When I was a kid, I went to some big family and friend get together with other kids and adults.

As was tradition, a lot of the older adult men would play dominoes and drink beer. This night had Budweiser beer cans.

I walked up to one of the guys and asked him what he was drinking. To keep my innocence intact, he replied, “it’s water”.

I’ve never forgotten that moment and so every time I see one of those cans with that classic Budweiser design, my mind immediately first thinks there’s water in there.

It may not have been so much to protect you as much as a sarcastic commentary on the quality of the beer. It would be far from the first time I've heard or seen someone describe it as such (I don't drink alcohol due to not wanting to wind up like my abusive father, so can't comment personally).

About 20 years ago I was at a party and an old man was drinking actual water from Budweiser cans. They were silver or silver lighter color instead of red and were given out after a hurricane or some other natural disaster.