Budweiser American Ale

Brewed by Anheuser-Busch InBev
Style: Amber Ale
St. Louis, Missouri USA

Serve in English pint, Shaker

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the biggest hurdle i have to surmount in order to seriously consider this beer is something right there on the label: the word "budweiser". like a brown spot on a sexy bra, the name alone is a blemish that nearly kills the mood. this is a mega-corporation of the worst kind: they don’t have "breweries"-- they have sprawling assembly plants which can be seen from outer space; they have legions of workers who in their lifetimes will never see a hop; they make beer with the same passion that exxon mobil makes industrial lubricants-- if you can even call the carbonated grain-tea they synthysize from wino-backwash and feedlot silo spillage "beer". in the sometimes sordid history of post- prohibition american beer, they have ever been the bloated and voracious corporate nestling that will eat it’s sibling rivals alive-- and always emerge stronger and more ghoulish. their trade is not in the art of brewing, not in the balancing of flavors nor the coaxing of subtlties from steaming malt kilns, and certainly not the selection of choice hops. nay, they practice to perfection the black art of beguiling the masses, cornering the markets, and lobbying the regulatory boards that favor their ascension into monopoly. so insidious are they that they continue to design and sell beverages with less flavor while somehow convincing vast witless legions that giving you LESS for your money is actually better. at the great busch complex in st. louis, hidden somewhere behind the golden spires and gallantly high- stepping clydesdales, there is an dank, effluvial weed lot where languish the unmarked graves of apprentice brewers who dared to say "but our beer, sucks! why can’t we make something good?!?" yes, that’s the baggage i bring to this particular rating: in spite of my modest investment, i am almost hoping that it is as offensive as i’m prepared to suppose-- just to keep my head from exploding. yet in fact it is not terrible, but only a dull undistinguished little amber ale of which there are already countless incarnations being made by other brewers with the same numbing efficiency. someplace underground there must be an ocean of this biere ordinaire, it is so predictably available on taps across the american pub scene. that continental sub-terrainian reservoir is being drawn upward simultaneously by a million watering-hole well sites from bangor to san bernadino --and many tasters above ground are getting their first quaff of a brew that is--for them-- wildly bolder in body than a budweiser. call it a brown ale, an amber, a red, who cares? typical of these ubiquitous entry-level ales, you could probably fake a better beer by fermenting a hoagy bun with ginger ale and a squeeze of lemon. but this gentle guppy, the presumptuously named "american ale" is predictably amber, with sterilized clarity and a decent head. the scent speaks of slightly woody, honey-ish and vanilla malts. the carbonation was slightly pushy, as if trying to open a swath in the crowd for the coming of someone important. then appears on the palate this fairly inoffensive though nondescript watery, honeydew sweet, malt-balanced ale. wow wee. there’s an open gravesite in that AB weedlot, and an apprentice brewer has survived to perhaps brew again another day. watch your back dude.

from notes (is this even made anymore?): very Bass like in its pour and taste. Light on the hops. There are much better ambers out there if you want to find them. Scroll past this beer and this entire brewery.

Original review: 2/4/09. Poured an obvious amber with a massive white frothy head resting on top. Retention on this one was surprisingly firm as it held up for most of the entire drink. Some spotty lacing on glass edge. No more. Smelled of floral hops and caramel. Decent. Very thin mouthfeel. Watery and weak. Flavor is very muted hop base, with no bitter bite at all. Red Ales need to be hoppy and bitter, this one was neither. Still, I could place some decent malt presence and definitive caramel backing. Finish was a tad chalky and drying. I really could drink a few of these. Not bad. Avoid the hate, check it out.

Clear reddish copper with 1/2 inch head leaving it frothy with a bit of lacing. Aroma is sweet malt carmel,somewhat bready slight smokiness almost- pretty nice malt aroma. Full mouthfeel at first with creamyness,then some citrus hops,more malt carmel taste than hops with a bit of roast and finishes dry clean with a pretty tame citrusy tart bitterness.Its almost like a mild scottish ale/ mild ale.Not too bad.

This isn’t a horrible beer. That being said, it does resemble a typical macro product but wrapped up in a fancy label. There’s not a whole lot of flavor in this, although it might be preferable to regular Budweiser.

Better than other Buds but not a good ale. Slightly bittersweet, cheap taste, watered down, little depth of flavor.

Reddish copper color with hues of orange. The nose is low on power...mostly toasted malt. The taste follows the nose...it’s toasty and bready for the most part. Thin mouthfeel.

Had on tap, poured into pint glass a: clear amber color with a foamy 1/2" head that reduces quicly. Light carbonation s: not too much aroma, what is there is malt t: sweet malts, balanced with slight earthy hops. I would have liked a little more hop bitterness, but not bad that most of the masses should like

poured from a bottle. the appearance is a light red amber and the head surprisingly stuck around. the smell is hoppy and the taste is very bad. tastes very bitter with a tiny bitterness and yeast. overall it’s a very bad beer that i would not recommend.

UPDATED: FEB 12, 2012 12 oz bottle pours a dark copper color with small white head. Aroma of sweet grain, malt and a of citrus. Taste is of sweet malts, bready, slight kick of hops on the back end.

Nose of sweet malts and caramel, not much else. Amber with a lighter amber / golden / light copper head. Taste of sweet malts and, yes, citrus hops. Real hops in a Bud. Thin in the mouth. Finish is actually bitter. Not great, not even very good, but certainly not bad.