Bud's American Ale

RE: Bud's American Ale (jbburn)

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 20:57:13 GMT

just terrible

RE: Bud's American Ale (Phildelmar)

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 20:54:19 GMT

Maybe better than other bud products, but I notice, like some other posters, that i still have 5 out of the original 6 in the refrigerator.

RE: Bud's American Ale (seafarer john)

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 11:23:44 GMT

I had a bottle of Bud American Ale along with my bowl of chili at "Andy's Place"in Poughkeepsie last Friday. This stuff wont be putting any craft brewers out of business- but it's a Hell of a lot better than any other Bud I've had in recent years.

Cheers, John

RE: Bud's American Ale (Scorereader)

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 08:45:35 GMT

my brother brought a 6 pack of this with him on Thanksgiving (along with an eclectic mix of Saranac beers). Out of the bottle, much more bitter than the draft. Maybe I should've poured it into a glass. But, I drank from thwe bottle. Because I drank it this way, it was, of course, more carbonated. But I wasn't expecting the stronger bitter. Preferred the draft. Maybe the higher air content made it appear more bitter. I usually pour it out, but, it is, afterall, a Bud - so, I we roughed it.

The Saranacs were their usual great beers. I've always like Saranac beers (more than Beer Advocate seems to) and after the tastings this weekend, I've rekindled my love for Saranac.
Some of this weekends favs from Saranac: Nut Brown (hoppy, malty, lovely), Imperial IPA (Complex malts and wonderful hops - I liked it better than Dogfish 60 and 90 -I'm may be in the minority, but that's how I felt at the time of tasting - certainly, for the price, Saranac is the better value - it's powerful enough of an Imperial IPA to hold it's own against beers twice the price), Season's Best (nutty, malty, full flavor hop - a great beer to have this time of year).

I'll be doing more Saranac over the course of this holiday season, so I may start some new threads as early as this coming weekend. And then give some better tasting notes.

RE: Bud's American Ale (Scorereader)

Tue, 11 Nov 2008 21:07:02 GMT

Ort:
Been a while since I've had Lord Chesterfield. Although the lager and black and tan are in every small mart in DC, the ale is not around, and it's never on tap.
So, I guess I have a new mission...

RE: Bud's American Ale (Phildelmar)

Tue, 11 Nov 2008 09:15:35 GMT

Truth to tell, I prefer Lord Chesterfield, both for taste and price, but it can be a bit hard to come by in my area.

RE: Bud's American Ale (flyseye)

Tue, 11 Nov 2008 08:48:07 GMT

quote:
Originally posted by Ort. Carlton.

quote:
Originally posted by flyseye
At the very least, this beer gives me something tolerable to drink at many of the macro only establishments in macro heavy Ft Wayne.

flyseye,
What?!?!?!? No wonder Centlivre (out Spy Run Avenue) and Great Lakes (on South Grant Street) went out of business!!!!!
Falstaffianly, Ort. Carlton in Amazing Athens, Georgia.
P. S. We used to be able to buy Old Chicago here. Their Dark was outstanding....

Ort,

Don't forget about Old Crown.

RE: Bud's American Ale (Ort. Carlton.)

Tue, 11 Nov 2008 00:41:13 GMT

quote:
Originally posted by flyseye
At the very least, this beer gives me something tolerable to drink at many of the macro only establishments in macro heavy Ft Wayne.

flyseye,
What?!?!?!? No wonder Centlivre (out Spy Run Avenue) and Great Lakes (on South Grant Street) went out of business!!!!!
Falstaffianly, Ort. Carlton in Amazing Athens, Georgia.
P. S. We used to be able to buy Old Chicago here. Their Dark was outstanding....

RE: Bud's American Ale (Ort. Carlton.)

Tue, 11 Nov 2008 00:37:10 GMT

quote:
Originally posted by Scorereader
... I'd drink this before Yuengling...

Scorereader,
But if the choice were between this and Lord Chesterfield Ale, which would you opt for? -- I've not had the Bud product yet, but Lord Chesterfield Ale remains a favorite of mine. Thanks for reminding me, I need to get a friend to bring me a case back from Pottsville in cans.
Neither Black Nor Tan, Ecru Ort. in Hopping Athens, Georgia.

RE: Bud's American Ale (Ort. Carlton.)

Tue, 11 Nov 2008 00:31:06 GMT

quote:
Originally posted by Poverty Pete
I tried it yesterday, and was rather disappointed. It never occurred to me that you could dry hop a beer with Cascade hops and still have a bland, boring product.

Pete,
Maybe they only used one pellet in a 5-gallon batch.
Out Of The Busch League, Ort. Carlton in Ever-Amazing Athens.
P. S. Now, me... for my homebrew I always used like 11 or 12 ounces in a 5-gallon batch. Get me to tell you about The Citizens' Preposterously Bitter Ale sometime....

