Bud Dry
Anheuser-Busch

The late 80’s and early 90’s seems to have been an oddly faddish time for macro brews; almost as many new beers disappeared shortly after they were introduced. A-B’s Bud Dry, like Miller’s Red Dog, is one of the unlikely survivors.

I have only seen Bud Dry for sale in glamorous Worcester, MA by the can in 30-packs for $16. The above pictured bottle may or may not be a vintage piece, but in fact the hilarious late-80’s label itself is still unchanged, and that’s a pity because it is none too pretty. It is a very pale imitation of the classic Budweiser design, with a lot of italicized swoopiness added on to make the can look as though it has been shot out of a gun. The overall look is more appropriate to a trendy soft drink or gent’s shave cream rather than beer.

The beer itself looks just fine, particularly if you’re used to the look of regular Bud, because parked side by side it’s pretty much impossible to tell them apart visually. Same clear pale cheery gold brightness. The scent is also very similar, a very light ‘beer’ smell with an herbal overlay, not at all unpleasant.

The flavor is similar as well, but here the differences are easier to detect. Both have a light maltiness, but Bud Dry has an even lighter hop top note and as its name suggests, is drier. The flash of juiciness you get in Bud is alas absent here; but in its place is a straight rice note, ending with an immaculate finish. The Bud texture is still there though, lively but not overdone, making for practically limitless potability.

All the other Buds in A-B’s lineup are a fairly stiff $21 for a 30-pack, making Bud Dry a welcome relief to the Rumpole budget; one wonders why they didn’t market it as Busch Dry. No matter; one can get much of the Bud goodness here and save almost a quarter to boot. Some may even prefer the leaner taste that comes with the leaner price. A-B is coy about the abv for this, unlike for regular Bud, where it’s right on the label; it might not be a full 5%, but I’d be surprised if it were any slower than Busch’s 4.6%. On the whole, a nice find for those who like Budweiser but can’t quite make a regular habit of spending the full amount for the original.

This was one of my cheaper go-to beers back around the time I bought my first house and was on a tighter budget.
One of the few Budweiser products I would buy on a regular basis, the little increase in hops and the dry finish was appealing.
It’s a shame they got rid of it.

 

 

This beer finished "dry", which of course was the whole point. Smooth and easy to drink. 6% Not a bad taste by '90's standards. I'd like to see it come back. I'd try it again.

 

It was a lighter version of another kind of beer that I tried once. It was drinking beer. I remember when it was popular, cheap and your friends would bring it around.

 

Remember the "dry beer" craze of the mid-90's? If you don't you didn't miss much. I knew a few folks, however, who loved this stuff. Can't explain why.

 

 

 

 

 

Yellow pour with a 1/4" white head full of tiny bubbles. Aroma was like nothing.

Super watery, I thought this was Bud Dry? Nothing in terms of discernable hopping, malt, beechwood nonsense. There isn't much substance to this, still prolly some rice and corn adjunct to lighten the malt bill, super carbonated mineral water stuff.