Wednesday, April 9, 2008

For Michelle

Just for you, I'll say some nice things about Anheuser-Busch Companies Inc., St. Louis MO.

As a homebrewer, I couldn't make half of the beers they do, even if I wanted to.

They distribute and own a piece of Red Hook, who make some great beers.

They import Leffe Blond, which is one of Ruth's favorites.

"Here's to good friends, tonight is kinda special, blah blah blah Lowenbrau."

Grolsch bottles are handy for homebrewing.

They haven't messed up Hoegaarden yet. (Ok, that wasn't very nice, actually, but I'm trying!)

And it's not that I'll refuse to drink a Budweiser. I'm not a snob.

You like wine, so I know you have taste buds -- stick around and we'll drink the A-B marketing spiel out of your vocabulary yet!

11 comments:

Unknown said...

[Waving my arm feverishly so Professor Avelis picks me]

Some more positives about Bud:

It is a viable alternative to normal prison hooch which usually is derived from rotting fruit and bread sealed up in a trash bag.

It's preferrable than drinking tap water from third world countries. For some of us beer geeks though, we might be tempted to take our chances on dysentery rather than let an A-B product pass our lips.

It's classier than Milwaukee's Best. Of course, Boone's Farm might be better than Mad Dog 20/20 but that doesn't make it any more attractive.

It's good for activities such as beer slides, marinating meat and other fun stuff that doesn't actually involve drinking it.

JA3 said...

Now, if you want to see where I wasn't being so nice to the three largest breweries in the US, you have to go back a couple months.

Anonymous said...

I'm trying not to make a beer snob comment.

I'm also trying to think of a better beer than Budweiser on a hot August day, in a ball park, with a dog and crackerjacks.

Some situations call for cool clean crisp Budweiser.

Not to mention if you abuse Budweiser by keeping it in a hot trunk, you can get it to taste just like Sam Adams!

Michelle D. said...

All I gotta say is SNARKY! I'm glad that John isn't such a beer snob! It's not like I drink Natty Ice or anything. I like home brews. Particularly Johns. I'm from the St. Louis area and John you will never "drink the A-B marketing spiel out of me". It's born and bred. Please refer to my blog on such things.

Unknown said...

A better beer than Bud on a hot August day at the ballpark? Hmmm. Depending on the area you live in, there's a ton of choices. Anything from Goose Island in Chicago, Sweetwater in Atlanta, Harpoon in Boston, you get the idea. I'm sure the new ballpark in St Louis doesn't allow anything other than their inferior product that has to be drunk cold to mask the taste so you're kind of stuck there.

Please give good TASTING beer - beer that doesn't have to be drunk below 45 degrees - a chance.

JA3 said...

I've been told by some travelers that you can find some Budweiser well worth drinking.

Unknown said...

One more note - I don't want my posts to come off as antagonistic, as that's not my intention at all. John and I are passionate about craft beer and just want to spread the word that there's a lot of great options out there besides the usual suspects.

Not that you can get this at the ballpark but if you've ever had Pilsner Urquell, that's the original makers of the style and a darn good beer for the summer.

JA3 said...

So I can't be accused of being mean, here's what the Alstrom Bros. at BeerAdvocate said about the "King of Beers" in a completely objective review.

My favorite comment:
Top of its class for what it is and for what it is trying to be: a 1) highly consistent beer, that's 2) brewed for mass-appeal and 3) one that's easy to drink. Check. Check. And check.

What? Were you looking for something else? If so, why'd you drink it?

Anonymous said...

A microbrew at a ballpark? Not at any ballpark I've been at, and I've been to several.

As for great tasting beer, that's all a matter of opinion now isn't it? My passion is wine. I prefer complex reds. However, I will not drink them with food. I don't like anything to compete with the taste.

I like microbrews as well. I like to have them in what I consider an appropriate setting. Sitting around drinking and conversing with minimal food, fine. Out in the sunshine with hotdogs and crackerjacks, well that calls for something that doesn't have a complex taste to it. Something clean and refreshing.

My rule of thumb is if I would drink a cold water or a lemonade if I were to have something non-alcoholic then its a Bud, preferably a Bud Select. If I'm looking for something, generally in an A/C environment and generally without food so I don't have to worry about the food and the beer competing for my taste buds attention then I'll drink a more complex lager.

I am not a fan of ales of any sort. Then again, I don't like coffee or tea. All of them taste like dirty water to me.

Anonymous said...

Let's face it. It is fashionable to put down Budweiser. They're the top dog. They're an easy target. And if you're looking to establish your bona fides as a beer connoisseur the easiest way is to put down A-B.

Having done a recent beer class at Busch Gardens, I think A-B is feeling the heat from the wine industry, not microbrews. Their tasting is nearly identical to a wine tasting.

Anonymous said...

Maybe it's just me trying to be contradictory but any beer that my dad keeps stocked in his frig is one I cannot possibly let pass my lips unless it is under pain of death. I don't consider myself a beer snob but I just can't get into that stuff.