Budweiser

[unholyinferno]

Why is Budweiser known as "The King of Beers?" I never understood what was so special about Budweiser. Any time I've drank Bud I've gotten a headache. I think it's known as "Bud Mud." I've heard that expession used on this board. Does anyone have any insight into why Bud is so popular?

[CJ01]

It's called marketing.

[Richard English]

All the macro brewers spend massive amounts on marketing, both overt and covert, with the intention of getting young people to try their brands.

It is a fact that, once people have been "hooked" on a particular product, be it beer, cigarettes, motor cars or anything else, providing they are reasonably satisfied with it, they will rarely change. After all, to change one's allegiance is tantamount to saying that one's original choice was in some way faulty and thus that one was wrong. Not something that most care to admit.

Just think, how many Dudweiser drinkers have you met, or whose comments you have seen posted, where they comment along the lines of, "...I've been drinking Dudweiser all my life. I never drink anything else. It's the best beer in the world..." Clearly nonsense since nobody could have tried all the beers in the world and, if course, if the person commenting has only ever tried Dudweiser, then the statement is even more nonsensical.

[jesskidden]

Originally posted by unholyinferno
Any time I've drank Bud I've gotten a headache. I think it's known as "Bud Mud."

<g> Something tells me that the "Bud Mud" expression refers not to a headache but to an ailment that's on the other end of one's system...(I never heard it until our Beck's Conspiratorialist used it but I got the idea right off the bat.)

Originally posted by unholyinferno
Why is Budweiser known as "The King of Beers?"

As others have noted, it's not so much "known" as "The King of Beers" but advertised as such by it's brewery's marketing department and I've always assumed it refers to it's being far and away the best selling beer in the US for almost all the post-Prohibition era, i.e., "King of Beer Sales".

Schlitz outsold Bud for a few years in the 40's and 50's and since the turn of the century Bud Light has actually been outselling Budweiser some years, but with A-B having pretty much 1/2 the US beer market, I think it's gonna be awhile before we hear "The King is Dead".

Why? Why is McDonald's the biggest "restaurant", Wal-Mart the biggest retailer, Wonder Bread (and similar brands) the most common bread, Coke the biggest soda pop? Why is American Idol the most watched TV show for the past few years?

[markaberrant]

Originally posted by Richard English
Just think, how many Dudweiser drinkers have you met, or whose comments you have seen posted, where they comment along the lines of, "...I've been drinking Dudweiser all my life. I never drink anything else. It's the best beer in the world..." Clearly nonsense since nobody could have tried all the beers in the world and, if course, if the person commenting has only ever tried Dudweiser, then the statement is even more nonsensical.

I used to talk like this... when I was 16. I even remember telling this to our German exchange students. I now cringe every time I think about it...

[steveh]

Originally posted by markaberrant
I used to talk like this... when I was 16....I now cringe every time I think about it...

About Budweiser? In Canada? For shame.

S.

[cul8rv8]

I believe the King of Beers slogan is almost as old as the beer itself.

The pledge that is on every bottle was originally "We guarantee that this beer is brewed especially for our own trade according to the Budweiser process of choicest hops, best barley and rice. This beer is brewed in St. Louis and warranted to keep in any climate. Take notice that all crowns are branded with our trade-mark."

The last line, "all crowns are branded with our trade-mark," was later associated with the title King of Beers (crown).

I could be wrong, but I do remember my dad (retired A-B employee) telling me this, and we used to have a very old Budweiser crate (like the ones on the Clydesdale cart) in our house that was supposedly (I was young and my mom told me this) dated around the early 1900's that had the King of Beers slogan on the box.



In fact, after a quick Google search... http://tforbes.com/selected_articles/how_budweiser_became_the_ki.html

"1907 was also good year for Budweiser beer. A full-page newspaper ad in January told readers that the largest brewery in the world, covering 128 acres, had sold 137,722,150 bottles of "the king of bottled beers" the year before."

