For the first time in many years, the iconic Budweiser bottle will see a major makeover - special red, white and blue packaging for a limited window this summer.

 The new design comes in advance of a summer initiative in which the brand will contribute a portion of all s

Budweiser

 The patriotic bottle, which comes with one of five decorated bottle caps, features the brand's iconic bowtie as its focal point. Budweiser cans and secondary packaging also will convert to red, white and blue for a limited time, beginning in mid-May and continuing until mid-July.

 "It's going to be a red, white and blue summer for Budweiser - most visibly in our packaging but more importantly in our philanthropic support for the families of America's fallen heroes through the Folds of Honor Foundation," said Rob McCarthy, vice president of Budweiser at Anheuser-Busch.

 This year's patriotic packaging will be available in 8-, 12-, 16- and 24-ounce cans and in a 12-ounce glass bottle, 16-ounce plastic bottle and 16-ounce aluminum bottle. The patriotic theme continues on secondary packaging for all of the top-selling configurations, including 6-packs, 24-packs, 30-packs and other popular sizes.

The summer program for Budweiser is a major expansion of a patriotic packaging initiative that had great success for the iconic brand last summer.

"Last year Budweiser had its best summer in many years with our special red, white and blue can as the catalyst during June," McCarthy said. "We have expanded and improved this packaging this year."