Budweiser American Ale: Does it Make the Grade?
by - Written: Oct 06 '08
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Product Rating:
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Pros: More malt and hops than other A-B products; Good foam level and retention
Cons: Dry, cardboard- like taste in the finish
The Bottom Line: Budweiser American Ale is a respectable effort that falls short of a classic, but is still better than most other A-B products.
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| Bryan_Carey's Full Review: Budweiser American Ale |
New beer products are a dime a dozen. With so many thousands of breweries in the United States and the world, new products are offered on a constant basis. It would be virtually impossible to try them all because new products are released so frequently. This is why I am not usually surprised to find something new and I don't anticipate new malt beverage products; That is, until now. One product that I have been anxious to try is now available on a national scale thanks to the marketing muscle behind its parent company. It is Budweiser American Ale, a new product from Anheuser- Busch.
Basic Facts About This Beer:
Budweiser American Ale pours to an amber color with a clear, well- filtered body. The foam level of this ale is pretty good, offering far better retention than other Anheuser- Busch products. The nose of this beer is weak, but I could detect toasted malt and a light touch of citrus hops.
Budweiser American Ale offers a pleasant taste that includes toasted malts, grain, chocolate, and a bit of a sour/dry/cardboard sensation from the hops. The aftertaste is dry and the bitter sensations felt on the back of the tongue continue to make themselves known for a while after each sip. I could also taste some notes of apple as I continued to consume.
Budweiser American Ale is made with ingredients like two- row barley, caramel malts, and Cascade hops. The alcohol content of Budweiser American Ale is 5.1 percent by volume.
Food Compatibility:
Budweiser American Ale would be right at home served with most beef dishes like well- seasoned beef tips with mashed potatoes and gravy. It offers enough malt and hop backbone that it could stand up to slightly heartier than average fare.
Final Thoughts:
All I can say is, it's about time! I have been waiting and waiting for Anheuser- Busch to break into the ale market on a massive scale for a long time and my dream is finally a reality. The Budweiser name is synonymous with below average yet great- selling lager beer and most all of the Anheuser- Busch lineup is comprised of lagers. I often wondered why it took so long for Anheuser- Busch to offer ale but now, it's official. The company can claim an ale among its brotherhood of mostly weak, flimsy lagers.
I prefer ale to lager by a wide margin, so I was anxious to try Budweiser American Ale. This might come as a surprise to many, given my tendency to criticize most anything with the words "Anheuser Busch" on the label. But I really wanted to try this beer and the reason is because of the word "ale" in the name. Anheuser- Busch has produced other ales under other brand names, but this is the first time the Budweiser name has been used in conjunction with an ale product.
Since I am prone to dislike most Anheuser- Busch products, I promised myself I would evaluate this beer with a completely open mind. Tossing my prejudices aside, I poured and sampled a couple of glasses of Budweiser American Ale and treated it like I was tasting something from a craft brewery. I didn't want my bias to spoil the tasting or influence my rating. And from my tasting experience, I can say that Budweiser American Ale is a good- tasting ale, with greater malt and hop character than most other Anheuser- Busch products.
As most will agree, Anheuser- Busch is known for its scant use of hops and its lighter than average beer products that use rice to make the beer even lighter than it would otherwise be. Budweiser American Ale, however, is brewed using a greater proportion of malt and hops than other A-B products. And these additional hops and added malt are certainly present in the taste. The flavor is more pronounced than other A-B beers and even if it doesn't reach the level of a great craft beer, it is certainly a step in the right direction.
If I could change anything with Budweiser American Ale, it would be the dry, cardboard- like finish. Some would even consider it slightly metallic in taste and it certainly takes away from the experience. Had Anheuser- Busch made Budweiser American Ale with a more distinctly hoppy finish, they could have had a much better beer on their hands. But, typical of A-B, they approached the use of hops with a cautious attitude. They wanted Budweiser American Ale to be more distinctive, but they were worried that too much character would "offend" the masses. So, they held back and limited the use of ingredients, even though the hops and malt are still more pronounced than with other A-B products.
Overall, Budweiser American Ale is a pretty good effort from Anheuser- Busch and as much as I hate to admit it, I actually find this ale fairly good. Does it compare to some of the great amber ales crafted by some of America's best microbreweries? No, it does not. Is Budweiser American Ale a beer deserving of national recognition? No, it is not. Is it a beer that ranks as a classic? No, it does not. Is it a respectable effort from a brewery noted for making bland, tasteless products? Yes, it most certainly is! And it's an effort that is worthy of three stars and a recommendation. It isn't the best amber beer on the market, but Anheuser- Busch at least deserves some credit for trying and Budweiser American Ale could (fingers crossed) be the prelude for more and better craft beers on a large scale in the near future.
Recommended:
Yes
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