by Ben 'the Brewer'

Created on: January 13, 2009

Let's cut to the chase and skip all the junk.

What's the bottom line when it comes to Budweiser's American Ale?

Well, that depends on what you want out of a beer.

Do you want something light? Something drinkable? Perhaps you're feeling something darker, or something to truly puzzle your palate. Well, for those of you who want a 'sit down and drink up' beer, this one might be it.

American Ale is light and drinkable; however, if you're looking for a brew with a bit more kick, this one isn't it.

Are you a malt lover? This is not for you. It may be classified as a generic "ale", but the body is thin, weak, and barely even classifies as an ale. The color is gorgeous, but unimpressive. If I see a gorgeous amber color in a beer, I better be tasting the flavors that accompany that color. I want all the fantastic flavor that amber malts have to offer, but Budweiser simply doesn't deliver there, either.

Are you a hophead, like me? This one's not for you either. An ale should at least have a decent hop presence, where the American Ale simply is lackluster. The hops are thin and only maintain themselves for a moment, not even bothering to grace your palate with their presence for more than a moment.

Maybe you're an aroma lover? Guess what. I'm not even going to say it. The head is decent, but dissipates quickly, as does the rather weak aroma permeating from this mediocre brew.

Those who enjoy the finer brews may scoff at this horrid attempt by Annheiser Busch to tap into the craft beer market - this was their second big move, the first being acquiring the distribution rights to Bell's Brewing Company's "Oberon Ale".

The larger breweries in the States are suddenly being threatened by the prevalence of American Microbrew, and so we see them slowly starting to integrate craft brews into their lines. Michelob tapped into the market with their "Amber Bock", and Annheiser made another attempt with their horrid attempt at a Blueberry Ale. Good beer is where the money is these days, and that's all the major breweries want.

When I am critiquing a beer, I do my best to accurately judge it. I notice the bad things, and I still try to keep in mind a brew's shining points; the problem with this brew is, there aren't many at all.

However, I will say this for Budweiser's American Ale: It would be rather enjoyable on a hot day.

Other than that, there's nothing "American" about this brew, and there's nothing "ale" about this one either.

Unfortunately, we're simply left with "Budweiser".

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