Rocky: Input from ten brewmasters from around the world, yet when making a Pilsner it didn't occur to them to speak to a German Brewmaster? Well, despite all the global input they managed to come up with a very bland American beer. They can make it look like an import with the green bottle and they can price it like an import at around 6.99...but they failed to make it taste like an import. The Michelob line is still the best thing AB is producing. (12/13/2003)


Steve: I hate to say it, but this isn't too bad. It reminded me of Becks, except this finished a little flatter, and the last inch of the bottle was a little funkier. Now comes the fun part....Anybody who buys this is out of their f-ing mind. Hear me? If you buy a sixer of this after reading my review, you're a complete tool. This tastes like Becks or Heineken. Not as good as Sam Adams. AND, it's more expensive at every single store where I've seen it. How do you justify that cost? They got ten of their brewmasters together and this is all they could come up with? How bad do they suck at their job? No thanks, Augie. (12/13/2003)


Sam: Siiiighhhhh... It's official, I'm a tool. Steve warned me about this, but I saw it on the shelf in the liquor store, and on a whim, I picked up a sixer. At $7.59--gad! I also picked up six of Lone Star ($4.99). I got home, had a Lone Star, then later had a World Select. Then had another Lone Star to wash my mouth out. Sorry guys. This tastes like Michelob, with the skunky smell of Heineken added to make you think you're drinking European. I'm currently entertaining offers on five-sixths of a six pack. Any takers? (3/20/2004)


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Sam: OK, I suppose A-B should be lauded for making a beer specifically to those on gluten-free diets; although, since several million people in the US alone suffer from celiac disease, it's possible they're just looking for another market niche. Cynicism aside, the beer pours a rather handsome amber, and has a pleasant enough malty-sweet aroma. The first sip has a fairly pleasant sweet flavor with caramel notes. Unfortunately, within a few sips the sweetness passes quickly from pleasant to annoying to cloying to tedious. I hear there are some regional brewers out there brewing gluten-free (with sorghum, btw) ales and such; sure hope they're putting out a better product. (6/9/2007)


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Kris: see Red Bull. Seriously, it smells and tastes like Red Bull. Doesn't taste like beer at all. I'm gonna go out on a limb here and assume this is actually beer, as it says beer on the label. But they do a damn good job of hiding any semblance to beer. I guess if you want something that will give you wings and get you shitfaced, drink this. I'm going to stick with Red Bull. (7/9/2005)


Steve: Kris was right....this wasn't beer. Not sure what it was, but it wasn't beer. In fact, I have no other way to describe it other than to use the description from Anheuser-Busch's website: combining the drinkability and broad appeal of beer with caffeine, ginseng and guarana. Broad appeal? I don't think I know anyone who's ever sought out a beer with all of these. If I see you drinking this in front of me, I'll make fun of you. Let's just leave it at that. (1/14/2006)


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Steve: OK, not a "beer," but it's got 5% alcohol, so it's worth writing about. This is one of the better malt beverages that I've had to date, and by far the best Busch product that I've ever had. You know why? It's not beer! They couldn't screw this up, because there's Bacardi rum in here, and that's someone else's recipe, not theirs. If it was theirs, it would've been paint thinner. Anyway, I hate hard liquor. Makes me sick just thinking about it, but I liked this. Good thing I only bought one 12 oz bottle, or there might have been problems. (3/23/2002)


Kris: Much better than Smirnoff Ice, which is saying a lot. Granted, I almost puked when I saw who makes it, but as Steve said, it's not beer. If you like Smirnoff Ice, you have to try this. (3/23/2002)


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Sam: 7-Up with an alcohol kick. I gave it zero mugs because I just can't come up with any reason why it should exist; it sure as hell ain't beer. For the last two weeks now I've been scratching indelicately and belching in public, just to prove to everyone I haven't turned gay. I swear, I ONLY bought it because of a recent house guest. (12/23/2006)


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Kris: Bud in a fancy bottle. No other difference. I love the commercials, though. AB Beers: PR is great, now if they could only improve the beer. (2/15/2004)


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Kris: I'm sorry, but this is just not beer. I might have thought so in my early drinking days, but not now. This "beer" has absolutely no taste whatsoever. This is just water with yellow bubbles in it. I'm going to assume that since Anheuser-Busch markets this as an alcoholic beverage, that must mean there is alcohol in it, but I couldn't tell. I feel guilty rating this, because this is a beer review site, and this doesn't fit the category. If you're thirsty, drink water. It does the same and it's cheaper. (BTW, I am giving this a zero, not because it sucked, but because the label says beer, and it clearly isn't.) (10/12/1999)


