The Brew Site
Way back in 2006, I originally published The Beer Hacker: Best of the cheap beers? which has since become one of the most-viewed pages on the site. The premise is this: I examined website ratings data to determine the best of the inexpensive, macro-brewed beers on the market. The beers … Continue reading
In this era of craft beer it’s not too often that American macro beers are highlighted, and it’s definitely outré to serve them up in a beer bar—but Bend’s Platypus Pub is having some fun and doing just that, with their “Heritage Brew Fest” taking place tonight starting at 6pm. … Continue reading
Milwaukee’s Best is (anecdotally) a decent beer in the American Macro style, better than many of the others. Unfortunately I didn’t get a hold of any to review this week; it’s only sold (at minimum) by the half-case and I was only buying singles. On the other hand, Milwaukee’s Best … Continue reading
The inclusion of Corona (a Mexican beer) might seem strange for a week about American Macro Lagers, but I contend (or at least suspect) that more Corona is actually sold/drank in the United States than in Mexico. Indeed, I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s targeted for the U.S. market directly; … Continue reading
Bud Light Lime is Anheuser-Busch‘s answer to Miller Chill. Unlike Miller, who claims their Chill is brewed with limes and salt, Bud Light Lime is only stated to have "natural lime flavor." It’s 4.2% alcohol by volume, and (to ruin the surprise) rates higher than Miller Chill on the rating … Continue reading
A revisitation of the American Macro genre wouldn’t be complete without checking out the so-called "chelada" beers being offered. Miller Chill was one of the first in this category, and is brewed with lime and salt. Or it’s at least blended with lime and salt; I’m not entirely sure how … Continue reading
Bud Ice is, of course, the "ice beer" offering from Anheuser-Busch. A-B claims that it’s the first (American) draft beer to be "ice brewed", which I’m not really in a position to verify thoroughly; they claim it was introduced in 1984 which seems early enough to be plausible. This beer … Continue reading
Landshark Lager has an interesting pedigree, and probably one I’ll bet you didn’t think you’d see reviewed under the "Macro" category. Not so. Even though it’s marketed by Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville franchise, the beer itself is brewed by—you guessed it—Anheuser-Busch and is in fact brewed to the "American Macro" style. … Continue reading
I’m probably reviewing Anheuser-Busch‘s "Natural" series backwards; yesterday I reviewed Natural Ice and tonight it’s Natural Light., which was introduced first back in 1977. Oh well. Natural Light is pretty typical for the "light" beer category; it only comes in at 4.2% alcohol by volume, and, well, I picked up … Continue reading
Natural Ice is a relative newcomer to the Anheuser-Busch family, introduced in 1995. (Natural Light was introduced in 1977.) Along with the Busch line, the "Natural" beers are part of A-B’s "value priced" category—also called "subpremium-priced." The beer is 5.9% alcohol by volume (which seems to be the trend among … Continue reading