[jesskidden]

Originally posted by cul8rv8

The last line, "all crowns are branded with our trade-mark," was later associated with the title King of Beers (crown).


I don't know about the "crown/King of Beers" link.

A "crown" is a beer bottle cap (aka "crown cap") and A-B was using the "King of Bottled Beers" slogan when Budweiser was still coming with a cork and wire seal (altho' they were an early user of the crown cap, too, which was invented in the 1890's and they used both closures for awhile).

In fact, in a 1904 Ladies Home Journal ad, a neck label on the bottle says:

"Caution: See that every cork is branded" and a picture of "BUDWEISER" branded sideways on the cork.

http://jesskidden.googlepages.com/1904budweiser

Another ad featuring a Budweiser bottle corked and wired (no date) features the slogan "Crowned Everywhere".

[steveh]

Originally posted by cul8rv8
This beer is brewed in St. Louis and warranted to keep in any climate.

That's an interesting claim. Is that vintage or current?

S.

[jesskidden]

Originally posted by steveh
That's an interesting claim. Is that vintage or current?

S.

That old label claim probably refers to A-B's advertising of the time that they were "The First Brewery to Introduce Pastuerized Bottled Beer in America" (circa 1892), at which time they also claimed to have the "largest sale of Bottled Beer in the world to-day".

Now, that may be very well true, altho' in the same ad they claim:

"Anheuser-Busch Brewery never use Corn of Corn Preparations as a substitute for Malt and Hops"

...conveniently leaving out the whole "rice" thing (part of the A-B Budweiser recipe from the start) <g> as did another ad of the era that proclaimed:

"Of material we use only the most excellent, regardless of cost. Corn, the one important substitute, which, on account of its cheapness, has been extensively adopted, never enters out brewery."

[newportstorm]

Originally posted by jesskidden
Now, that may be very well true, altho' in the same ad they claim:

"Anheuser-Busch Brewery never use Corn of Corn Preparations as a substitute for Malt and Hops"

...conveniently leaving out the whole "rice" thing (part of the A-B Budweiser recipe from the start) <g> as did another ad of the era that proclaimed:


Actually, the first part of the text steveh quoted mentions rice:

"We guarantee that this beer is brewed especially for our own trade according to the Budweiser process of choicest hops, best barley and rice."

[steveh]

Originally posted by newportstorm
Actually, the first part of the text steveh quoted mentions rice

It did, but I agree that it's conspicuously, and suspiciously abscent from their further info in berrating those that use corn.

Reminds me of that early 90s Bud commercial when they were trying to show off their "brewing chops," and probably to stand up to the up and coming micro movement:

2 gentleman at a bar arguing the best ingredient that makes Bud so good:

One: It's the hops!
Two: No, it's the rice!

One: Hops!
Two: Rice!

Ee-yah. Hand me a Goose Island, would you?

S.

[jesskidden]

Originally posted by newportstorm
Actually, the first part of the text steveh quoted mentions rice:


Did not mean to suggest that A-B *never* mentioned rice, only that the particular anti-corn ads I was quoting from didn't mention their use of rice as a "substitute for Malt and Hops". (And, hey, you got to admit, who wouldn't look down on any brewer who substitutes corn for hops <g>).

Granted, A-B has often touted their preference for rice (and will often note that, depending on market conditions, it's more expensive than corn and it can even be MORE expensive than barley malt)- I just thought it was amusing that the current beer geeks anti-corn prejudice was around 100 years ago in the form of A-B's advertising.

[cul8rv8]

Oh, I know the "crown" is the cap, as a lot of my parents "crap," if you will, that they kept for no reason whatsoever was always in boxes dad brought home from work, which were crown boxes.

Steve, that is vintage, the pledge has changed 3 or 4 times. The current pledge is from WWII era... "This is the famous Budweiser beer. We know of no brand produced by any other brewer which costs so much to brew and age. Our exclusive Beechwood Aging produces a taste, a smoothness and a drinkability you will find in no other beer at any price."

