The Department of Justice's approval of the Budweiser and InBev merger has inspired me to try the "Budweiser Ale". Personally I prefer Bavarian Hefeweizen with Ale's typically at the bottom of my list.
Ales tend to be a bit heavy and bitter for my taste, but I believe this Bud Ale to be quite light and just bitter enough. For once, American super light weight beer makes sense. Generally American beer tends to taste like water downed beer: the super light lager.
Most importantly though and contrary to American tradition, I needed a bottle opener to open the bottle. Not a twist off.
There is something about authenticity, alcohol, and lack of technology that always eualls a true experience. The fact that Coors Light mountains turn blue when the bottle is cold signifies a lack of reality, an overuse of iconic techno-gabber...
In my opinion, Budweiser does not make real beer. There are plenty of truly great brewers out there, American and elsewhere, without having to drink the mass produced drinks of Bud, Coors, Miller or Michelob.
It's unremarkable. A step up from the typical bud seltzer, but being inoffensive is not a positive attribute IMO. It's funny that with all the chemists and smart guys that work there they don't have the corporate will to brew a beer with any character.
"His brightest idea, after marrying the boss's daughter, was the early adoption of pasteurization technology, which allowed huge quantities of beer to be shipped long distances without need for refrigeration."
"Mr. Busch's business success was genius. He could toil terribly, and did, but he had imagination that reacted against, yet utilized, the despotism of fact. He saw into the future and built for it. He had a purpose, too, beyond gain. He believed in promoting sobriety by supplanting the heavier, harder liquors with a lighter, milder beverage, as did Thomas Jefferson before him, and he found the way to do this. Moreover, when he found how to bottle beer that would keep in any climate he found the way to diminish the evil of the saloon, for the bottled beer went finally into the home and thus promoted temperance by leading from temptation to excess. The imagination and the idea made Mr. Busch a colossally successful manufacturer known the wide world around." - St. Louis Mirror via p.284 "United State Brewers' Association" Year book 1913
I'm just saying... Bud, Miller and the likes are the McMansions of the beer industry. Quantity but no quality.
Not sure where you are going with those stats, but the stats you provide stop almost three decades ago. Things have certainly shifted the other way since:
U.S. Breweries Operating in 2007
53 Regional Craft Breweries, 392 Microbreweries and 975 Brewpubs
1,420 Total Craft Breweries
+
20 Large Breweries (Non-Craft) and 23 Other Non-Craft Breweries
1,463 Total U.S. Breweries
By those numbers, we have more brewers than we did in 1915.
E, the re-growth is partially due to Nixon or Carter helping pass a law that allowed American's to brew in their homes again, that was illegal even after Prohibition was lifted.
In terms of skill and technique, the big breweries employ some very good brewers, because the watered down pilsner they make is actually pretty difficult to produce consistantly. I've often wondered if the brewers there, who must know beer inside and out, ever drink what they make.
The last time I drank a Budweiser was on a boat looking at the Chicago skyline, summer of 1987 (I was 20 and I think the drinking age in Illinois at that time was 21 - oops).
Frit, the conversation on the boat was about how we all liked foreign beers and the up-and-coming microbrews, but a Bud was totally consistent; you always knew exactly what it was going to taste like when you opened that bottle.
I think it's a good question, whether the Bud brewmasters drink what they make, and slightly analogous to asking us if we live in homes that we've made.
I like Frit's question, to put it more theoretically and to build on Libert Bell's comment...
Do the masters of the craft drink beer that was crafted for mass production and global consumption with the guarentee of total consistency or do they have their own authentic beer at home?
The method in which Ale is made is somewhat a contradiction to total consistency...more to come later.
eigen, your conclusion that those numbers include home brewers is wrong. They do not include home brewers. If they did include homebrewers, the numbers would be much much higher. I know a few dozen home brewers myself.
