Credit Herald

Many things are changing at Anheuser-Busch these days. New managers from InBev of Belgium are making their wishes known. Free beer is going away at the Busch Gardens and SeaWorld theme parks. Company retirees may have to start paying to meet in the St. Louis brewery’s cafeteria. Suppliers reportedly will have to wait longer to get paid.

But for now, one thing is not changing: The company still plans to be the biggest and arguably the boldest advertiser for the upcoming Super Bowl.

"Why the Super Bowl?" Keith Levy, vice president of marketing, said in a conference call with reporters. "Ninety-eight million reasons — 98 million consumers anticipating, ‘What is Anheuser-Busch going to do?’"

The company gave a sneak peak at part of its Super Bowl lineup on Thursday. The commercials were still in various stages of editing but were eye-catching nonetheless.

One Budweiser commercial shows some healthy competition between a Budweiser Clydesdale and a Dalmatian. A Bud Light spot shows a beer expert changing the topography of a ski resort while opining on the beer’s "drinkability." Another Budweiser ad shows the connection between a Clydesdale and his circus-horse girlfriend, who is cursed with uncaring masters.

In another spot, late-night TV host Conan O’Brien takes his agent’s advice and does his very first commercial. Because, after all, it’s a ton of money, and it will be seen only in Sweden.

Several other spots, including one each for Budweiser American Ale and Bud Light Lime, also are under consideration. The company would like to build more awareness of Bud Light Lime, a new product that drove A-B’s success this year. One goal now is to convince people that the beer is not just a summer selection.

The company has 4