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Kris: See Budweiser. (9/22/2001)


Steve: Mow the lawn on the hottest day of the year in flannel pajamas. When done, pour the sweat from your nutsack into a bottle, slap a label on it, and as Emeril would say, "BAM!" You have Bud Light. (9/22/2001)


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Kris: Yep, Budweiser is definitely the King of Beers. Best beer I've ever tasted. Wait, this isn't for Budweiser Budvar? Oh. Anheuser-Busch's Bud? Oh, no, that crap sucks. (2/15/2004)


Steve: This beer is the poster child for the mega North American breweries. There are many reasons to hate this beer. I'll try to touch on a few so that every group is represented. My past opinions of Bud have drawn much hate mail questioning my manhood, sexuality, sanity, and patriotism. I hope this review finds you equally as offended. First and foremost, have any of you ever actually tasted this beer? Not drank, mind you, but tasted. Chugging this to get drunk is not tasting, because as any beer connoisseur will tell you, you have to savor the beer by drinking slowly, to absorb the different flavors. If most of you did that, you would pour the rest down the drain. This is awful. I'd compare it to water, but that's not fair to water. Water is drinkable. Second, I have a few friends in England who have vouched that Bud in Britain is higher in alcohol content over there. So, Bud assumes that Americans are not distinguished enough, and they sell us the crap and ship the good stuff overseas. That should offend any good beer-drinking American. Thirdly, they used to (cannot verify if they still) donate money to gun control causes (probably because they don't want their more, how should I say this to avoid offending all of you, redneckish clientele from constantly blowing each other away). Personally, I don't care; just thought some of you might want to know that. Fourthly, their business practices are vile. They have held up Budejovice (the Czech translation of Budweis) Budvar in a legal battle for "territory" for decades. If Bud was that sure of their quality, why not let them market in the US and compete head-to-head? Budweiser is German for "Someone from Budweis." Last I heard, Bud comes from St Louis, not Budweis. That's misadvertising, and they're accusing Budweiser Budvar of copyright infringement? Bud claiming to be a "Budweiser" is like Hillary Clinton passing herself off as a senator from New York (please see my rant on her). Let a respectable, decent tasting beer use that title. So, to summarize, it's crap, and its parent company engages in disgusting business practices, which is why you should not drink this stuff. And if your issue is price, try Miller or Coors. If your argument is that it's the best selling beer in the world, that's only because they've proven that we can be bought with flashy advertising. Don't let Anheuser Busch win your mind, think for yourself. (2/22/2002)


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Tim: Yes they sell it north of the border too. I remember the US stuff as being undrinkable. Canadian Bud is a little better. It has more flavour than the US version, maybe better flavour. But not good flavour. It's still watered down swill. It does have a higher alcohol content which maybe helps you forget how much it sucks after the first dozen. And that's generally who drinks it, the kind of people who sit around on their porch and guzzle beer until they fall over. (10/25/2003)


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Steve: Was it horrible? No. Was it good? Again, no. It was below average. It was an easy drinking session ale, and if I was in a drinking contest, I'd probably pick this. Now, you might wonder why I would do that if I wasn't crazy about it, but that's because it went down easy, didn't challenge me, and it didn't make me stop and think about the beer as I drank it. In fact, halfway through it I got kind of bored with it, put it down, and forgot about it. You are left with the impression that maybe Budweiser could do something better....just not with this beer. (7/19/2009)


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Sam: We had the grave misfortune to have to spend a night in what may be, not the most depressing city in Texas, not in the USA, but on the PLANET: Longview, Texas. Needing something to fog my brain, I dropped into a convenience store, noting that it, just like all the others I've encountered in Longview, had burglar bars. A ringing endorsement for moving there. So I head for the beer cooler, and all the usual suspects were there: the big three, and those dreadful malternatives, and since I was in Gangstaland, a handful of malt liquors. Then my eyes fell on Budweiser Select. What the hell--it's already a miserable night, how much worse could it be to drink this? So I bought a sixer. It's exactly what any of you would expect. Budweiser in a slightly prettier bottle. A-B has once again hit a home-run: they've put another product out there that the sheep will buy, thinking they're getting "the good stuff". Baaaa... (7/16/2005)


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Steve: Imagine Bud. Ok, imagine watered-down, stale Bud. That's Busch. Brewed with water from the mountains of Busch, and lots of it.... Water, that is. Won't get you drunk unless you take in a keg IV. (7/28/2001)


Guest Review - KennyNC: Busch...if you want a beer real bad, then we've got a real bad beer. (7/28/2001)


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Steve: See Busch.


