E-Malt.com News article: USA: Budweiser to release a limited-edition sampler pack this fall

Six small-batch Budweiser beers, named after the ZIP codes of the Anheuser-Busch breweries that created them, will be part of a summer-long, nationwide sampling effort, the company announced on July, 19.

Twelve Anheuser-Busch brewmasters at Budweiser's 12 geographically dispersed breweries created their own "tribute" beers for the Budweiser brand. "Project 12" pays homage to Budweiser by using the proprietary yeast directly descended from the original Budweiser yeast culture used by Adolphus Busch in 1876 and still used by Budweiser today.

Through internal tasting and analysis, the 12 small-batch beers-each a lager using all-natural ingredients-were pared to six to take part in the sampling effort. Consumer feedback will help Budweiser narrow the six beers to three for inclusion in a limited-edition sampler pack, available for purchase this fall.

"We asked our Budweiser brewmasters to each submit a beer idea in styles that consumers have shown interest in," said Rob McCarthy, vice president of Budweiser. "From those 12 ideas, we narrowed it to the six best. Our brewmasters have been working in small teams this spring and early summer to perfect these six and now it's time for consumers to let us know what they think."

"The key to this project was the common yeast, which is a very important and often under-appreciated contributor to the flavor and aroma of beer," said Jane Killebrew-Galeski, director of brewing, quality and innovation for A-B. "We are proud of all these beers - the variety and the quality - but we want consumer feedback. So, we're looking forward to what we hear when we sample this summer. Our objective is to allow our brewmasters to show some creativity, but the beers must fit the hallmarks the Budweiser brand is respected for, such as quality and consistency, and have a very crisp and clean taste."

Based in St. Louis, A-B brews Budweiser and Bud Light, among other brands. The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Belgium - based Anheuser-Busch InBev.


25 July, 2012