by Shawn Connelly

Created on: August 21, 2008   Last Updated: September 02, 2011

Heretofore a request at your local bar or restaurant 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 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. A-B has never been a company that has been satisfied with mere relevancy, though, and steps were taken to move Budweiser into uncharted territory in 2008. In an effort to continue its 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 - was released on September 15th 2008 on draught (1/2 and 1/6 barrels) and followed up by the release of both 12oz and 22oz bottles on September 29th, 2008. 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

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