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Guest Review - Chris J: Very watered down, flat taste. Still better than O'Douls. (11/8/1998)


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Kris: I hate this beer. Not because of the taste, or smell, or even the bottle. Those were all relatively decent. I hate it because it was made by Anheuser-Busch, and it didn't suck. I was so surprised at that fact I that had another. But pissed off I am. I am so used to having AB crank out the worst beers imaginable. I was looking forward to bashing them yet again. Can't do it this time. Granted, I could think of a couple of "Irish" Red Lagers that are better than this, but like I said, it was decent. Maybe the brewmaster didn't piss in the vat before making this... Does this signal a change at AB? Probably not, but we'll see. (3/21/2001)


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Sam: OK, so here's the deal. I'm a revolving dumbass, everyone knows that. My wife makes it clear to me almost daily. I knew before I bought this that even though the label says it's brewed by the Margaritaville Brewing Co., it's actually contract brewed by A-B. "So, dumbshit, why the fuck did you buy it?" you might be thinking. Well, the answer's a little complicated, and multi-faceted. First, I'm a dumbass. OK, that one was obvious. Second, I've been a parrothead for twenty years or more, and recently have gotten back into Buffett's music in an even bigger way (aging hippie and all, I guess). So there's a certain sentimental pull looking at the label--disingenuous though it may be. Hell, I'm pulling on a sweaty bottle of Land Shark as these words pour out, while listening to Radio Margaritaville. Lastly, there is a very good chance I won't be partaking of the fruit of the barley at all in the very near future, so I'm enjoying said fruit from whatever source I can procure right now. Even if it is from a beer that tastes and looks exactly like Budweiser (big shocker there, right?). There's probably other reasons I could point out, but the sheets are starting to fill with wind, so those reasons don't come to me just now. Look: this beer is crap--expensive crap, at that, brewed by the enemy of craft beer. But if you want to lower your standards briefly on a hot and steamy summer day, go ahead and ice down a sixer and pop on "Songs You Know By Heart" (or "Living And Dying in 3/4 Time" if you're a true parrothead). (3/22/2009)


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Steve: Not bad, actually. The kind of beer my parents always drank. The best is Michelob Dark, one of the first dark beers marketed in America (remember Martin Mull, and his line about Darks being for thick-necked men named Guenther?). Nice flavor.


Sam: Okey doke. So I've been hearing all this buzz about how Michelob is going to be brewed without adjuncts. No rice, just malted barley, hops, and water. So I encountered the "new" Mich today and coughed up the nearly six bucks for the sixer. Keep in mind now, this is a week after ponying up nearly EIGHT clams for that ghastly Miller Chill, so here I am dropping not insignificant amounts of dough on iffy products at best. Well...sigh...I think you can guess where this is going to go. Pours...yawn...anemic yellow...yawn...musty scent, no hops presence whatsoever. Yaaawwnnnn...sorry. Flavor is boring and insipid, just as before. I suspect the pure malted barley only added calories, because I doubt they changed the hops profile; it tastes exactly as it had before. So there you have it. I offered a sip to my wife, known for her laconic wit. She forced down a swallow, squinted and shuddered a bit, then after just the right amount of pause looked at me and said, "Do you realize how much this website is costing us?" (3/17/2007)


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Steve: I'd like to retract all previous statements and say that THIS is the best Anheuser Busch beer I've ever had. I honestly don't see how they could get any better unless they start brewing a Christmas ale comparable to Sam Smith's. This didn't have the roasted character common to many standard bock's, but it was darker and richer. I did notice a sweetness that reminded me a lot of something else, until I realized that it tasted a bit like Killian's, which is one of my staple beers. Not as good, but similar. Definitely more of a bock than Shiner. (4/17/2004)


