Budweiser Select: Yet Another Attempt by Anheuser- Busch to Lighten its Product and Increase Sales
Anheuser- Busch is a huge brewing operation with a worldwide presence and a massive marketing budget. Anheuser- Busch is always looking for ways to expand its market share, brewing whatever product its staff thinks will sell, regardless of taste or quality. This philosophy has given birth to many sub-par products and one of them is Budweiser Select, a low calorie and low- carb beer brewed with the health conscious consumer in mind.
Beer Bio:
Style: Light American Lager
Alcohol Level: 4.3% by Volume
Calories: 99 per 12 oz. serving
Carbs: 3.1 grams per 12 oz. serving
Budweiser Select pours from the bottle with a light yellowish body that is completely clear and has a light aroma that is cardboard- like and weak. Foam is practically non- existant and the tiny head of foam disappears in a minute or two, leaving a thin coating of bubbles behind. The taste is equally unimpressive, with flavors of light, sweet grain such as corn and a small amount of yeast character that is banana- like and almost like a German hefeweizen. Notice I said almost, because the fact is that the yeasty fruit character is very slight and it fades away quickly. The beer finishes with almost no bitterness at all, and there is virtually no aftertaste.
Anheuser- Busch is always looking for ways to keep its name in the spotlight. This brewing giant is all about sales and it has no problem compromising quality and taste if it believes a product will sell. Such is the case with Budweiser Select. Once again, A-B has kowtowed to the pressures to create beer that is more tasteless, more bland, lighter bodied, low carb, and low calorie. The company already has plenty of products that fit these descriptions, but they decided to produce Budweiser Select anyway. They decided to try to appeal to the calorie- conscious consumer by producing a very light beer with a name that deceptively denotes quality.
Budweiser Select is most certainly a weak product and most will agree that it is crisp, clean, and not very filling. These attributes make it a good choice for those who are counting calories and prefer beer that doesn’t make one feel too bloated. Its taste and character are very similar to other light beer products, even though there is a slight difference between this beer and others, due to the taste imparted by the strain of yeast used in the brewing process. A-B chose a yeast that gives this beer a fruit flavor that combines banana with a little bit of green apples. The taste is only slight, but at least it’s something. Other light beer taste like grains and water, but Budweiser Select tastes a little different because of the yeasty flavors present.
Anheuser- Busch will always direct its efforts toward what it believes will sell and as long as there is a market for light beers, A-B will continue to brew forgettable products like Budweiser Select. It’s a lame brew that isn’t much different from others in its class, with absolutely nothing remotely sophisticated or very memorable about the taste. The slightly unique character from the yeast strain isn’t enough to save this one. It’s yet another useless product from a sell- out operation.
Rating: 3 Cheers out of 10
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