throwback for millennials and a fun introduction for younger viewers. Bleacher Report gave it a B grade on their ratings of Super Bowl LI ad spots, probably because of its combination of cheesy dialogue but awesome nostalgia. 

Young people of today need to know the importance of the Budweiser "wassup" commercial, which ran during the Super Bowl in 2000 and is Budweiser marketing gold. The Drum rated it as one of the world's best ads, and the humor holds up today. 

We all have that one friend who brings life to the room, and that is portrayed hilariously in the first ad, which shows a group of friends that end up on one heck of a phone call. Friendships don't always have to be deep or complex — sometimes things can be as simple as a silly inside joke and a cold beer. 

In the mid-'90s, the Budweiser Frogs became super famous, super quickly. According to USA Today, the Super Bowl in 1995 was a bit of a blowout, with the San Diego Chargers seemingly not even trying to win. The doldrums of the game, however, were quickly cured by a commercial featuring croaking frogs. 

That's kind of it. But the frogs were a hit, with everyone quoting them and more commercials to follow. The amphibians were formally named Bud, Weis, and Er, and some combination of the trio (along with new characters) were featured in ads over the rest of the decade.