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Steve: In a way, I kind of want to give Anheuser-Busch some credit for trying to produce quality beers. However, with their unlimited resources, their brewmasters with decades of experience and years of training, and they still produce a product that tastes like it's designed for the masses and/or the lowest common denominator. It was a dark, wheat beer. Therein lies its only resemblence to a good Dunkelweisse. The banana and clove flavors which the label predicted we'd taste were about nonexistent. I'd say this isn't a horrible beer in the way Shiner Bock isn't a horrible beer. Drinkable, but average, and really nothing like the style which they advertise. I'd pick this over regular Michelob in a heartbeat, but I would still pick something with a label printed in German. (5/16/2010)


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Steve: Definitely better than most microbrew attempts to copy this European style. Not as skunky as some of the German imports, but considering it only came from Newark, NJ (about an hour away), I should hope not. I prefer a German pils, but give Bud's better looking cousin a try. Mark one up for Augie (about time someone did).


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Guest Review: From time to time we recieve letters from people with suggestions for beers to try (or not to try, as the case may be). We thought this letter, written by world traveler and renown hefeweizen expert Kirk A. Schroeder, captured the TOBP spirit with excellence, so we decided to use it as the review. Plus, after reading it, there was no way we were going to try the beer. (8/21/1997)


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Steve: This could easily compete against JW Dundee's and Killian's. It has a sweet flavor, but not overly sweet, more balanced. The honey was just right, so as not to generate a wine-coolerish flavor. By far the best AB product I've ever had.


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Kris: Man, this shit sucks. I'd have to say worse than Bud, and that's a stretch. I was drinking this and Bud light tonight, and while it has more flavor than Bud light, said taste was terrible. My burps smelled horrible (as witnessed by my neighbors). The disgusting taste that accompanied the burps was, well, disgusting. I really have no idea how Anheuser Busch can screw up beer that badly. Not just one beer, though, all of them. Geez, I feel like puking. Someone get me a Sam Adams. (8/9/2002)


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Steve: What a sad, sad waste of money. First of all, a pale ale should be at least a little hearty, with a nice hop aroma and taste. This was sweet, fruity, and bad tasting. So, it looses points for not only NOT being a Pale Ale, but also just being a poor excuse of a beer. It was drinkable, mind you (unlike Natty Light or garbage like that), but not worth the effort. Auggie Busch, you just can't put a label on a beer and expect it to automatically become that style. And for any weasels who want to write to me and say, "but Steve, it's a Mid-West American Pale Ale, it's supposed to be differemt!" Save your breath! If you wasted money on this, you should be ashamed. Perhaps it's time that Busch got out of the craft beer biz. (3/5/1999)


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Sam: Not the worst beer I've ever had. I was actually a little surprised, thoroughly expecting it to suck. Not as good as regular Michelob--which already isn't that great--but definitely better than Michelob light, which stinks on ice. The Ultra has a strange slightly sour taste that takes some getting used to, but all in all it wasn't terrible. If I was at a party, and Budweiser or Michelob Ultra was on ice, I'd probably head for the Ultra. (5/24/2003)


Steve: Oh God. Where do I start? First of all, I'm not sure I can call this beer. Flavored water? That too might be misleading, since the flavor was horrible. The Germans have a good word for that..."Schrechlich." Since that sounds worse than horrible, let's go with that. The waiter at Ruby Tuesday's read this off the beer menu, so I figured this was finally my chance to try this without buying a whole six pack. I told the waiter that it was in the interest of science, and morbid curiosity, so that he wouldn't think less of me (he later referred to this as a chick drink...I agreed with him). Anyway, as I was pouring this into the glass, it looked clear. In the glass, it was VERY light colored, it had no discernable body whatsoever. The flavor was extremely watery. I'm convinced that this is low-carb because they pour out 2/3 of a regular Michelob and replace it with water. All in all, not too bad. Ahh, who am I kidding. This sucked. This is to beer like Monica Lewinsky is to White House interns. If you need a beer this bad, stay off the Atkins Diet. Otherwise, don't even bother drinking beer. Of course, once could argue that with Michelob Ultra, you don't have that problem (dinking beer, that is). Their radio slogan is "Lose the carbs, not the taste." I have a better one... "lose the carbs…and your dignity." (8/30/2003)


