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Nebraska and Iowa punched their ticket to the Sweet Sixteen after securing wins in the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament. Fans of both of those teams are known for their affinity for Busch Light, and bars in the city are doing what they can to stock up ahead of their arrival.
Prior to this season, Nebraska had made the NCAA Tournament on eight occasions but had failed to get a single win during that string of one-and-done appearances. The four-seeded Cornhuskers were finally able to check that box by ending Troy’s season, and they advance to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time in the history of the program by beating Vanderbilt in a nail-biter.
Iowa, on the other hand, has had a bit more success on the March Madness front. The 2026 tourney marks the 30th time the Hawkeyes have gone dancing, and they’ll be playing in the Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 1999 after dispatching Clemson and pulling off a shocking upset to end Florida’s hopes of defending its national championship.
Those two schools are based in states that have a reputation for loving a particular beer, and drinking establishments in Houston may be facing an uphill battle in their quest to meet the demand for it.
Will bars in Houston be able to stock enough Busch Light for the Nebraska and Iowa fans heading there for the Sweet Sixteen?
America boasts a number of so-called “regional beers” that are primarily associated with certain cities and geographic regions; Narragansett in New England, Old Style in Chicago, Natty Boh in Maryland, and Spotted Cow in Wisconsin.
In many places across the Midwest, the default tends to be Busch Light. It’s the top-selling beer in 10 states located in the middle of the country, and that includes Nebraska and Iowa.
Texans are known for gravitating to Lone Star or Shiner Bock, and based on a quick search on Untappd and BeerMenus, there aren’t any bars in Houston that featured Busch Light on their menu before the Hawkeyes and the Cornhuskers secured the right to face off against each other at the Toyota Center.
Jake Bartecki of News Channel Nebraska did the kind of reporting that really matters after heading down to Texas ahead of the game. He was able to find at least one bar, Biggio’s in the Marriott Marquis Houston, that said it would be stocking it on the advice of an intrepid beer rep who was able to read the room.
If the product locator on the official Busch Light website is to be believed, other bars in the vicinity of the Toyota Center that currently have the beer include Sunny’s, Tom’s Watch Bar, Little Woodrow’s, and Cobo’s.
It thankfully doesn’t look like Nebraska and Iowa fans will be heading into a Busch Light desert, but I would not be shocked to hear about the city’s supply being exhausted by the time they depart.