Casey Warner put his classroom studies to use when he was tapped to spearhead an ambitious branding campaign for a new craft beer inspired by his beloved university: Alabama A&M University.
On Thursday, “Alma Mater” made its official debut at a local brewery in Huntsville, thanks to Warner and two of his classmates who named the beer and launched an impressive rollout of the marketing strategy to get the beverage in the hands of beer lovers.
“I am not a heavy beer drinker, but I do like to socialize and drink a beer every once and awhile,” said Warner, who graduated from Alabama A&M University earlier this month with his MBA, after spending the past eight years at the school as an undergraduate and graduate student. 
The Indianapolis native said that he and his classmates were invited by the dean of the business school to help name and promote the beer after the university struck up a deal with the Huntsville-based brewery called Straight to Ale to create a new American Lager. The collaboration means that Alabama A&M is the first and only historically Black college and university (HBCU) to have its own beer.
“I was excited and thrilled,” said Warner, who worked on the project for several months. This business venture will yield profits to the university for each beverage or six-pack that is sold during the life of the product.
“We wanted to target people who went to the school, beer drinkers and of course, our alumni,” said Warner. “If there’s a great taste in beer, people are going to try it out.”
Dr. Archie Tucker, II vice president for marketing, communication, and advancement at AAMU said that the beer was named “alma mater” as a representation of the pride one feels about the school, college, or university that they attended.
