Busch Ice
Anheuser-Busch

Busch IceBusch Ice
Beer Geek Stats | Print Shelf Talker
From:
Anheuser-Busch
 
Missouri, United States
Style:
American Adjunct Lager
Ranked #311
ABV:
5.9%
Score:
48
Ranked #28,555
Avg:
1.87 | pDev: 43.85%
Reviews:
92
Ratings:
368
Status:
Active
Rated:
Jan 08, 2024
Added:
Apr 25, 2002
Wants:
  12
Gots:
  45
Busch Ice is a smooth-tasting ice beer. It is brewed with a blend of premium American-grown and imported hops and a combination of malt and corn to provide a pleasant balanced flavor.
View: More Beers
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by robgutie:
Photo of robgutie
Rated by robgutie from Illinois

1.5/5  rDev -19.8%
look: 1.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1.5

May 25, 2015
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 5 by SRV from Oklahoma

Jan 08, 2024
Photo of JZH1000
Reviewed by JZH1000 from Colorado

1.45/5  rDev -22.5%
look: 3.25 | smell: 1.25 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1 | overall: 1.25
Poured from a 16oz can.

On the pour 2 fingers of bone white head formed on top of a clear golden straw body. He'd retention is better than expected.

Aroma is generic beer with extra alcohol and a whole lot of acetaldehyde. Smells like the divyest dive.

Taste is super light, even more so than bud ice or natty ice. Slight cheap beer flavor, a light hint of malt, topped off by that green apple acetaldehyde. Watery.

The feel is light and watery, but still implies a heaviness through a sickness, and what I can only describe as heavy vapors being left on the palate. At least you can drink it fast.

Overall don't buy this unless it's incredibly cheap. I overpaid at 8.99 for a six pack of 16oz cans. I mostly got it because you never see it in Colorado and I wanted to review it. Not directly wrong but the cheapness is extremely obvious. Tastes like hurricane light malt liquor if that abomination was actually a thing.
Sep 26, 2023
Photo of Death_Adder
Reviewed by Death_Adder from South Carolina

5/5  rDev +167.4%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
Before I started my beer reviews earlier this year, I had somewhat tongue-in-cheek declared Busch Ice as my favorite beer, but Busch Ice being an excellent beer is no joke. The price, the flavor, the drinkability, the abv, heck even the way the can looks, I love everything about this beer. One of my all time favorites.

Style: Ice Lager | Tap/Can/Bottle: Can | Abv: 5.9% | Rating: 5
Sep 13, 2023
Photo of jeremyb8
Reviewed by jeremyb8 from Kentucky

3.1/5  rDev +65.8%
look: 2.25 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25
When enjoying a beer it’s important to take price into account. This is not an outstanding beer—far from it. But it provides a decent amount of alcohol for a mainstream lager. It smells like alcohol and green apples. The taste is crisp, but bland. Mostly cereal grains with a faint hint of hops. Aftertaste brings back that ethanol theme.

This is a beer to enjoy while getting buzzed or drunk, and nothing more. It does what it’s supposed to do.
Apr 25, 2023
 
Rated: 1 by fthegiants from California

Feb 17, 2023
Photo of Scrapss
Reviewed by Scrapss from Pennsylvania

3.16/5  rDev +69%
look: 3.75 | smell: 2 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Poured into a tulip (which was a mistake, keep reading...) from deep chill fridge. Can form factor.

A: Very clear pale straw yellow. 2 mm stark white head shrinks to a thin ring and slight lacing.

S: typical cheap vomitous AAL hops with a swish of banana ester in the background. Not the strong point and the tulip concentrated it. Eww.

T: actually not as gross as nose. Keep it cold. Use a koozie. If you do not do this it gets a little chalky as it warms. Corn flakes. Grainy. Slight hint of less than Carapils malt notes. Hops are slight and maybe on the mildly earthy and a were tiny hint of herbal note that peeks at warmer temps. Nothing too egregious but nothing too exciting.

M: creamy medium body that leaves some slick mouthfeel behind. Nothing harsh at edge of tongue. Very slight chalkiness at warmer temps.

O: I got this for an aggregate price of 55 cents a can, and 5.9% ABV. If I cut this with 50% water I get a beer equivalent to Miller64 for about 27 cents per 12 oz beer equivalent. I can't touch Miller64 for that price and any other beer in this range is far worse vomitious walrus piss. It has merit in this sense, but not much else.
Jan 04, 2023
Photo of brewme
Reviewed by brewme from Massachusetts

2/5  rDev +7%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2
Had that one time at a party back in the day. I have had a wicked lot of beers from these guys, most of which are not at all good whatsoever, this included.
Dec 31, 2022
 
Rated: 1.27 by Beergod420 from Michigan

Nov 06, 2022
Photo of MikeWard
Reviewed by MikeWard from Pennsylvania

2.18/5  rDev +16.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 2.25 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.25
25oz can into a tall glass. My guess is it was canned sometime in March 2022, but that's only a guess.

Looks very nice in a tall thin glass. Crystal clear pale golden yellow body. Big bright white head shrinks to a ring and covering, excellent lacing.

Unfortunately, it smells like floral vomit.

The taste is smooth, slightly sweet and malty, clean. But it is also very thin and very watery with no real taste.

Mouth between thin and medium, finish watery and a little drying.

