Budweiser American Ale

Perhaps the best offering from A-B? It doesn’t stand up to the standard-setters like Great Lakes Burning River or Sierra Nevada, but we weren’t really expecting it to, now, were we.

Six pack from the Texaco on south Cooper. The best Budweiser I’ve ever had. They might have actually tried.

On tap at Schooner’s Wharf (Key West, FL): Nice bold mouthfeel, but I’m not crazy about the sour finish. Taste of roasted malts, brown sugar and slight citrus peel... but all those tastes last only for a second before the strong fizz kicks in... it’s creamy in a good way, I’ll give it that. Drinkability: Beer pong worthy. Rebuy: No. #110 on 05092009, DG.

[Out of a 22oz bottle (bought so I didn’t have to purchase a full six-pack). I admit that it’s going to be hard to ignore the Bud name on the label and judge this beer for its own merits, but I’ll try anyway.] The appearance is completely clear and see-through. A reddish orange color. Actually has a relatively sturdy head. Not bad. The aroma is toasted malts, sweetened with faint hints of brown sugar. A bit of a metallic smell. Mild grassy hops. Too sweet to be a pub ale. The taste is very sweet, even for an ale of its kind. The hops come through as bitter and a bit sharp; they are a mild accent only. The remainder is like sweet toffee and some cloying, intrusive alcohol. Not bad, but way too sweet; imbalanced. The feel is creamier than a typical Bud product, so for comparison’s sake I’ll give it that. Overall it’s a weak ale, but drinkable. Too cloying; could use a bitter balance, but the average Bud drinker is not ready for that. Americans could definitely handle this stuff.

This bottled brew from a bottle shop poured a medium sized head of foamy finely sized off-white colored bubbles that were long lasting and left behind a transparent strongly carbonated golden brown colored body and thick foamy lacing. The aroma was of soft red brown and red malts. The crisp semi-dry mouth feel was tingly at the start and at the finish with a mild hoppy aftertaste. The flavor contained notes of soft sweet malt and mild hops. I also noticed a slight "Offness" in the aftertaste. A decent one but not one that I would consider drinking again.

Bottle. Not terrible, actually. Smooth, some actual flavor compared to most other Bud beers. I was at a bar with no real "good" beer, and I ended up drinking these for the whole night. Definitely a serviceable beer if there’s nothing else around.

This is a great brew. I NEVER drink Budweiser products; I prefer very strong IPA style ales. I was out of town and the store only had "cheap" beers, and so this was the only thing that I thought might even come close to my need for flavor. I also love amber style ales, so this wasn’t just a blind shot; I did not expect an IPA. Wow! Was I surprised. This is actually a very good brew. Pour it in a glass to look at it. Then close your eyes and give it a sniff! Next, take it into your thirsty mouth and enjoy one sweeeet little "cheap" beer. Love it> Way to go A.B.

Fizzy head leads to a dry, slight hoppy flavor, followed by a watery finish. I had heard decent things about this one and tried it out of curiousity. I found it to be twice the beer the standard lager is, but an average one overall. I could drink about two, then move on.