The Champagne of Blogs

At a going-away party for a co-worker last night, I found myself at a sports bar in the pearl district whose name rhymes with “Schlitz.” It’s not my favorite place in the world, but they do have a lot of cheap bar games (plastic darts, pool, shuffleboard, air hockey, etc), which makes it great for big groups and office parties. Their beer selection is a bit lacking, though they do carry Lagunitas IPA, so I’m usually fine.

This trip, I spotted something unusual amidst their already-limited macro-ish taps: Budweiser’s new American Ale. The things I do for science …

I’m no Bud-hater, but I’m not a lover, either. I drank a lot of Budweiser in high school and college, and still reach for one in certain situations. It’s more flavorful than its “lite” counterparts, and it brings some nostalgia along with it. Still, I have developed a reputation as a beer snob around the office, and this wasn’t the only picture taken of me swilling a macro.

How’d it taste? Like Bud, but Bud-ier. I actually got a Bud bottle for comparison’s sake. The lager was more effervescent, and certainly lighter in color, which you could tell even through its brown bottle. The American Ale was a bit less carbonated, fuller bodied, and definitely left a hop-ish finish in my mouth, which the lager has never done.

I read some books when I was a kid about a boy named “Homer Price” that were amazingly-illustrated and full of fun. In one story, someone brings an automatic doughnut-making machine to town, and it runs amok, making WAY too many doughnuts. In the one that I loved best, a salesman comes to town selling vials of a product called “Ever So Much More So.” The idea is that you sprinkle a bit of it on things you already like, and it makes them taste like that, but ever so much more so. That’s what American Ale is like to me: it’s Bud, but Ever So Much More So. More flavorful, more deeply colored, and thicker. But it’s still Bud.

I would drink both beers again, but I’d be less likely to seek out the American Ale than I would the Bud lager. There are too many other ales widely available that I’d prefer (even Fat Tire) to this one. But Bud is … well … Bud. Always has been. Always will be.