Ice-Brewed Headache
Written: Jan 16 '00 (Updated Dec 14 '06)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: A Quick Buzz; Easy to find
Cons: A Quick Buzz; Lack of character
The Bottom Line: This beer is alcoholic in taste and has little real use other than to get tanked as soon as possible.
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| Bryan_Carey's Full Review: Bud Ice |
Bud Ice is an Anheuser- Busch product that came about as a response to the success of other ice- brewed beers. Introduced to the beer- drinking world in 1994, this product sought to capitalize on the growing success of the ice- brewed beer market and it continues in production to this day.
Basic Characteristics of This Beer:
This beer has a grainy and alcoholic aroma and a slightly darker color than regular Budweiser. Foam level is good at first, but it falls apart quickly and has a very bubbly character. Budweiser filters this beer quite well, resulting in a perfectly clear body.
Bud Ice begins with a balanced taste that is grainy, and then finishes with the dry taste of alcohol. The alcohol is the predominate taste in Bud Ice. The taste of grains- mostly corn and rice- and hops is faint. These ingredients are overpowered by the taste of alcohol. And the aftertaste is not very good, reminding me of the taste of certain medicines.
Anheuser- Busch makes this product using the “usual” A-B formula of cheap grains, rice, scant amounts of hops, and lager yeast. The final product has an alcohol level of 5.5 percent by volume and there are 148 calories and 8.9 grams of carbohydrates in a 12 oz. serving.
Food Compatibility:
Well, I suppose I you had to drink this product with food, the best choices would be snacks like corn chips or potato chips. It might be ok with other cheaper foods like hot dogs, too. But I would draw the line at this point. Most other food is too tasty to be insulted by the flavor of Bud Ice.
Final Thoughts:
Bud Ice represents yet another decision by a major brewer to jump aboard the ice beer bandwagon. This trend isn’t quite the force that it once was and ice beer advertising has fallen off greatly in the past five to ten years. Many breweries have eliminated their ice- brewed products altogether. But Bud Ice is still brewed and is still selling thanks to the Budweiser name.
With Bud Ice, you get what is basically a glass of grainy alcohol mixed with water. And you can feel the effects rather quickly. After drinking only 24 ounces, I could already feel a small amount of pounding in my head, similar to the feeling you get from drinking wine too quickly. I can't imagine what Bud Ice might do if consumed in large portions. It seems like the type of beer that could give you a massive hangover in the morning if you are not careful.
The alcohol level in ice- brewed beer is higher than normal and this beer is no exception. But the level is not really that high when you look at the raw numbers. This beer contains 5.5 percent alcohol by volume while regular Budweiser contains 5 percent. Many beer products have more alcohol than Bud Ice, yet Bud Ice has a greater alcoholic flavor profile and aroma. The reason is probably because of the lack of many other ingredients in this beer. What Budweiser claims in its ads is true but a little misleading: Anheuser- Busch really does use quality ingredients, but they use them in such small amounts that they contribute very little to the quality of the beer.
This is the type of beer that is generally recommended to be served ice- cold. There is a reason for this- serving beer very cold helps to mask some of its flavor. And with a flavor profile like Bud Ice, there is no real need to care about enjoying any great taste. The taste is tolerable at best and the edge from the alcohol is less noticeable if served very cold.
Bud Ice tastes very similar to Natural Ice (also an A-B product) and it reminds me of a light beer with a small amount of grain alcohol mixed in. You can quickly feel the effects of Bud Ice, so it could be a useful beer to someone whose goal is to get drunk as soon as possible. But there is very little real beer character in this product. If you like the taste of alcohol, might I suggest skipping the Bud Ice and mixing yourself a good martini. If you like the taste of beer, forget about Bud Ice. There are numerous products on the beer shelf that are more enjoyable than this.
Be sure to Click the Links Below to Read Reviews of Other Anheuser- Busch Products:
Budweiser:
Budweiser
Bud Light
Bud Ice Light
Budweiser Select
Michelob Products:
Michelob
Michelob Light
Michelob Ultra
Michelob Amber Bock
Michelob Black & Tan
Michelob Honey Lager
Michelob Marzen
Michelob Pale Ale
Michelob Pumpkin Spice
Other Anheuser- Busch Beers:
Winter’s Bourbon Cask Ale
Busch
Busch Light
Natural Light
Natural Ice
Anheuser World Select
Recommended:
No
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