Budweiser

Sometime during my 20's, I had had enough of Budweiser. I used to order it in bars and restaurants, mostly because it was a quick answer when the server asked, and I must admit, I didn't know any better. Nowadays, thankfully, there is almost always some other choice to think about. So in the past several years that I have been working on this Beer Book, I have hardly mentioned, let alone tasted, Bud.

Nevertheless, Budweiser is an irreplaceable part of Americana. So while at lunch at the Budweiser Brew House in St. Louis, there seemed to be nothing better to drink than a nice cold mug of the King of Beers.

From the Brew House, we took a bus ride to the Budweiser Brewery and had a nice visit with Drew, the Clydesdale.

Bud Light

For the party on our 25th wedding anniversary, our dear friend Mr. Nuss shows up with a gift that is both appreciated and humorous. He plops a case of Coors Light on the gift table. (These 24 cans of the silver bullet are, by the way, appropriately colored for our silver anniversary.) And then he pulls a pint can of Bud Light out of his coat pocket, sits it on top and says, "There! 25! One for each year."

Budweiser Batch 23185

The Vanilla Bourbon Cask from Williamsburg has a nice sweetness like bourbon. The vanilla is very faint. My son Cameron doesn't notice it.

Code of Iowa, paragraph 123.47 gives an exemption for a man not quite of age to have a beer "within a private home and with the knowledge, presence, and consent of the parent or guardian."

Budweiser Batch 43229

Because I'm so happy that the Budweiser label is on a bock beer, I am reluctant to criticize anything about it, like the lightweight body and the watery flavor. So I must emphasize how I love the sweet malt of this bock style. Oh, and one other thing, it's from Columbus! (that's the 43229 zip code of the brewery). I gotta love beers from Ohio. Go Buckeyes!

This paired so wonderfully with the perfectly done rib-eye steak seen in the background.

Budweiser Batch 94534

I am reminded of a steam beer as I enjoy this full flavor North Pacific Lager from Budweiser. The malted grain flavor is smile provoking and the tangy hop finish keeps it nice and refreshing. I’m so happy that the brewmasters are at it again with a second edition of their Project12. 

Bud Light Lime

Aaaah!

Photo by Justin Allen

Black Crown

The Budweiser label brings another interesting recipe out. This one has some toasty flavor to the grain that I can really appreciate.  Black Crown does not have a great depth of character; you don’t have to think to hard about it. So it makes a great drink while playing Assassin’s Creed.

Budweiser Batch no. 63118

The best time to drink a beer is on a warm, sunny day . . . and also in a blizzard.

As the snow begins to fly, I sit comfortably covered up on the couch watching movies and sipping on Batch no. 63118 of the Budweiser Brewmasters’ Project 12. 

This Pilsner with a nice body and full flavor is a good old fashioned American beer. It reminds me of a time when “light” was not a nice word to apply to beer.

Back in the day, men were men. They didn’t drink light beer. And they didn’t have mobile devices telling them that they better stay indoors because the wind is going to blow and snow is going to fall.

Budweiser Batch no. 23185

As we all know, beer is the best beverage to go with a fried bologna sandwich, specifically a cheap lager.  This evening I explored this pairing by choosing a Budweiser Brewmasters’ Project 12. 

Batch no. 23185 has more flavor and character than the usual mass produced lager which helps it to stand up to the pepper mustard on my sandwich.  It’s supposed to have some vanilla flavor added, but I’m not catching it. 

It’s alright, but my quest for the best bologna beer will continue.

The name comes from the zip code of the brewery in Williamsburg, VA.

Budweiser Batch No. 91406

Happy National Lager Day!

I’m celebrating here with a Bud.  Anheuser-Busch (one of the main forces behind making lager the only kind of beer most Americans even consider) is making it a little easier to enjoy Budweiser with the more flavorful offerings of Brewmasters’ Project 12. 

Batch no. 91406 has some attractive color, some complexity in flavor and a somewhat decent body, all characteristics I wouldn’t expect from Budweiser.  I probably won’t buy this again, but I hope other Bud drinkers might and thereby gain a little more enjoyment from their drinking.

The name comes from the zip code of the brewery in Fairfield, California.

Bud Light Platinum

Advertising works, whether we want to admit it or not.  The couple of commercials for Bud Light Platinum in the first half of the Super Bowl last week caught my attention and piqued my interest. When I walked by a big display in the action alley of a store this evening, I suddenly became a completely helpless zombie of a consumer, compelled to put a box in my shopping cart.

Although sweeter than the usual popular mass-produced beers, it has a tanginess to it that I believe comes from an extra amount of carbonation.

Pictured here is one I poured into a pilsner glass, but really, the blue bottle is the coolest thing about this beer.  My advice to the reader is: just drink it straight from the long-neck.

Overall, it’s drinkable.