Special Bud Light Fridges Unlock After Cleveland Browns Victory

Last night, the oft-maligned, locally-beloved Cleveland Browns did something they hadn’t done in nearly two years: They won a regular season football game. The Browns came out on top over the New York Jets, 21 to 17 on their home turf in Cleveland. But this victory had more at stake than a simple W. This victory meant free beer.

Back in mid-August, before the beginning of the NFL season, Anheuser-Busch worked with a local distributor to place Victory Fridges around Cleveland’s FirstEnergy Stadium, as well as bars throughout the city. With imposing chains keeping the coolers completely secure, the beer company made a deal with the city: When the Browns win, Cleveland wins. If the team could pull it out, the fridges full of free Bud Light would be unlocked for Clevelanders to enjoy.

With Thursday’s triumphant win, it seems it was time for Budweiser to make good on that wager. And the Browns wasted no time in letting Bud Light know they expected their fans to score those suds, posthaste.

According to Ad Week, Bud Light representatives were on-hand near all of the fridges to open them up and let Browns fans finally raise a toast to their team’s success with Browns-themed beer cans.

Bud Light has a history of backing underdog teams with free beer. Last season when the Philadelphia Eagles made it all the way to the Super Bowl, offensive tackle Lane Johnson offered up the tempting proposition of buying the entire city of Philly a beer if they won the championship. To keep him from paying for all that beer out of pocket, Bud Light promised to pick up the celebratory tab should the Eagles clinch the title over the reigning New England Patriots to take home the team's first Super Bowl trophy. Of course, as the history books now tell, they did, so Bud Light helped liven up the Eagles homecoming by passing out free beer along the victory parade route.