Again, that seems dated now, as I can't imagine that Budweiser costs "so much to brew and age."


FYI, I could not remember these "pledges," so I have to give credit to Wikipedia for the exact wording. I try to make it sound like I am an A-B historian, but I only know general things, I actually have to look up specific wording and things. lol I grew up with A-B products all around me with dad working there for 30+ years. However, I was the one person that never got the free beer. He even gave it to my best friend growing up for a college party, but he wouldn't give it to me for my own parties. I was just coming into drinking better beer when I was in college, but it would have been nice to have A-B crap to give away. :) Never told dad that, though.

[jesskidden]

Originally posted by cul8rv8
The current pledge is from WWII era... "This is the famous Budweiser beer. We know of no brand produced by any other brewer which costs so much to brew and age. Our exclusive Beechwood Aging produces a taste, a smoothness and a drinkability you will find in no other beer at any price."

Again, that seems dated now, as I can't imagine that Budweiser costs "so much to brew and age."



I always figured out the their "out" wasn't so much their costs vs. another brewer's but the "...we know of ..." line- they can just claim that they don't know what it's costing everyone else <g>. And, with A-B's economies of scale, they're no doubt getting a better price for just about EVERYTHING than any other brewer these days.

But, I always wondered if advertising costs were factored into their "cost... to brew and age".

[cul8rv8]

excellent points, makes complete sense to me. Ignorance is bliss. :)

[zoom6zoom]

We know of no brand produced by any other brewer which costs so much to brew and age.

They must not get out much. Time to take the blinders off the executives and put them back on the Clydesdales.

[Richard English]

And, of course, Dudweiser is only aged for a few days (hence the A-B "beer tastes best when it's fresh" campaign). Storage is a major cost for brewers and the quicker they can sell their brew the less the cost.

The best lagers are stored for many months to mature.

A-B's 's claim would be illegal as misrepresentation in the UK, were it not for the get-out phrase, "We know of no other beer..." After all, who can challenge someone's lack of knowledge about something?

[newportstorm]

Originally posted by Richard English
And, of course, Dudweiser is only aged for a few days (hence the A-B "beer tastes best when it's fresh" campaign). Storage is a major cost for brewers and the quicker they can sell their brew the less the cost.

Lets be fair. It's actually more like a few weeks. IIRC, brewing Budweiser takes about 28-30 days from start to finish. Granted that's about 1/3 the time it takes for the "real" Budweiser (Budvar/Czechvar) to make their flagship lager. But "rushing" beer is not exclusive to macrobreweries with sales in the hundreds of millions and shareholders to please.

Many small craft ale breweries do the same to meet production deadlines and consumer demand. Many Pugsley-built Ringwood breweries in the northeast US are infamous for failing to utilize a proper diacetyl rest, rushing beer through to finish and ending up with (sometimes) overpowering butter/butterscotch flavors. Admittedly, I feel quite sensitive to even the smallest amounts of diacetyl, but I do enjoy an Old Thumper every now and then.

[rhino777]

I had a friend who had a Budweiser in Ireland (I think) and said it was actually pretty good. Anyone else confirm that foreign Budweiser is better than domestic Bud?

[Mill Rat]

Originally posted by rhino777
I had a friend who had a Budweiser in Ireland (I think) and said it was actually pretty good. Anyone else confirm that foreign Budweiser is better than domestic Bud? Huh? Go to Ireland and drink -cough- -sputter- -gag- Bud of St. Loius? I recently spent three weeks in Ireland and not one drop of the shame of Missouri did pass my lips. Czech Budweiser? Check. Guinness? Where shall I start? When did it end? Plain Porter from the Porterhouse in Dublin? Let me count the pints. So no, sorry, can't help there, and doubt I ever will be able to.

