Budweiser American Ale has enlisted Olympian and four-time world freestyle kayaking champion Eric Jackson as an ambassador for the brand. Beginning next year, Jackson will appear in Budweiser American Ale print and point-of-sale marketing, and the brand will have a presence at professional kayaking events throughout 2010. Budweiser American Ale will also host private training sessions with Jackson, offering both experienced and novice kayakers alike the chance to learn from the most successful competitive kayaker in history.

“Kayakers and Budweiser American Ale fans share a lot in common: they dare to venture off the beaten path, savor novel experiences and knew they were on to something special the first time they tried it,” noted Marianne Radley, Budweiser American Ale Brand Manager at St. Louis-based Anheuser-Busch. “Eric Jackson is a pioneer and innovator in kayaking, moving the sport in new directions during his 20-plus year career. His unmatched success and dedication has redefined kayaking, making him an ideal fit for Budweiser American Ale, a beer that redefined the American-style ale.”

“Kayaking is my lifelong passion because nothing compares to an exhilarating whitewater run and the camaraderie in the kayaking community,” said Jackson, who founded and is a co-designer at Rock Island, Tenn.-based Jackson Kayak, which manufactures whitewater boats. “A Budweiser American Ale is the perfect ending to a big day in the water and already was my beer of choice. [I] hope it will help attract more participants and fans to our sport to show millions of people what they’ve been missing.”

Introduced in 2008, Budweiser American Ale is an American-style amber ale brewed with caramel malted barley and dry-hopped with Cascade hops from the Pacific Northwest.