Budweiser American Ale

[Joel]

That said, I don't think that a beer has the AB label means it can't
be any good. But, of their specialty beers I've tried (Pale Ale,
Wheat, Belgian White, and Blonde Ale), they have all seem to come up
on the short side.

Agreed. That's not to say the brewers at AB can't brew good beer--
one of their brewmasters gave us a tour of their test brewery in
St. Louis and chatted very openly about what they do-- but the
corporate bottom line depends on making product that sells to a wide
variety of people. I can understand why they "brew down" to the lowest
common denominator even though I suspect they will never fully market
a beer that really appeals to my own tastes. It's like what would
happen if the makers of Wonder Bread came out with a multi-grain
loaf-- it wouldn't be anything like the stuff that comes out of
small local bakeries around here.

[Garrison Hilliard]

My opinion is that it's just Michloeb with hops and a tinge more body.
Well, back to the Moerlein "Barbarossa" for me...

[Joel]

They already do. They have a stout called Bare Knuckle, and a
porter under the Michelob label. (I've had both; they're both
inoffensive/bland and thin in flavor just like the Pale Ale.)

No sh!t??? Never heard of either. I'll have to investigate! They must
not advertise it much, if AT ALL!!! I suppose they spend entirely too
much on advertising their main swills during the Superbowl...

I've heard of the Michelob porter but not the stout. I wonder if they're
regional offerings? If so, that could make them harder to find. AB started
Zeigenbock here in TX several years back because of Shiner Bock's popularity
and I'm not sure if it's still regional or gone national.

The Bare Knuckle I tasted a few years back the the GABF.
Otherwise, I completely ignore the "mass-market beer" section
of my local liquor and grocery stores, so I don't know what
they sell around here.
While in Austin several years back I tried the Ziegenbock.
I liked it better than Shiner Bock because it was cleaner-- it
didn't have the corn flavor of Shiner.

[Mark R]

Post by Joel
The Bare Knuckle I tasted a few years back the the GABF.
Otherwise, I completely ignore the "mass-market beer" section
of my local liquor and grocery stores, so I don't know what
they sell around here.
While in Austin several years back I tried the Ziegenbock.
I liked it better than Shiner Bock because it was cleaner-- it
didn't have the corn flavor of Shiner.
--
Joel

I was never overly impressed with Shiner either. I thought the Ziegenbock
was acceptable but if I was going to pay that much for a six-pack, I figured
I'd just come up with the few extra pennies for Saint Arnold's.

Mark R

[h***@eyry.org]

Post by Joel
Agreed. That's not to say the brewers at AB can't brew good beer--
one of their brewmasters gave us a tour of their test brewery in
St. Louis and chatted very openly about what they do-- but the
corporate bottom line depends on making product that sells to a wide
variety of people. I can understand why they "brew down" to the lowest
common denominator even though I suspect they will never fully market
a beer that really appeals to my own tastes. It's like what would
happen if the makers of Wonder Bread came out with a multi-grain
loaf-- it wouldn't be anything like the stuff that comes out of
small local bakeries around here.

Remember Miller Reserve? Except for the original simply named Miller
Reserve, they were reasonable entries--especially at their price. The
amber ale was an adequate light ale, and the stout was better than the
bottled guiness of the time (right after the watering down in the early
90's as they prepared the cans).

Commercially, though, it was a failure.

hawk