Overall, after the look, this beer falls off a cliff. At least it was only 3 bucks.
Oct 23, 2022
Photo of MarkieT
Reviewed by MarkieT from Kentucky

3.43/5  rDev +83.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
It's not the greatest beer in the world for sure, but if you just finished mowing the yard, it hits the spot or if you're short on the green then it's the perfest brew. At $5.50 a six-pack 16 ounces I'll take this over the hi-faluten'-over-priced craft beer every day.
Aug 13, 2022
Photo of gvickery
Reviewed by gvickery from Texas

3/5  rDev +60.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
It’s definitely not awful. It’s not great or mind blowing but it’s a decent tasting lager that’s also really cheap.
It’s very light straw, clear, decent white head with surprisingly good retention.
Smell is sweet malt and mineral water, a hint of sulfur.
Tastes semisweet with a tart finish, not exactly sour but tart. There’s a slightly sour aftertaste that I actually enjoyed. This sample is from a 16 oz can.
I can’t say this would be my go-to beer but at $5.79 for a sixer of pints it’s for sure a good value for those on a budget. (I’ve been there before).
The finish is crisp and semi dry.
It also makes good michelada’s if you’re into those. There’s absolutely nothing better after you’ve been out working in some really hot weather. (Start with 1 part Clamato and 2 parts beer. Add Tabasco, lime, tajin, even some orange juice. It doesn’t have to be precise. Enjoy
Jul 22, 2022
Photo of NeroFiddled
Reviewed by NeroFiddled from Pennsylvania

3.34/5  rDev +78.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.25
Anheuser-Busch "Busch Ice"
25 fl. oz. can coded "22102 WA1009". Sampled on 7 May 2022
$1.79 @ Carool's Discount Liquor, Merchantville, NJ

Notes via stream of consciousness: It's a good thing I bought "THE BIG ONE" seeing as how this is rated "Awful" on beeradvocate. Ehh, it was only $1.79 and I got to get 'the eye' for going into a store in Camden, NJ that I damned well knew I shouldn't be in. (I know, I know, it's technically Merchantville - I can't figure out how that's possible - but it's a block away from what's technically Camden). What can I say, I like the weirdo beers and malt liquors! It's poured a clear straw gold body beneath a finger's width of white foam. The head seems to be holding pretty well so it seems pretty good so far. The aroma is limited to a generic but clearly adjunct-enhanced beer. There are no real hops, just a smear in the background. On the upside it's clean, but this isn't a malt liquor, it's just 5.9% ABV so I wouldn't expect anything weird. On to the taste... it follows the aroma which is a good thing in that it's clean, but bad in that it's fairly boring; t here is a little bit of an apple-like fruitiness to it though. It's lightly sweetish and thus nicely balanced by a moderate bitterness and generic background hoppiness. The alcohol never shows but then again at 5.9% it shouldn't, although it is possible, I assure you. It finishes mainly dry with a very short lingering finish. It's basically the same beer from start to finish except that you get a little more malt upfront and the apple doesn't step in until mid-palate. I've had worse European light lagers that have had more character to them but weren't nearly as well made, and then there's the beers from the Baltic region and Russia that honestly seem like they've been brewed with anti-freeze. Of course in parts of Russia that could be a selling point - 'Whatever Beer - Keeps You From Freezing!". So we're basically done here. In the mouth it's medium on the lighter side, and gently crisp-then-smooth.
May 08, 2022
 
Rated: 3.08 by AmitC from New York

Mar 14, 2022
 
Rated: 1.25 by mpenske from California

Feb 21, 2022
 
Rated: 1.75 by smcel371 from New York

Dec 31, 2021
Photo of GreesyFizeek
Reviewed by GreesyFizeek from New York

2.38/5  rDev +27.3%
look: 2.25 | smell: 2.25 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.25
This one pours a watery looking golden yellow color, with a small head, and lots of lacing.

This smells like sweet corn and grassiness, and not much else.

This is certainly NOT good, but it's honestly not as a bad as I thought it could be. It's not as skunky as it could be, with just very little flavor to it overall - a mild sweetness and a decent crispness on the back end is about all I get.

This is light bodied, mostly clean, and very watery.

I expected this to be dumpster juice, but it's basically slightly sweet water that tastes like it's been left out for a while.
Aug 16, 2021
Photo of chum_husk
Reviewed by chum_husk from Minnesota

2.15/5  rDev +15%
look: 2.25 | smell: 2.25 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.25 | overall: 2.25
12oz can - review from notes

This is like regular busch lite, but with a shot of rotgut poured in. And you aren't getting much more ABV for how much worse this tastes

Rusty headache water
Jul 31, 2021
 
Rated: 3.31 by Skywave from Oklahoma

Jul 23, 2021
Photo of Tony787
Reviewed by Tony787 from Canada (ON)

1.56/5  rDev -16.6%
look: 1.5 | smell: 1.75 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1.5
I bought a can from the beerstore in Ontario 473ml at 5.5%.
my can was brewed by labatt brewing company in Canada.
it poured a 1finger head into glass that quickly evaporated and left a little lace but the taste was skunky not that enjoyable to me medium bitterness very slow carbonation.
maybe the one brewed in the states is better but this is awful I must say .
cheers.
Jun 07, 2021
Busch Ice from Anheuser-Busch
Beer rating: 48 out of 100 with 368 ratings