Anheuser-Busch's Beer Recipe Change

[Gifted Gourmet]

Ad Age article

SAB Miller is wasting little time in trumpeting rival Anheuser-Busch's admission in yesterday's Wall Street Journal that it has changed the recipe of Budweiser and Bud Light...  August Busch III told hops growers in the Pacific Northwest he intended to increase the proportion of hops used in A-B's beers in order to give the beers more taste after decades of gradually lightening their flavor to adjust to changing consumer tastes...  While brewers tweak their beers all the time, that admission provides significant marketing ammunition for Miller, the No. 2 brewer behind A-B. Miller ran ads in November 2005 saying it detected a "changed" Bud Light, citing increases in bitterness and carbonation.

Think this is a good marketing ploy or a really good taste idea?

[Jim]

The WSJ article is quite interesting in that it notes that AB has, for some time, taken random samples of beer from the production line and frozen them in liquid nitrogen so that they can, in future, sample a "flight" of different "vintages" and taste how the beer has or has not evolved over the years. It also notes that brewers are forever changing their recipe to account for the changes in the key ingredients over time. AB's use of consumer tasting panels has detected an emerging consumer preference for actual beer taste, to which trend AB has apparently responded by adding more bitterness. They've also begun to market beers brewed to emulate some craft beer styles, having noted that while industrial chemical beer sales have fallen, craft beer sales continues to rise.

Maintaining the kind of bland tastelessness Bud and Miller stand for is quite an accomplishment in industrial chemistry. But it's not an example of making good beer.

Those who prefer beer as a lifestyle statement, never mind the (lack of) taste, will be moved by the ensuing exercise in marketing and counter marketing expertise, but at this point, how is in question.

Those who actually like beer won't respond to how these chemical companies market their ersatz wares since they are most likely already not drinking their products. I've not had one of these abominations for years.

[Davydd]

I never drink AB or Miller products unless that is all there is available usually at a social event. If they tweak with more hops then those events will at least be a bit more palatable.

Right now in my friidge this weekend is a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and a Boddington's Pub Ale.

[budrichard]

In the 1960's Consumer Reports actually ran a taste test on beer. Bud was the best of the lot with Miller reported as 'light' and of course that how Miller was marketed, The 'Champagne of bottle beer'and the beer to drink with dinner. Bud was actually a good rice brew with body and hoppy taste. Since then Bud is not even close to what it once was and i have not had a Bud in 20 years maybe. Actually had a new Select or whatever its called and thought that Bud was marketing water. Miller High Life on the other hand has stayed reasonably close to what it once was and is now considered a 'heavy' American beer. That will give you a perspective on how things once were. In fact all over Wisconsin were small breweries where one could get a good solid product at reasonable cost. -Dick

[Mayhaw Man]

Beers, all beers being made over any period of time, have constantly evolved and no matter how hard they try to keep them the same, or affect subtle changes over time, they change. That's the nature of making something that is derived from an agricultural product.

As far as the use of rice goes, the brewers at A-B (disclosure-I worked on some projects with them a few years back and know a number of the master brewers and have, across the board, the highest possible degree of admiration for their skills in this craft) believe that the use of rice gives beer a crispness (read clean finish on the palate) that all malt brews do not have. When one is trying to sell as much beer as possible to as many people as possible, this is an important consideration.

On the other hand, Bud has changed, flavorwise, over the years and I am glad to see that they are going back the other way with it.

I do take minor issue with the term "chemical beers", however. Say what you want, but they make a clean product that has NO additives and NO preservatives. I don't know what the other brewers do, but I can tell you that the raw ingredients that go into the beer are the best of the best. In most cases, not only are they the best, but they are so crazy for quality control that they grow, or have them grown, almost everything in the beer. It's pretty amazing really. A-B is the largest consumer of rice in the US, using over 8% of the entire crop grown in the US.

A-B Facts

[budrichard]

"Beers, all beers being made over any period of time, have constantly evolved and no matter how hard they try to keep them the same, or affect subtle changes over time, they change. That's the nature of making something that is derived from an agricultural product. "

The change to beer over time is in no way related to beer being agricultural product.

The real impetus to changing the methodology and formulation was profit. To increase profits, the beer companies needed to reduce the time of brewing and the amount of ingrediant in the beer. The brewers then left the rest up to advertising and the actually sold 'light beer' and the new formulations. That was the exact cause that folded Schlitz if anyone remembers the brand! They reduced the brewing time and changed the formulation.

When a product changes today, the only reason for the change is profit. You can be sure that the marketing department feels that they can sell the change as something new and important for the consumer with BS. -Dick

[Davydd]

Beer made with rice is not my favorite. Granted Bud might win taste tests, but that is because the vast majority of drinkers simply do not want a heavy beer. They really want carbonated water with a hint of beer taste.

As for beer evolving, I think the craft and micro brewers have pushed the envelope forcing the majors to improve their products. Beer of my youth in the 60s was not as good as what you can get today. There were a lot of short change, foul tasting and stale beers on the shelves back then. Quality control has improved across the board.

[Kent D]

Oh, good, they've determined that their consumer's want a beer with some flavor added!

When I have to buy a A-B product, I look for their Michelob specialty brands like the Pale Ale or Black and Tan. No, it's not a real pale ale or real black and tan, but it tastes okay and if you show up with some at a party, it looks better than walking in with a sixer of Milwaukee's Best. (Although I was at a party with a keg of Milwaukee's Best, and it wasn't that bad for discount beer...)

[Davydd]

Without a doubt most major brands are bland but crisp. I was in line today at the liquor store. The short time I was there the four people ahead of me were buying either Miller Lite and Busch Light. This is not a low income neighborhood. One lady was driving a Lexus and a man was driving a Hummer out of that group. I felt guilty so I just grabbed a Summit Extra Pale Ale 12 pack instead of something a little bit heavier.