June 30, 2004
Budweiser
As I expected, I have been getting a lot of guff from beer snobs over the whole Budweiser issue. So, what we need to do is a tasting. Not a blind tasting, which is really never much more than an ah-hah gotcha sort of exercise, but a prolonged, critical tasting.
Here is your challenge:
1. Buy a can of Budweiser.
2. Chill it properly (at least four hours in the fridge)
3. Wake up at 7am
4. Have a light breakfast with two shots of ristretto espresso (no milk of any sort, sorry).
5. Eat nothing until 10am.
6. At 10am it is tasting time:
7. Open the can of Budweiser.
8. Pour two inches into a decent glass.
9. Do not swirl, but take a deep sniff.
10. Without trying to evaluate, just write down what you smell. A hint of skunk? Floral notes? Whatever. Just be honest and as observant as you can.
11. Now, take a sip. Just a small sip. Run the beer over your whole tongue. Use your tongue to force the aroma into your nose. Really pay attention here: what do you smell? Spit. Repeat. Take notes, again avoiding "good"/"bad", but things like, "mineral notes, toast, small finish."
12. Now, take a decent drink and swallow. Note the body, note the nose, note the balance of sweet to bitter, note the acidity. Pay attention to the amount and size of the bubbles.
13. Now you can drink the beer on its own. How does it go down? What sort of aftertaste does it leave.
14. Post your notes in the comments box here and we can have a rational discussion of matters of the hop.
15. For fun, repeat steps 1-14 with whatever other beer you want (preferably a lager: apples to apples, you know). If you want to remain anonymous, please create a handle so we can communicate better.
16. No wine, tea, gin, coffee, or orange juice tastings here, please. Let's stick to beer for this one. No Lambic for now, as it is a different animal.
Tony C's right on Yeungling -- in DC years back it sold for about two bucks a six and was remarkably good, considering.
If you're in Wisconsin, try Point Beer. And if you're at Wrigley Field in Chicago and the pith-helmeted vendors offer you a choice of Old Style or Bud -- you want to go with the Old Style.
It's called beer subsidiarity. I believe there is a papal bull about it somewhere.
Posted by: Mark C. N. Sullivan at July 1, 2004 1:37 PMYeungling.
From Pottsville, PA.
That's the way to go.
Their Lord Chesterfield Ale is what you want.
Yep.
Here's the problem with wine and beer tasting for heathens like myself... we just don't drink that way. We drink after a meal, during a meal, before a meal, while working outside, while working inside, while lounging outside, while slacking inside.
By cripes, there is no time to cleanse the palate - only time to consume.
I certainly do not disagree with your sentiments about Budweiser though. It is a fine beer, especially bottled and at room temperature - which, actually, (in my estimation) makes it a great sipping beer. It is not my beer of choice, but I'll never complain with one in the hand.
I find most micro-brewed beers are a final result of trying too hard. No, I cannot taste the nuttiness or the bitters or hops or the this or the that. All I can taste is that you added too much caramelized sugars to darken the color.
Perhaps beer was invented for something else, but its purpose is very singular at this point in history. Beer should be a refreshing drink after a hard day of work or a hard day of lounging.
If after finishing said beer you feel you need a glass of water to wash it down, rather than another of the same – you are drinking the wrong beverage.
Posted by: Jimbo at July 1, 2004 10:06 AM