Anheuser-Busch has stopped a trial of plastic beer bottles in Dallas an Phoenix, citing the reason as a poor response from customers. The test marketing program involved 16oz bottles of Budweiser and Bud Light beers and followed a similar test last summer in New York. The bottles went on sale in convenience stores in both cities in the middle of March in a trial intended to assess the long term recycling viability of the bottle - a concern because of its complex construction. The bottles used the same, three layer plastic construction as those used by rival brewer Miller in its test marketing program which has been underway since last October. The new package was originally seen as a possible substitute for both glass bottles and cans, but the earlier trial in New York suggested that their potential was limited to places where glass bottles were not permitted.
