BUDWEISER AMERICAN ALE - FRIEND OR FAUX CRAFT?

Heretofore a request at your local watering hole for a Budweiser would always result in a crisp, clean lager being served to you. Some things you can just count on - Budweiser has always been one of those things and a huge ingredient in the brand's epic success since 1876. Consistency, after all,  is key. This axiom is no truer in any enterprise than it is in the American beer industry. Americans, regardless of what you think about their choices in beer, enjoy eminently drinkable, light and refreshing lagers. No brand has captured this considerable segment of the American beer-drinking public more successfully than Budweiser.

Even Budweiser, now owned by the newly partnered Anheuser-Busch InBev conglomerate, must change and evolve with time and taste to remain relevant, however. A-B has never been a company that has been satisfied with mere relevancy, though, and steps are being taken to move Budweiser into uncharted territory in 2008. In an effort to continue it's market dominance in America, and while Budweiser lager is set to be introduced to an expanded international audience under InBev, A-B's flagship brand is making another bold move to win the hearts and palates of the American people. No, Budweiser isn't changing the formula for the King of Beers. Rather an entirely new Budweiser is set to be released to thirsty beer-drinkers everywhere in September, 2008.

You've probably already seen the commercials.

Budweiser American Ale - the first ale to carry the storied Budweiser name -  will be released on September 15th on draught (1/2 and 1/6 barrels) followed by the release of both 12oz and 22oz bottles on September 29th. Let me just tell you right from the outset, this in not your father's Budweiser. An all-malt ale brewed with pale and caramel malts, a blend of four hop varieties and dry-hopped with Pacific Northwest cascade hops, Budweiser American Ale is an entirely new take on an iconic brand. The mere fact that Anheuser-Busch chose to release this beer under the Budweiser name instead of the now faux-craft Michelob label speaks volumes about the confidence the company has in this new venture, in my opinion. Instead of attempting to simply ride the coat tails of a firmly established brand, A-B seems to believe that this new beer will elevate the already popular Budweiser moniker to new heights ...and depths of flavor.

But is the beer up to the task? A lot of that will depend on the collective palates of the American public and whether devoted craft beer fans will learn to play nicely with the big boys in their own sandbox. The craft beer faithful are a fiercely devoted bunch and often the attempts by the big brewers to market craft-like beers to the craft beer fan are met with the resounding refrain of "who are you trying to kid?" Craft beer devotees often see the forays into their closely-guarded niche market as an attempt at a less than friendly takeover, of sorts, one beer and beer-drinker at a time. The objective quality of the beer, or the lack thereof, is really beside the point for the "craft beer or no beer" crowd. The mere fact that a beer is produced by A-B, InBev, Miller or Coors is enough to render it as unpalatable to them as a 12oz bottle of ipecac syrup - and seems to yield the same result upon contemplation of consumption.

The mere fact that I'm writing about this beer on a "craft beer blog" is likely to generate some consternation. I'm tellin' ya, those guys are a tough crowd.

Obviously, A-B isn't going after the die-hards predominantly. They want to target the average beer-drinker with a taste for something new and a slight penchant for the adventurous. Budweiser American Ale is certainly something new, and unequivocably adventurous for the famous - infamous to some -  Budweiser brand. Will it be the next big thing in American beer or just another beer the beer folk love to hate? Time and tastes will indeed tell the tale of Budweiser American Ale.