To your question of whether craft brewers make/drink their own beer or not:
Yes and no. They probably don't drink a lot of their own beer that goes to market. I worked at McDonalds when I was a teen and I could never eat their food because I was around it all the time and well, it's crap. The brewers certainly drink other craft brewers beer. And a lot of them make their own small batch beers at the brewery and probably at home that are very good. They do this because it's part of trying new recipes that may not be ready to hit the market or they want to try something more unique that they know will not sell to the mass market because the American palette is not ready for it.
although i disagree, if you guys are successful in getting budweiser to be considered not a beer so it can then circumvent the laws and be sold with happy meals...then i' all for it!
actually, funny enough, there were arguments before prohibition that lager was not alcohol, since it doesn't get you drunk (its all relative), and therefore should not be banned.
Frit is right on, budwiser employs some of the most talented brewers in the world ... i'm sure most of them at least drink a bit of budwiser since employees get a case a week, I think. ... although maybe some wierd closet bud hating employees sell their freebies for craft beer $$.
I'm not sure exactly why budwiser released american ale under the bud label, there are several american craft-style ales released under the michelob, shock top and other brands, and they also own part of redhook and widmer. In any case, they've got their mits in lots of craft beer since that is the way the market has been heading, but lots of breweries are fighting back and refuse to cave in to their lucrative offers, long live independent american craft beer!
i think Budwesier/InBev had to start making the "American Ale" to convince their patrons that they're still American and they're not going to all of a sudden start pushing Belgian beers under the Budweiser name
e, after 1979 I believe many home breweres became the many microbreweries we see now. sierra nevada I think is one of those.
the use of the word craft for the more quality and authentic beers is quite appropriate. they are crafted...budweiser is? so lets market the imgae of craft?
according to the German rheinheits gebot Budweiser is not beer and therefore could probably qualify as a soda. the use of rice is not an accepted ingredient.
I wonder if the American ale is really even an ale?
"after 1979 I believe many home breweres became the many microbreweries we see now. sierra nevada I think is one of those."
That makes sense.
It was only a matter of time before the large non-craft brewers started marketing the word 'craft.' They have been snatching up smaller brewers for some time now. Redhood is a good example. A small brewer that once produced an okay brew and got bought by Anheuser-Busch. I think they own at least 25%. Their beer is now a shadow of what it once was.
eigen- are you serious about wondering if it is even an ale? Of course it is, that would be like a company the size of Toyota calling a car 'hybrid' just for marketing, the backlash would kill them... I haven't tried it so I cannot say if it is a GOOD ale, but I feel pretty confident it is fermented with ale yeast at ale temperatures, and have even heard rumors that it is all malt (no rice or corn).
An interesting note from the other end- there is a trend in craft brewing towards sessionable lower alcohol beers that are lighter bodied and lower hopped. This is in contrast to the 11% Imperial Stouts and overhopped double IPA's that have enjoyed popularity. I personally think this is great, I enjoy a nice Bitter Ale you can drink all evening. Not that I don't still enjoy a big WOW beer...
Budweiser Ale Review
The Department of Justice's approval of the Budweiser and InBev merger has inspired me to try the "Budweiser Ale". Personally I prefer Bavarian Hefeweizen with Ale's typically at the bottom of my list.
Ales tend to be a bit heavy and bitter for my taste, but I believe this Bud Ale to be quite light and just bitter enough. For once, American super light weight beer makes sense. Generally American beer tends to taste like water downed beer: the super light lager.
Most importantly though and contrary to American tradition, I needed a bottle opener to open the bottle. Not a twist off.
There is something about authenticity, alcohol, and lack of technology that always eualls a true experience. The fact that Coors Light mountains turn blue when the bottle is cold signifies a lack of reality, an overuse of iconic techno-gabber...
What would Giorgio Agamben drink?
In my opinion, Budweiser does not make real beer. There are plenty of truly great brewers out there, American and elsewhere, without having to drink the mass produced drinks of Bud, Coors, Miller or Michelob.
For some suggestions, try our Great Beer Thread
I saw Schneider Weisse on there...but not where I am headed with this thread.
