Budwesier American Ale

OK, so by now I’m sure you’ve seen the Budweiser American Ale commercials on TV. Lisa and I had company last night, and I picked up a sixer of these just for kicks. I tried it… and, for the most part, I liked it.

American Ale is AB’s first attempt at a genuine push for an ale on the market. They’ve given it the honored Budweiser name instead of pawning it off on their off-brands like Rolling Rock or Michelob. And they’ve advertised the hell out of this stuff. Will American Ale be able to take on Boston Brewing, to say nothing of the Sierra Navadas of the world?

Well, here’s the thing: compared to even Sam Adams Boston Ale, American Ale just isn’t that interesting. It tastes… pretty good, just “less” of an ale. As Budweiser is the vanilla definition of a lager, so too is American Ale a bland ale. But it is an ale, which is a plus over lagers in my book. Even a bad ale is better than most good lagers to my taste, so… the more the merrier, I say!

If American Ale isn’t the most interesting ale at first glance, it is surprisingly drinkable. After the first one, the second and third became much more enjoyable. If you’re drinking for quantity and not quality, but you’d still like something with a little class and taste… American Ale is for you.

But now… there’s the 800-pound gorilla in the room: AB’s insanely large distribution system. Unlike Bass, which is touch-and-go as far as finding it on tap in a lot of places, AB products are sold almost everywhere. AB could snap their fingers and make American Ale appear almost anywhere they wanted. Which is intriguing. If I found myself in a bar that only has Heineken and Corona as imports (you know the places), American Ale would be a good second choice.

I don’t see myself turning away from PBR, but if my local is out of Pabst, American Ale would be a good choice as a replacement. It’s lawnmower beer, really… it’s it’s a decent one!