"Day Fresh" Bud

[pete ganz]

I've been hearing radio ads for this lately. Supposedly in stores the same day it's bottled. Anyone tried it yet?

[Mayhaw Man]

I suppose it's possible if you live in the right place that they could do this. There would be the problem of running it through a wholesaler (which, at least on paper, they have to do) before delivery to retail outlets.

I don't know about day old, but I can tell you that unpasteurized Bud out of the conditioning tank at a brewery (I have had it in both LA and St Louis) is a sublime experience. If they could get THAT stuff out quickly it would be worth the trouble.

[pete ganz]

Yeah, my guess is that if they could pull it off, it would be noticeably better. However, the logistics of that seem impossible.

[NeroW]

What? Where can you get it?

[Mayhaw Man]

You know, come to think of it AB was advertising day old Bud at the Superdome for Saints games this year. I didn't think much about it, but it entirely possible as the brewery in Houston is only a few hours from here and I guess St Louis would not be much farther. Seems like they could do it pretty easily with draft, I think bottles might be a bit more problematic.

[beans]

It seems to be a promotional deal. So far it has happened once in Cleveland.

AB did this for opening day for the Cleveland Browns Stadium for opening day last football season (I believe Browns vs. Colts). It brewed that morning at the nearest Bud brewery, I think in the Akron area, and delivered to the stadium in time for the game. Kegs, not bottles.

[jsolomon]

I must be exceedingly strange. I had some year + old Bud a while ago and decided that the stuff actually improved quite a bit with age. Most of the Bud I drink tastes like green (green = young) beer.

[mongo_jones]

i once left an opened bottle of bud out for a day. it was horrible. i take it this isn't what they're talking about.

[tommy]

Seems like they could do it pretty easily with draft, I think bottles might be a bit more problematic.

day old bud through 40 feet of 8 year old lines. mmmmmmm.

[NeroW]

i once left an opened bottle of bud out for a day. it was horrible. i take it this isn't what they're talking about.

You drank it!

[Mayhaw Man]

Seems like they could do it pretty easily with draft, I think bottles might be a bit more problematic.

day old bud through 40 feet of 8 year old lines. mmmmmmm.

Nah, the serving setup for this in the dome (I didn't drink any, but I am a beer guy by trade and check this stuff out like restaurant guys check out stoves and salamanders) was being served out of draft boxes and the lines are all of two feet long and the Dome require them to be cleaned once a week (which is a real pain in the ass, frankly, as I used to have to do it for Abita because the delivery guys couldn't do it because it took too much time out of their day. The Dome is very big and cleaning 6 draft boxes took a couple of hours because of all of the walking. It did give me the opportunity to take advantage and go enjoy a debris po boy at Mother's if I timed the cleaning job right ).

[mongo_jones]

Seems like they could do it pretty easily with draft, I think bottles might be a bit more problematic.

day old bud through 40 feet of 8 year old lines. mmmmmmm.

Nah, the serving setup for this in the dome (I didn't drink any, but I am a beer guy by trade and check this stuff out like restaurant guys check out stoves and salamanders) was being served out of draft boxes and the lines are all of two feet long and the Dome require them to be cleaned once a week (which is a real pain in the ass, frankly, as I used to have to do it for Abita because the delivery guys couldn't do it because it took too much time out of their day. The Dome is very big and cleaning 6 draft boxes took a couple of hours because of all of the walking. It did give me the opportunity to take advantage and go enjoy a debris po boy at Mother's if I timed the cleaning job right ).

speaking of abita, mayhaw man, can you do something about getting some of it here to colorado?

[beans]

Some more on this.

The world's largest brewer announced the promotion this week, tapping April as "Freshness Month." As part of the effort, the St. Louis-based company said trucks will pick up Budweiser and Bud Light packaged that morning at Anheuser-Busch breweries, then deliver it to wholesalers to hustle to certain eateries and retailers for sale to consumers those evenings.

Last Thursday's AP article from the Kansas City Star here.

Perhaps coming to place near you?

Cheers!

[Mayhaw Man]

speaking of abita, mayhaw man, can you do something about getting some of it here to colorado?

I believe that this request would be a text book example of "hauling coals to Newcastle".

Colorado has more breweries per capita than any state inthe country. There is good beer falling out of the trees and flowing in streams there (although Coors got in trouble for the streams thing, I thought that it didn't sound too bad-but it is apparently hard on the trout).

[paul o' vendange]

I must be exceedingly strange.  I had some year + old Bud a while ago and decided that the stuff actually improved quite a bit with age.  Most of the Bud I drink tastes like green (green = young) beer.

The "green" character is probably due to acetaldehyde. Though Bud denies it, the beer has long been associated with beyond-threshold levels of the compound; it is quite often present in krausened beers, which if I'm not mistaken Bud is. It has a "green apple" aroma and mild taste, in minor quantities.

As to the "day old - fresh" idea: water is indeed fresh after a day.

Doh!

(Sorry, couldn't resist - my glasses are craft-ale colored)...

Paul

[Mayhaw Man]

I must be exceedingly strange.  I had some year + old Bud a while ago and decided that the stuff actually improved quite a bit with age.  Most of the Bud I drink tastes like green (green = young) beer.

The "green" character is probably due to acetaldehyde. Though Bud denies it, the beer has long been associated with beyond-threshold levels of the compound; it is quite often present in krausened beers, which if I'm not mistaken Bud is. It has a "green apple" aroma and mild taste, in minor quantities.