[D0nc0smic]

well i think i had a budweiser or two in paris several years ago, but that was a long time agoand i was young and was staying with my uncle who was running their eurpoean office at the time. From my limited recollection i don't remember it being any different.

[Richard English]

Originally posted by rhino777
I had a friend who had a Budweiser in Ireland (I think) and said it was actually pretty good. Anyone else confirm that foreign Budweiser is better than domestic Bud? Maybe it was the real Budweiser, from the Czech Republic. In the UK (I'm not sure about Ireland) real Budweiser and A-B-chemical fizz are sold side by side as Budweiser. This doesn't happen in the USA (where real Budweiser is sold as Czechvar) nor in any other European countries where A-B fizz is sold as "Bud" (or some similar name) and real Budweiser as Budweiser.

[jesskidden]

Originally posted by rhino777
I had a friend who had a Budweiser in Ireland (I think) and said it was actually pretty good. Anyone else confirm that foreign Budweiser is better than domestic Bud?

IIRC, the Irish-brewed Budweiser (from Diageo's Kilkenny facility) is known (infamously?) as being slightly lower in ABV- 4.3% ABV- that the US and UK versions, which come in at 5%.

When the first contract-brewed outside-of-the-US versions of A-B's Budweiser first appeared in the 80's, I recall that some (well, "some Bud drinkers") were surprised/annoyed that Labatt's Canadian version was listed at 5% ABV at a time the US version was still said to be 4.8% ABV (as if 2/10 of a percentage of alcohol was going to help).

[jesskidden]

Originally posted by newportstorm
Lets be fair. It's actually more like a few weeks. IIRC, brewing Budweiser takes about 28-30 days from start to finish. Granted that's about 1/3 the time it takes for the "real" Budweiser (Budvar/Czechvar) to make their flagship lager.

In the US, the lagering/krausening time is often said to be 21 days currently in various articles/interviews about A-B, which is down from the late '70's when Michael Jackson quoted them as having a "respectable" 32-40 days. I notice the UK Budweiser site only claims 2 weeks.

OTOH, "lagering" time has no relationship to "freshness", which refers to the time AFTER packaging, and in the case of bottles/cans, after packaging and pasteurization.

[darylM]

Originally posted by jesskidden
In the US, the lagering/krausening time is often said to be 21 days currently in various articles/interviews about A-B, which is down from the late '70's when Michael Jackson quoted them as having a "respectable" 32-40 days. I notice the UK Budweiser site only claims 2 weeks.

OTOH, "lagering" time has no relationship to "freshness", which refers to the time AFTER packaging, and in the case of bottles/cans, after packaging and pasteurization.

Does that mean that UK Budweiser is an Ale? That is more of an ale timeframe. And since the timeframe in general is so short, can A-B even claim its flagship is a lager?

[steveh]

Originally posted by jesskidden
lagering/krausening time

You know those are 2 different processes, right? Krausening is performed in the latter stages of lagering -- it's the great big brother to bottle conditioning a home brew.

S.

[steveh]

Originally posted by darylM
Does that mean that UK Budweiser is an Ale?

Considering every story I've heard about the yeasts used by the big 3 being a strange strain between bottom and top fermenting, who knows?

Aside from that, who cares? It's BMC who have given lagers a bad name in this country, maybe they ought to just create a category for American Macro Beer as separate from top and bottom fermented beers. Or maybe just separate from beer!

S.

[jesskidden]

Originally posted by steveh
You know those are 2 different processes, right? .



I always thought so but A-B doesn't agree with us (or, at least, that's how I read the below quote).

I combined lagering and kraeusening time when repeating the "3 weeks" time period A-B gives, due to this quote from an A-B brewmaster I came across this morning while trying to find what A-B is currently claiming as it's "lagering" time:

"The Budweiser lagering process involves cooling and transferring nearly end-fermented beer to a closed lagering tank in which clean beechwood chips have been layered on the bottom. A special kraeusen brew, that is actively fermenting, is added immediately. The addition of 15 percent kraeusen allows a secondary fermentation to take place, which creates natural carbonation.

