So I was on my way home last night from celebrating the 30th B-day of my friend Rebus and I was in the mood for just a couple more oat sodas. The wife and I were kind of tired and due to the fact that we needed to get gas I decided to go ahead and settle for some of the piss wasser beer that they sell at the Mobil. That is when I noticed this stuff, the Budweiser brand "American Ale."
This brew has been out for a while and I have been seeing it around enough to be a little curious. It seems to me that is a somewhat lame attempt by the new Belgian overlords of Budweiser to cheaply capitalize on both patriotism (by throwing America in the name) and the recent craft/micro-brew craze. Lame on both counts in my book, but I decided to give the stuff a whirl. As you may or may not know, I am a self proclaimed and unabashed beer snob of the worst ilk. I turn up my nose at many mass produced domestics, so I just wanted to warn you of my bias before we continue.
Upon pouring the stuff into a glass we are greeted with a copper color and a pretty anemic half-inch head. Also, the bottles are not twist offs! You actually have to get your church key out. There is something very strange about having to use a bottle opener on a bottle of Bud. I gave it a sniff and there actually was a little hoppy scent, much more so than in any of Budweiser's typical lager. I sucked down a big old sip and sat back to ruminate for a minute. Color me not impressed. My first thought was, "don't patronize me Mr. Budweiser." This stuff is working under the impression that if you simply give a fake hoppy flavor to a crap beer people will think that it is fancy. I could only drink 1 of these bad boys, the cloying sweet flavor was a little much for me, imagine Newcastle minus any of its good qualities.
As I expected, the Budweiser American Ale is a thin and over carbonated imitation of other more finely crafted Ales out there on the market. Do any of you home brew? Early on in your brewing career you might have been suckered into buying one of those pre-hopped malt syrup kits that you pretty much just add water and cheap corn sugar to and then let sit. This is what the American Ale tastes like. It tastes like it was brewed in a bucket in the closet of some frat boy's dorm room. Blech.
How would you rate the beer's drinkability?
ReplyDeleteThis stuff stopped me cold in my tracks after one poured bottle. It has a pretty thin body, but the malty/sweet flavor was too much for me. I could not imagine struggling through an entire six pack of the stuff.
ReplyDeleteHow about a good flavor description, rather than unrealistic fraternal metaphors? I don't understand how such unskilled authors amass so much trite and banal content.
ReplyDeleteI find that being trite and banal just comes naturally, thanks for asking.
ReplyDeletei would never drink anything a frat boy thought was good. should have gone to Stewart's for gas and Big Bear
ReplyDeleteAmericans,
ReplyDeleteAle, you're doing it wrong.
I'm going to go suck down a some pints of Pig on the Wall tomorrow.
I agree. Although Killians is Miller-Coors above-premium pseudo-craft (and various other hyphenated things) beer equivalent, it is still a better crafted beer.
ReplyDelete