It is barely better than Bud classic in my opinion...
But at least they are trying?
so how'd the beer taste?
It's unremarkable. A step up from the typical bud seltzer, but being inoffensive is not a positive attribute IMO. It's funny that with all the chemists and smart guys that work there they don't have the corporate will to brew a beer with any character.
"His brightest idea, after marrying the boss's daughter, was the early adoption of pasteurization technology, which allowed huge quantities of beer to be shipped long distances without need for refrigeration."
-think Bracket competition here...
Janosh you're heading in the right direction.
it is a pretty tasty beer for water in a bottle.
more on Adolphus...
"Mr. Busch's business success was genius. He could toil terribly, and did, but he had imagination that reacted against, yet utilized, the despotism of fact. He saw into the future and built for it. He had a purpose, too, beyond gain. He believed in promoting sobriety by supplanting the heavier, harder liquors with a lighter, milder beverage, as did Thomas Jefferson before him, and he found the way to do this. Moreover, when he found how to bottle beer that would keep in any climate he found the way to diminish the evil of the saloon, for the bottled beer went finally into the home and thus promoted temperance by leading from temptation to excess. The imagination and the idea made Mr. Busch a colossally successful manufacturer known the wide world around." - St. Louis Mirror via p.284 "United State Brewers' Association" Year book 1913
incase you cannot connect the dots - Prohibition 1920 to 1933
prohibition
I'm just saying... Bud, Miller and the likes are the McMansions of the beer industry. Quantity but no quality.
Not sure where you are going with those stats, but the stats you provide stop almost three decades ago. Things have certainly shifted the other way since:
U.S. Breweries Operating in 2007
53 Regional Craft Breweries, 392 Microbreweries and 975 Brewpubs
1,420 Total Craft Breweries
+
20 Large Breweries (Non-Craft) and 23 Other Non-Craft Breweries
1,463 Total U.S. Breweries
By those numbers, we have more brewers than we did in 1915.
For more current info...
E, the re-growth is partially due to Nixon or Carter helping pass a law that allowed American's to brew in their homes again, that was illegal even after Prohibition was lifted.
In terms of skill and technique, the big breweries employ some very good brewers, because the watered down pilsner they make is actually pretty difficult to produce consistantly. I've often wondered if the brewers there, who must know beer inside and out, ever drink what they make.
The last time I drank a Budweiser was on a boat looking at the Chicago skyline, summer of 1987 (I was 20 and I think the drinking age in Illinois at that time was 21 - oops).
Frit, the conversation on the boat was about how we all liked foreign beers and the up-and-coming microbrews, but a Bud was totally consistent; you always knew exactly what it was going to taste like when you opened that bottle.
I think it's a good question, whether the Bud brewmasters drink what they make, and slightly analogous to asking us if we live in homes that we've made.
I like Frit's question, to put it more theoretically and to build on Libert Bell's comment...
Do the masters of the craft drink beer that was crafted for mass production and global consumption with the guarentee of total consistency or do they have their own authentic beer at home?
The method in which Ale is made is somewhat a contradiction to total consistency...more to come later.
i like budweiser...and they always have the best tv commercials.
eigen, your conclusion that those numbers include home brewers is wrong. They do not include home brewers. If they did include homebrewers, the numbers would be much much higher. I know a few dozen home brewers myself.
To your question of whether craft brewers make/drink their own beer or not:
Yes and no. They probably don't drink a lot of their own beer that goes to market. I worked at McDonalds when I was a teen and I could never eat their food because I was around it all the time and well, it's crap. The brewers certainly drink other craft brewers beer. And a lot of them make their own small batch beers at the brewery and probably at home that are very good. They do this because it's part of trying new recipes that may not be ready to hit the market or they want to try something more unique that they know will not sell to the mass market because the American palette is not ready for it.
is not beer a toxin worse than all drugs? I'm just saying being a belgian and all, gotcha! muahah
how come mcdonald's doesn't serve budweiser? that would be a great combination! sometimes i really do miss america.
you may be on to something puddles.
the mcdonald's i've been to in switzerland served beer in plastic cups...