It is crucial that kraeusen is added immediately after Budweiser is put in a lager tank. This marks the beginning of the aging period. Our beers, like traditional German lagers, are aged substantially longer than the column suggests. For example, Budweiser is aged, or lagered, with beechwood chips for approximately 3 weeks, a longer period than used by many brewers. "

http://www.allaboutbeer.com/columns/abletter.html

[rhino777]

Originally posted by Richard English
Maybe it was the real Budweiser, from the Czech Republic. In the UK (I'm not sure about Ireland) real Budweiser and A-B-chemical fizz are sold side by side as Budweiser. This doesn't happen in the USA (where real Budweiser is sold as Czechvar) nor in any other European countries where A-B fizz is sold as "Bud" (or some similar name) and real Budweiser as Budweiser.

I'm guessing this is what happened. Thanks!

[steveh]

Originally posted by jesskidden
I always thought so but A-B doesn't agree with us (or, at least, that's how I read the below quote).

Consider the source, I guess. I'm pretty sure most German brewers krausen toward the end of aging. Why start the carbonation going when you're trying to mellow the beer? But then, A-B follows its own path, doesn't it?

S.

[jesskidden]

Originally posted by steveh
Consider the source, I guess. I'm pretty sure most German brewers krausen toward the end of aging. Why start the carbonation going when you're trying to mellow the beer? But then, A-B follows its own path, doesn't it?

S.

And might explain why the total time is so short compared to traditional pilseners (and has gotten shorter in the past few decades if sources are to believed), since they more or less have combined the lagering and kraeusening processes.

That Jackson quote of 32-40 days, is from his "World Guide to Beer" US edition from 1977, in which A-B goes on to claim:

"...the company's leading rival takes only about 14 days, using the 'agitated batch-fermentation process'".

So, I've got to smile at the Budweiser UK site that says "approx 2 weeks" (just like Miller and Schlitz did in the 70's!) in their "Beer-How Bud is Born- Secondary Fermentation" section.

http://www.budweiser.co.uk/budweiser.aspx

[darylM]

How much longer is Bud Select? its supposed to be brewed longer for smoothness and full body.

[darylM]

Originally posted by steveh
You know those are 2 different processes, right? Krausening is performed in the latter stages of lagering -- it's the great big brother to bottle conditioning a home brew.

S.

And I bottle condition my homebrew for about 3 weeks. So anyway you see it, its too fast. My understanding of a lager is that it needs at least a month in a secondary then one gets it carbonated. A lager takes more time, an ale typically is less.

From what I am hearing, a bud is made in about six weeks tops. That's how long I wait for my ales. Why don't they just make ales?

[Mill Rat]

Originally posted by darylM
Why don't they just make ales? Because it's easier to make a flavorless lager than a flavorless ale.

[Lee]

I have found that the only beer worse than a macro lager is a macro ale. They are rare. Keystone ice is an ale. Weinhard's ale makes Bud taste good. The only one I've tried that wasn't all bad is Foster's bitter. Lee

[darylM]

so depite the fact they have everything needed to make a great Pale Ale and it may be cheaper due to the higher temps used, they won't do it.

[steveh]

Originally posted by darylM
and it may be cheaper due to the higher temps used, they won't do it.

Higher temps don't make it cheaper, just less involved. And as we've discussed elsewhere, it doesn't appear A-B is really utilizing true lagering time anyway. I think it all boils down to not re-tooling a brewery for new methods -- everything is set and calibrated to one style (bascially) that's been the top-seller for too long.

Then again, the Michelob line brought out a Pale Ale last year (brewed at an A-B brewery other than St. Lou, IIRC), but don't rush out to see if they'll be doing it again this year -- it was mediocre, at best.

S.