We’ve been teasing this for weeks and we finally get to pay off and talk about Budweiser American Ale.
News
This weeks news story comes from Denver Colorado and it all about the Great American Beer Festival, starting this week. The 27th annual GABF kicks off this week on 9th and runs through the 11th. If you are in Denver, I highly suggest you stop by, because you will have the chance to sample from 400 brewers a total of 1,900 different beers. Although the event is now sold out, so if you don’t already have a ticket, you won’t be going this year. This is part one of the story, with part two coming next week which will be the announcement of the winners. So make sure to tune in to find out if your favorite beer won.
Budweiser American Ale
- The beer has been on the way for a while now, I think that we have been hearing about it for about 4 to 5 months in the open market but it has been a open secret in the industry for much longer.
- Part of the reason, if not all of the reason that this was rolled out is AB needs to gain a foot hold in the craft beer market.
- Interestingly, AB has also revamped their ad campaign with Bud Lager recently, advertisting it as the Great American Lager.
- The beer weighs in at 5.10%, which is just .1% higher the Bud Lager, but .9% higher than Bud Light.
- This beer pours a a nice little head, a little off white and a amber color. An interesting thing to note here is that the beer did not have a twist off cap.
- The taste is I must say a lot better than Jim would expect from a Bud product. I know, that may seem bias, but so sue him.
- The flavor is a bit malty and sweet, but not over powering. There is a little bit of a caramel malt flavor, but it is very mild. There is also some bitterness here as well, nice little citrusy zest to it, but nothing overpowering like an IPA.
- Overall, I will say that this isn’t a bad beer. It isn’t terribly complex, but it is a pretty refreshing drinker, that if it was at a bar, I would probably get one. I suggest that you give it a try too.
Next Week
We will be getting back to a series next week, and I think it will be something seasonal, maybe some pumpkin beers.
Your Next Beer 
My friend was just telling me about this beer tonight. He said his friend that owns the Gary Own in Gettysburg hoodwinked him. He said, “try this new micro I got.” Then told him it was the Bud American Ale. He said it is actually decent. Being the beer snob I am, I was incredulous. Even if it tastes good I’d rather think about where my money goes. PA is one of two states where Budweiser is not the top selling beer. I’d like to help keep it that way. Which is not hard with so many great micros so close!
Yeah, when I lived in Gettysburg I never needed to drink macros.
Now that I’m in New Castle it isn’t as easy.
I wonder if Yuengling alone cuts into the market deeply enough to keep Bud out of the #1 spot in PA.
I tried Bud Ale and expected it to taste something like one of the Michelob varieties. In other words, a passable taste if nothing great and a Budweiser-like light and fizzy consistency. Michelob Porter tastes like carbonated water with a bit of carmel flavor added. There wasn’t much that really stood out for good or bad in Bud Ale. I found it bland and lacking in flavor for an ale. In and of itself this isn’t an awful beer but it’s very forgettable. Try it if you’re curious but you’re not missing anything if you pass it up.
Beeerperson, good suggestion about Yuengiling, also Rolling Rock (before Miller-Corrs bought it) and Iron City.
I had forgotten about those brands myself! One of Yuengling’s main strengths is that it is a very good beer for its price. I can’t think of many widely available beers of comparable price that are on a similar level of quality. I’ve always thought of Yuengling as something vaguely like a Sam Adams Boston Lager knocked down a notch or two due to their using of adjuncts. It’s interesting to speculate on what Yuengling would taste like if they kept the same recipe but went with better ingredients. Shiner’s hefe is another beer that comes to mind for being pretty decent on a relatively low price. Yuengling also has the advantage of being a brand you can drink without looking too pretentious compared to the average beer drinker.
I have a sentimental fondness for the Old Rolling Rock (I speak of Rolling Rock now only in the past tense, no Latrobe, no Rolling rock) as it was a reluctant downgrade in the early days of refining my taste in beer. When there were no funds for something better, Rolling Rock was my go-to-beer. There must have been something special about it because I noticed that people who otherwise didn’t care for beer in general would often tolerate Rolling Rock. If memory serves correct, they used a different type of yeast than most macro-style lagers and this added a fairly unique hint of sweetness.
IC is a favorite for some in the Pittsburgh area but it still might not have quite enough pull to put a dent in the market share that might otherwise go to Bud. For all I know, maybe they do have enough clout from that regional appeal.
I don’t have the numbers but Jim allegedly drank IC Light from his baby bottle.
I’ve met Jim’s parents and they don’t seem like the type, but you never know.