First of all, let me be perfectly clear…this is NOT a Craft
Beer. This is a curiosity. This is an attempt from a Mega-Brewery to remain
somewhat relevant in the Specialty Beer Market. That said, the question begs to
be asked…is there a place for Project 12 in the brewing landscape? I know that
I’m not committing huge resources to it. I only purchased one bottle, choosing
instead to stay away from a six-pack investment. Who knows, maybe it won’t be
bad. In addition to the brew, I’m going try to give a little background on the
project itself. In the end though, YOU be the judge. It only matters if you,
the consumer, like it. Let’s take a look at this brew.
THE BEER:
From the Website…
Budweiser Batch No. 23185 (Williamsburg, Va.):
A bourbon cask lager with 5.5 percent ABV.
The beer is brewed by Daniel Westmoreland from the
Williamsburg, Va. brewery and was developed in collaboration with brewmasters
Mike Anderson in Jacksonville, Fla. and Dan Kahn in Cartersville, Ga.
“We took staves from fresh bourbon barrels and we aged the
beer on those staves and spiced it with a hint of vanilla,” said Westmoreland,
who has been a Budweiser brewmaster for more than 30 years. “It’s an all-malt brew, and it has a
perfect color that is similar to the color of bourbon itself. Batch No. 23185
has a nice vanilla aroma with a little oakiness on the end – it’s a great
beer.”
THE STATS:
ABV: 5.5%
THE BREWERY:
Budweiser, an American-style lager, was introduced in 1876
when company founder Adolphus Busch set out to create the United States’ first
truly national beer brand – brewed to be universally popular and transcend
regional tastes. Each batch of Budweiser follows the same family recipe used by
five generations of Busch family brewmasters. Budweiser is a medium-bodied, flavorful, crisp and pure beer
with blended layers of premium American and European hop aromas, brewed for the
perfect balance of flavor and refreshment. Budweiser is made using time-honored methods including
“kraeusening” for natural carbonation and Beechwood aging, which results in
unparalleled balance and character.
The brand celebrates great times and has used the phrase “Grab Some
Buds” in advertising since 2010.
THE PROJECT:
“Project 12” started in the early spring when Budweiser’s 12
brewmasters across America were asked to write a unique beer recipe worthy of
the Budweiser name. After internal discussion and debate, six of the recipes
were chosen to be brewed in small batches. Now, after a summer-long nationwide
sampling effort involving thousands of consumers at dozens of events, U.S. beer
drinkers have provided feedback, which helped Budweiser decide which three
beers would be available for sale in a limited-edition sampler pack this fall.
The “winning” recipes, named for the ZIP Code in which the
beer was originally brewed, are from brewmasters at the Budweiser breweries in
Los Angeles, St. Louis and Williamsburg, Va.
Tens of thousands of consumers tasted and gave feedback
about the Project 12 beers. This included approximately 10,000 festival- goers
to the Budweiser Made in America music festival in Philadelphia over Labor Day
weekend, where Budweiser’s 12 U.S. brewmasters personally sampled the beers and
asked for feedback. At other sampling events throughout the United States,
brand ambassadors asked consumers to describe the taste, freshness, style and
flavor of the six Project 12 beers, and to choose their favorites. Consumers
also were able to enter feedback onsite via iPad stations.
“We’ve never done anything like this before,” said Rob
McCarthy, vice president of Budweiser. “With all this feedback from consumers,
I guess you can call this the largest focus group in Budweiser history, maybe
even beer history. There really were no winners or losers with Project 12, but
we wound up with three great beers that slightly edged out the others. It certainly wasn’t an easy choice.
Best of all, we listened to what our beer drinkers told us and we let them help
us make the decision about what to bring to stores.”
The limited edition sampler pack, available for sale
starting on Oct. 29, is a 12-bottle package containing four each of the special
“ZIP Code” beers.
Budweiser will continue to request feedback from beer
drinkers on these three beers. Via a QR code on the package, as well as an
in-pack flighting sheet, the brand is asking consumers their opinions of these
three new Budweiser-inspired beers. The flighting sheet also includes tasting
notes and details about each beer for in-home tastings.
While not available in the fall sampler pack, the Project 12
beers developed in Baldwinsville, N.Y.; Columbus, Ohio; and Fort Collins, Colo.
also received favorable feedback from consumers, creating a task for the team responsible
for paring the six Project 12 beers to three.
All the beers developed for Project 12 pay homage to
Budweiser’s clean and crisp taste by using the proprietary yeast directly
descended from the original Budweiser yeast culture used by Adolphus Busch in
1876. The yeast is still used by Budweiser today.
“Budweiser is an exacting style of beer to brew,” said Peter
Kraemer, a fifth-generation brewmaster who leads Anheuser-Busch’s brewing
operations in North America. “Our brewmasters are responsible for one of the
world’s most technically challenging beers and are able to make a high-quality
beer that is consistent all over the United States and the world. Project 12
was a way for our world-class brewmasters to have fun experimenting with new
ingredients, flavors and brewing processes to bring beer lovers some new
options inspired by our flagship beer.”
Anheuser-Busch’s commitment to quality and its spirit of
innovation have been defining characteristics of the company since its
beginning. This passion helped the
company expand from a local St. Louis brewery to a leader in the industry. Today, Budweiser’s recipe for success
brings together its proud heritage and talented teams to brew, package and sell
some of the most popular beers in the world.
THE WEBSITE:
THE REVIEW:
Here’s the deal…it really wasn’t that bad. But it also
wasn’t that good. The pour was fine, but the head was weak and unassuming.
There’s too much carbonation, and you still get that metallic aftertaste that
Budweiser is well known for. You HAVE to drink it cold. Please do not let this
one sit. It gets bitter when it warms up. Wow, I don’t know what to say. It
just wasn’t for me. You could not taste any flavor, and for what I was looking
for, it sorely disappointed. That said; if you’re new to Specialty Beers, give
it a shot. It IS better than your average Bud, so it’s probably a good place to
start.
THE RATING:
4.5/10 – A good place to start
PROJECT 12
