Budweiser Beer: Better with Baseball than Bach
Written: Oct 02 '00 (Updated Oct 05 '00)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Dependable American Beer; Nothing More
Cons: Dependable American Beer; Nothing More
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| Horswispr's Full Review: Budweiser |
You made the game-saving catch, an over-the-shoulder grab on the dead run, before slamming into the fence. At the plate, you'd gone 3 for 5, with 4 RBIs. A solid game. You line up to high five the opposing guys and a few say "Nice D, left." It's an 80 degree humid evening with no wind somewhere in Iowa or Indiana. Salty sweat is streaming down your face. You pick up your TPS bag and there is your wife with the cooler, opening it even as you approach. She hands you the bottle, the sweat beading up as you take it. Hugging your wife, you can't wait for your first sip of
GUINNESS???
Sorry.
Guinness might be fine for some Euro-poet contemplating Nietzche or Goethe on a train heading into a tunnel while some dramatic-looking Italian model tries not to notice.
Or for some guy in a pub with the time and inclination to stare into the foam on his beer.
But tonight you're an American guy with a sweaty uniform who wants a sweaty bottle of real American Beer.
Among mainstream American beers, I used to think it didn't really matter that much which one you drank, especially when I was hot and thirsty. But after some bad experiences with skunky MGD, Molson, and even Henry Weinhard's, I have changed my tune somewhat. I have found Budweiser to be remarkably consistent, and the taste isn't really that bad. There's a hint of bitterness, which I choose to interpret as flavor, and the finish is smooth and clean. There's even a tiny bit of sweetness to the taste, if you keep Bud on your tongue long enough to notice. Horrible though it sounds, Bud complements Skoal Longcut Green rather nicely, especially after a game, when the traditional lies and fishtales are told.
I have also, over the past 20 years, conducted what I will call a "controlled experiment" with a rather large sample size concerning cheap American beers. In all those years, I have NEVER encountered a skunky Budweiser. As mentioned, I HAVE had an occasional bad-tasting beer from other mainstream manufacturers, including Miller (maybe it's the clear bottle) and Henry's. Canadian beers (e.g., Molson) are notorious for being skunky by the time they reach us here in the States. Coors and Coors Light are, like Budweiser, consistent (never skunky), but I have a hard time detecting ANY flavor in those two.
OK OK, I’m not really one of those guys who wears cologne so manly it comes in hairy bottles. Give me Guinness when I want to sit with friends and discuss Matthew Arnold's use of meter in Dover Beach or Bach's use of descending chromaticism to express pathos in his Cantatas. This glorious Stout demands good conversation and the time to savor its complex flavors. Give me Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout when I want something sweeter and slightly less bitter than Guinness. Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout is my favorite beer in the world, though it is harder to find than Guinness. And give me Anchor Steam when I want something lighter than a Stout but still with character.
But after a game, or in front of the tube, I admit it: I'll still take a Bud.
Recommended:
Yes
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