RE: Bud's American Ale (Phildelmar)

Mon, 10 Nov 2008 22:31:26 GMT

I just finished my first one. When I purchsed the six pack at my usual Delaware source, I asked the proprietor his opinion. He said it was "drinkable."
That is my conclusion as well.
But, not worth $7.30 for a six pack.
I will have to check Maryland prices to see if it is worth pursuing the experiment.

RE: Bud's American Ale (Phildelmar)

Mon, 10 Nov 2008 19:00:16 GMT

Understood, and thanks for the cautionary.

RE: Bud's American Ale (Scorereader)

Mon, 10 Nov 2008 16:37:28 GMT

just keep in mind it's an American Ale, not a Pale Ale - so it's flavor and mouthfeel is not rich and bold like a pale ale. But, I certainly liked it better than a host of Red Ales.

RE: Bud's American Ale (Phildelmar)

Mon, 10 Nov 2008 16:19:10 GMT

Based on Screreader's assessment, I will try to find some and give it a try.

RE: Bud's American Ale (Scorereader)

Mon, 10 Nov 2008 12:37:34 GMT

OK, since we had a recent discussion on this ale, I decided to give a try at Tunnicliffs Tavern on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC on Sunday Nov. 9, 2008 at approx. 3:00pm.
These are my notes:

Appearance: In regular 16oz pint glass- nice amber color. Modest sized head (did not see how bartender poured it since I was at a table). Head actually stuck around for a few minutes. Tilting the glass, the head clung a little to the glass. Not overly carbonated. The color and foamy head was inviting. Above average B/B+

Smell: flowery hop smell. A small hint of pine nut, and a sort of touch sweet but mostly the wild flowery hop smell was dominant. Nice brew smell. Slighty above average. C+

Taste: Initially the lightly toasted malts are tasted with a trace amout of sweet all on the tip of the tongue, then a more bitter hop flavor takes over. There's a moment of balance between the malt and the hop, but then the finish is all hop with a copper kettle tinge and bitter resolution. Better than average B

Mouthfeel. I thought that it would be flat, since bubbles really weren't coming up from the bottom of my glass, but it still had some life . Some body, but not very curvy. Thinner in body than the taste and appearance would imply, but not watery either. probably it's worst atribute compared to the other areas of consideration. no better than average C (which is still better than anything else I've had labelled Bud)

Drinkability: very drinkable. Since it's not bold, and the body is not full, it makes for an easy glass of Ale, while eating baked brie with toasted almonds and fruit(which was our appetizer). B+

My wife had a Widmer Hefeweizen. Her beer was a half-dollar more expensive. Mine was a better beer. I didn't care for the Widmer Hefe, yet the American Ale was great for a Sunday afternoon beer. Certainly a much better beer than anything else with the Bud name on it.

I used to like Yuengling, when I got it in State College, PA for a dollar a pint. Then this beer was marketed as a premium domestic beer and the price went up, and all the mid-atlantic yuppies went nuts over it. Well, honestly, Bud's American Ale is a better beer. My wife, who used to work at a brewpub in Syracuse, NY, tried it. She didn't realize it was Bud. I just called it American Ale. She said, not too bad. I said it's Bud's American Ale, she said, "ugh, it was terrible...just kidding. that's really not a bad effort." She too liked it better than Yuengling. And honestly, there are some American Ales and reds out there with interesting craft brew names, that aren't really any better than this beer, but will come with a slightly heftier price tag.

So If:
A= Top of class
B= Above Average
C= Average
D= Below Average
F= Failure

I'd give this a B. I'd drink this before Yuengling, Sam Adams Summer Ale, Sam Adams Hefe, Sam Adams Irish Red, but not before a Sam Adams Boston Ale. But, since Bud's American Ale is priced just under Sam Adams brews (at least at this place) I can see it doing well on tap. Price range, if it stays just under the other premiums, it could be successful. And, if Bud (or who ever owns Bud) keeps trying to improve it, it could get a solid foothold in the "premium" domestic market class. It's a better beer than Michelob products. But, will take some time to convince those Sam Adams and Yuengling drinkers.

RE: Bud's American Ale (Scorereader)

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 16:37:31 GMT

Beer Advocate has Bud's American Ale with a grade of B-.
To compare: other beers in the same class that also got a B- include:
Late Harvest Autumn Ale from Redhook Brewing
Red Tail Ale from Mendocino Brewing
Otter Creek Oktoberfest from Otter Creek Brewing
Several of the Reds and Amber Ales from Rock Bottom Restaurant and Brewery
Red Rocket Amber from Capitol City Brewing
Fiddler's Green Amber from Matt Brewing Company (same people who make Saranac)
Okto from Widmer Brothers Brewing Co.

considering Anheis-Busch beers have an average grade of C- for their 81 beers, a B- is a good few steps up. In it's class, B and B- were the average scores. So, Bud's Amer. Ale, based on the BA users scores, falls just on the low end of their average score for the style of beer. Which, knowing these guys, means they didn't hate it.