It must be true. I think I saw that on the Simpsons.
well, i guess plastic cups would be ok...the bigger issue is getting that mcdonald's out of switzerland and into america
Where it is not restrictive there are beers at some fast food restaurants and cafes. Not mcdonalds that i have seen except for europe.
although i disagree, if you guys are successful in getting budweiser to be considered not a beer so it can then circumvent the laws and be sold with happy meals...then i' all for it!
just build a mcdonald's next to a bar...
even the fonts look like it's out of a microbrewery...
yeah, plastic cups are perfect for a beer like Bud.
budweiser is one of my favorite brands of soda.
puddles, your a fucking genius. If Mcdonalds served weak american lager with their burgers i would actually consider eating there again.
I mean c'mon, that's the all American meal.
me thinks mixing toxins and a overdose of simple proteins and cholesterol is not a good idea.
actually, funny enough, there were arguments before prohibition that lager was not alcohol, since it doesn't get you drunk (its all relative), and therefore should not be banned.
Frit is right on, budwiser employs some of the most talented brewers in the world ... i'm sure most of them at least drink a bit of budwiser since employees get a case a week, I think. ... although maybe some wierd closet bud hating employees sell their freebies for craft beer $$.
I'm not sure exactly why budwiser released american ale under the bud label, there are several american craft-style ales released under the michelob, shock top and other brands, and they also own part of redhook and widmer. In any case, they've got their mits in lots of craft beer since that is the way the market has been heading, but lots of breweries are fighting back and refuse to cave in to their lucrative offers, long live independent american craft beer!
dat shits nasty yo!...... not an ALE i tried it the other day and, meh!
what up Liquid?!
i think Budwesier/InBev had to start making the "American Ale" to convince their patrons that they're still American and they're not going to all of a sudden start pushing Belgian beers under the Budweiser name
they can't touch Duvel, the living beer, everything pasteurized is inferior
i thought all beers were toxic anti?
though i have to say, if they did start making Belgian beers under budweiser, i might actually drink them! Until then, no buds here!
they are but if you are going to have toxins i say go with quality, same for anything else really, it will last you longer and less agents of harm
e, after 1979 I believe many home breweres became the many microbreweries we see now. sierra nevada I think is one of those.
the use of the word craft for the more quality and authentic beers is quite appropriate. they are crafted...budweiser is? so lets market the imgae of craft?
according to the German rheinheits gebot Budweiser is not beer and therefore could probably qualify as a soda. the use of rice is not an accepted ingredient.
I wonder if the American ale is really even an ale?
what if Budweiser's American ale became a gateway beer to microbrews for those soda beer drinkers?
"after 1979 I believe many home breweres became the many microbreweries we see now. sierra nevada I think is one of those."
That makes sense.
It was only a matter of time before the large non-craft brewers started marketing the word 'craft.' They have been snatching up smaller brewers for some time now. Redhood is a good example. A small brewer that once produced an okay brew and got bought by Anheuser-Busch. I think they own at least 25%. Their beer is now a shadow of what it once was.
eigen- are you serious about wondering if it is even an ale? Of course it is, that would be like a company the size of Toyota calling a car 'hybrid' just for marketing, the backlash would kill them... I haven't tried it so I cannot say if it is a GOOD ale, but I feel pretty confident it is fermented with ale yeast at ale temperatures, and have even heard rumors that it is all malt (no rice or corn).
An interesting note from the other end- there is a trend in craft brewing towards sessionable lower alcohol beers that are lighter bodied and lower hopped. This is in contrast to the 11% Imperial Stouts and overhopped double IPA's that have enjoyed popularity. I personally think this is great, I enjoy a nice Bitter Ale you can drink all evening. Not that I don't still enjoy a big WOW beer...
But-wiper...nuff said
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