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Steve: This is the poster child for Trailer Park Beers. If you live in a house that had to have the wheels removed, if you were ever on an episode of "Cops" while wearing a wifebeater T-shirt, if gardening involves tractor tires painted white, laid flat on your yard, and filled with potting soil, or if you call anybody a Yankee who lives north of the Arkansas River, then you probably have some of this in your fridge...which is probably sitting on your porch (so you can get at it quicker while shooting rodents from your deck chair). This "beer" makes Budweiser sound good. Contrary to my previous review, I'm embarrassed to say I have tried this, when I was in college 10 years ago. My review? It sucked. Even by college student standards, and I knew guys who would drink Boone's Farm and Mad Dog in a pinch. No taste, no body, no redeeming factors. Not even a decent alcohol content. If you drink it for economical reasons, I can certainly sympathize...Old Style was my "budget beer." If you drink this because you think it tastes better than other beers, then you need to start going to meetings, because you've got a problem. I know many of you will have a problem with this assessment, and I look forward to your comments in our Guestbook. If you would like suggestions for better "budget beers," I will be happy to share my knowledge. (8/24/2002)


Guest Review - KennyNC: After thoughtful consideration, I rank Natural Light as my nineteenth favorite beer. My eighteenth favorite is Dying of Thirst. (8/24/2002)


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Guest Review - Chris J: "Now richer and smoother" says the label. Richer? YES! Smoother? Well, yes, I guess (I've never understood the word "smooth" when applied to beer. Does it mean bland or malty?) Anyway, Cascades and Saaz hops are now used to push O'Doul's into a rating of 6. (10/2/1999)


Steve: I sampled this at T&A’s, a strip club in New York State, a juice bar chock full of whores, strippers, and the stench of lives wasted and money poorly spent (aka The Stench of Whores). And since it’s full-nude, there is no alcohol (a good thing, since the whores would undoubtedly take you for even MORE money), so you must settle for water, soda or O’Douls. All in all, not bad, so if you want to look at whores dancing while sober (you, not the whores…the whores are probably hopped up on goofballs), this will accompany such debauchery nicely. (8/14/2004)


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Guest Review - Chris J: Wow! A pleasant surprise. Caramel malts add flavor to the cardboard king. Definitely drinkable. Hopefully Amber cases will replace this brands awful O'Doul's premium on the shelves. Please pray with me..!


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Sam: Golden yellow, pleasant hops aroma, bland hop flavor, with mild sweetness. You wouldn't have to look hard at all to find a better pale ale at a cheaper price. The label says "Crooked Creek Brewing", but it's brewed at A-B's Redhook facility in Portsmouth, NH. Another slick move from your friendly neighborhood brewing juggernaut. (4/1/2007)


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Kris: When I first heard of this beer that tastes like tequila and lime, I thought it was the stupidest idea I had ever heard of. That thought was confirmed after tasting. Mind you, it wasn't bad. It's just that when I think of tequila and lime, I think, "I'm getting drunk". I certainly don't think, "Mmm-mmm tastes great". If you like the taste of tequila and you don't mind not getting drunk, this beer is for you. Personally, I will not be trying it again. It's a fad that will die a slow death. (4/19/1999)


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Sam: About two weeks ago, I was idly perusing the beer labels at the local grocery, hoping for something new. I came across Wild Hops and figured what the heck. Got it home, cracked it open, poured it up. Golden, mildly carbonated. Bland but inoffensive. A little lemony character, not at all bad, per se, but the label just plain bothered me. Too slick. And odd for a chain grocery to go out on a limb with something new and exciting. So I looked it up. Yep, I've been had once again. The label says "Green Valley Brewing", but it's brewed at the A-B facility in Fairfield, CA. How's that for cynical? Anheuser-Busch wants into the organic market. They want your money so badly, they're willing to misrepresent who brews the beer. And just like the ghastly World Select, Wild Hop is easily a dollar a sixer more than "regular" craft beers. If you REALLY want to go organic, and you're willing to cough up the dough, and you're willing to fund this subterfuge, go ahead. Me, I feel dirty. And duped. (3/3/2007)


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Sam: What is it with A-B? Why do they keep inundating us with unswillable dreck? They proudly announce this as only available in Texas. I think that's because no one out of this state would be dumb or desperate enough to drink this crap. The bottle has a goat on it. The beer is reasonably dark. That's where the similarity with a true bock beer ends. First, it doesn't taste like bock. It tastes like Michelob Dark (gad!) with way too much extra sugar. Secondly, it'll give you a buzz, but so will Jeigermeister, and the strange hangover afterwards is equally unpleasant. Do yourself a favor. If you see this on the shelf, steer clear of it. (10/11/2003)


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