As to the "day old - fresh" idea: water is indeed fresh after a day.

Doh!

(Sorry, couldn't resist - my glasses are craft-ale colored)...

Paul

Bud is indeed krausened. The flavor profile of fruitiness is considered to be a desirable part of the product. The other part of the flavor profile of what most people consider as green beer is diacetyl ( flavor often described as buttery), which is pretty much non existant in all A.B. products, as they spend a fortune on both tasting and gas chromatograph testing of each batch of product..

[paul o' vendange]

No question, Bud's QC is bar none the finest in the world.

It occurs to I've never really thought of diacetyl as a "green component," in the same way I've thought of acetaldehyde as "green" - acetaldehyde being a precursor to EToH, and diacetyl and VDK/diacetyl being chains of other reactions, but I can see why it would be considered so - produced as it usually is by inadequate crash cooling and lagering regimens (esp. among ales). Actually, I have rarely found diacetyl in any lager save spoiled ones; I am more apt to find sulfur (again, absent an incomplete conditioning regimen) as typical lager yeasts produce a tremendous amount of sulfurous by-products.

As with all things, what is anathema to some folks is a plus to others. In most of my brewery experience, VDK/diacetyl has been considered an absolute curse, indicative of poor cellarmanship and "dirty" ale. I personally enjoy a touch in the ales I brew - a richer, rounder complexity, esp. among my strong ales. Just a touch, though, e.g., I consider Redhook to be too much a "butter beer." C'est la vie.

Sorry to hijack the thread - interesting discussion, though, Mayhaw.

Paul

[Mayhaw Man]

Bud's aging in the secondary stage (completely fermented but off of the yeast, mostly) is done under pressure (roughly 5 psi) and the beer is allowed to rest at a slightly rising temp from regular fermentation temps. This virtually eliminates all hint of detectable diacetyl in the products. It also allows for a fair amount of natural carbonation to develop in the beer, meaning that the potential for a nice, creamy, small bubble head is increased.

No matter what your taste preferences are, I will stand on a beer box at St. James Gate or in Burton on Trent and scream at the top of my lungs that, technically, Bud is probably the most consistantly made beer in the world. When you spend any time in the brewing culture there (this is completely seperate from any mass marketing annoyance that takes away from beer lover enjoyment) you start to realise that the people who make the stuff care about what they make almost to the point of obsession, and that obsession starts in St Louis at the desk of the big cheese and heads on down all the way through the brewers, cellermen, and packaging guys. They are crazy for doing it right. It is pretty admirable, in my opinion.

It never was my favorite quaff, but at least you know what you are going to get from bottle to bottle.

The ads for the day old beer running here on local radio explain the whole delivery process and it seems doable, if not a little silly.

[clothier]

Great. Thanks for bringing up a new topic for me to start obessing about.

[paul o' vendange]

Mayhaw, mostly 100% agreed. Bud has an amazing amount of care in what they do, and a regimen to back it up (and, with Miller, has had a lot to do with the leading edge of brewing in this country, as with Miller's dedication to producing light/skunk resistant isohumulone and hop products). By my taste, just wish it were devoted to something of what I would feel to be deeper character and flavor, but each to their own.

A minor quibble - I have never understood nor have I bought the argument of a "finer" bubble of C02 by any process. CO2 of a given purity is just that - C02. No method of artificial or natural carbonation can alter that. In solution, it is not a bubble. Out of solution, as induced by the cap popped off, or tap drawn, it will have the same physicality regardless of the method used to put it there. The things which alter the bubble size have to do with the length the bubble travels to the surface (or the length of run on the beer line), or the serving temp, rather than the manner in which the CO2 is introduced. I have found "creaminess" in lower CO2-volume beers, or, of course, nitro pours, but have never detected any difference between beers of like CO2 volume, regardless of the method.

My thunks.

Paul

Edited April 12, 2004 by paul o' vendange (log)

[mongo_jones]

speaking of abita, mayhaw man, can you do something about getting some of it here to colorado?

I believe that this request would be a text book example of "hauling coals to Newcastle".

Colorado has more breweries per capita than any state inthe country. There is good beer falling out of the trees and flowing in streams there (although Coors got in trouble for the streams thing, I thought that it didn't sound too bad-but it is apparently hard on the trout).

completely forgot that i'd asked a question in this thread--yes, colorado has many fine breweries, and boulder has its fair share of great brews, but i did like the abita amber ale (i think that's what it was) i had in new orleans a couple of years ago and have unsuccessfully looked for it since. is it sold outside louisiana at all?

[Mayhaw Man]

Abita Amber is a lager. I oughta know. I was the brewmaster there for a very long time.

Yes, they are sold outside of Louisiana. Colorado-I don't know. I will find out for you though.

[Rick Cook]

I've been drinking Andygator on tap at Stuffed Sandwich (San Gabriel, CA) for the past few weeks. Sam's always good for putting on the odd something that can't be had anywhere else locally.

Rick

[srhcb]

This looks more like the work of the Marketing Department than the Brew Master.

There's one born every minute, and there have been a lot of minutes.

But, enjoy!

[wnissen]

I dunno, the only time I've had Bud that tasted good was at the brewery in Fairfield, CA. Presumably this requires a trinity of clean lines, correct temperature, and very fresh Bud, but I liked it. It tasted sort of like Henry Weinhard's Pale Ale, and lacked the usual offputting tastes I find in canned or bottled Bud that has sat on the shelf in a store. If I saw Day-Fresh Bud advertised, I'd try it.

Walt