In fact, they liked it better than Stella Artois. go figgur.

RE: Bud's American Ale (Poverty Pete)

Wed, 22 Oct 2008 18:24:41 GMT

I tried it yesterday, and was rather disappointed. It never occurred to me that you could dry hop a beer with Cascade hops and still have a bland, boring product.

RE: Bud's American Ale (ScreamingChicken)

Wed, 22 Oct 2008 14:05:21 GMT

quote:
Originally posted by Fieldthistle

It doesn't have much of a taste,

Therefore, a 100% success by A-B standards!!

Brad

RE: Bud's American Ale (Davydd)

Tue, 14 Oct 2008 16:01:16 GMT

From what I have read here and on principle I doubt I will bother trying. AB is equivalent to a fast food chain. Every beverage they have is fine-tooth refined in quality to maximize profit and satisfy the majority who really don't like beer. In other words, no character at all. If they are trying to sell their brew at craft beer prices then all the more pox on them.

RE: Bud's American Ale (crew84row)

Tue, 14 Oct 2008 14:53:56 GMT

I tested a bottle a week or so ago. We can mix and match our own sixes here, so I was only out a buck and change. It was okay. Similar to the Michelob product. If I were in a bar/restaurant that only had BIG BEER products, I'd chose this over diet coke. That said, I'd rather pay little bit more for the better crafted stuff. We can't get Stones here, but we do get Bell's and I like their Oberon Ale.

RE: Bud's American Ale (jesskidden)

Sun, 12 Oct 2008 06:50:52 GMT

quote:
Originally posted by seatown76

quote:
Originally posted by californyguy

funny they call it american ale when bud is not evben american anymore

It's still american made!

Anheuser-Busch is still independent, the purchase/merged with InBev has yet to be finalized. A-B stockholders are scheduled to vote on the deal next month. http://m.ksdk.com/news.jsp?key=86457&rc=bz

The "American Ale" was being developed well before the take-over attempt. Indeed, TTB records show that A-B had a label approval for the name back in the mid-1990's, before InBev (the merger of Interbrew and AmBev) even existed. https://www.ttbonline.gov/colasonline/viewColaDetails.do?action=publicDisplaySearchBasic&ttbid=962560068

RE: Bud's American Ale (seatown76)

Sat, 11 Oct 2008 22:48:41 GMT

quote:
Originally posted by californyguy

funny they call it american ale when bud is not evben american anymore

It's still american made!

RE: Bud's American Ale (californyguy)

Sat, 11 Oct 2008 22:04:20 GMT

funny they call it american ale when bud is not evben american anymore

RE: Bud's American Ale (SuperDave70)

Sat, 11 Oct 2008 21:06:50 GMT

I probably would not buy it again in bottles. However, if I was at a restaurant that only offered standard Bud-Miller-Coors products on tap, I would take Bud American Ale over any of those. It's a decent middle-ground Amber Ale. It's not going to win over people who are already into craft brews, however it might help some of the Bud-Miller-Coors crowd to seek out better beer.

RE: Bud's American Ale (pigface)

Sat, 11 Oct 2008 14:25:29 GMT

WOULD ANYONE BUY THEM AGAIN?

RE: Bud's American Ale (SuperDave70)

Sat, 11 Oct 2008 13:42:54 GMT

Bud American Ale is not an IPA, it's an American Amber. You would obviously be disappointed if you drink it expecting an IPA.

RE: Bud's American Ale (RibRater)

Wed, 08 Oct 2008 05:10:16 GMT

quote:
Originally posted by Phildelmar

I generally like IPAs. Any other feedback out there?

Yeah, I generally like good IPA's too so I won't be buying any "Bud".

On IPA's though...I had a 4 pack of Dogfish Head 90's and a 22 oz Stone Brewing IPA last weekend. I like the 90's but I prefer the Stone IPA's. good stuff!

RE: Bud's American Ale (Phildelmar)

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 23:01:12 GMT

All right, that's two reviews from two good sources. No need for me to experiment.

RE: Bud's American Ale (Michael Hoffman)

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 22:47:51 GMT

I bought a six-pack of it last week. I tried it. I did not care much for it. It "pales" in comparison to Sam Adams Boston Ale. Anyone want five bottles of American Ale?

RE: Bud's American Ale (Phildelmar)

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 21:05:33 GMT

I generally like IPAs. Any other feedback out there?