Macro Lagers: Refreshing when cold, but what am I missing?

I can't believe that threads like this are still around in 2016.

Just drink whatever the f*** you please and stop ridiculing others for their choices.

I'm speaking in general. Perhaps my troll detector is a little too good.

 

The last time I had regular Budweiser, the most noticeable flavor (maybe only noticeable flavor? it's the only thing that really stands out in my memory, at least) was something I could only describe as "apple-y." Probably a yeast-based thing, as I know I've read before that the yeast Anheuser-Busch uses tends to throw off apple-ish flavors... which is apparently unusual for a lager yeast.

 

I truly don't get it. Do you like Bud or no? Amd what are you saying, people who like it, you dont understand why? Its not clear.

 

You are tasting what it should be.
When people refer to that as garbage, they are just trying to act beerier than thou.

 

What you posted there is indeed true. The AB lager yeast strain does produce a ester which provides a subtle apple flavor.

Cheers!

 

Bud is a contemporary American Adjunct Lager (AAL) and it is brewed to be very light in color, very light in body and very light in flavor. These are qualities that are desired by the majority of beer drinkers worldwide.

Bud is not a Pilsner or Pilsner-like beer.

An AAL beer does not have to be very light in flavor. AAL beers brewed circa 1900 (what homebrewers refer to as Classic American Pilsners) were flavorful beers. Maybe someday Pabst will brew a genuine reconstruction of a Pabst Blue Ribbon beer as it was brewed circa 1900. Maybe they will brand that beer as Heritage PBR.

Cheers!

 

Don't compare it your favorite IPA. They're fine ice cold, not complicated, easy to drink that's it, it's why sometimes they're a perfect choice. I have some great beers hanging around this weekend, but I also have a few pounders of Narragansett in the fridge too. If it's refreshing with no off flavors and you enjoyed it the beer did its job.

 

I've noticed an overall shift to lighter flavors generally in recent years, particularly with diet soft drinks. My taste stream has been flowing the opposite direction but I wouldn't presume to criticize the choices of others just because they disagreed with me.

I do not care for Bud or similar AB products because I don't like a slight under/aftertaste they share which I believe is due to a common yeast strain. I didn't read that, or hear it, rather I learned it on my own by tasting those beers with an uncritical approach. By tasting (preferably blind) with a minimum of preconceptions going in I find the beer yields up more flavor elements than I believe I would've found had I only been looking for defects.

 

It would appear that you have a differing viewpoint than @lordofthemark who previously posted:

"See I was looking for delicate flavors in my Bud. I did not find any."

Cheers!

 

Its gotten even worse with the next fad. There are now Smirnoff Ice products that basically look like alcoholic sports drinks. http://adage.com/article/cmo-strategy/spunky-octogenarian-pushes-smirnoff-s-ice-electric/303556/

 

There was some articles a while back that featured David Chang where he was giving profs to Bud Light as being the champagne of beers. The theory behind that was zilch zero flavor, therefore it paired with almost any food you threw at it and didn't get in the way of flavors. David Chang on Cheap Beer here he pretty much lays out his rant. And I have to agree with him to some point, but if you have drank enough styles it is super easy to find pairings with other styles than AAL.
My favorite Mexican food beer is Negra Modelo, it is a Vienna Lager and it has a very clean caramel sweetness in the front and a very smooth semi dry finish, which makes it perfect with spicy food. I probably drink about 2 6 packs of this a month, not buying for home, but consuming at Mexican restaurants when the wife and kids what to go out

 

Negra Modelo is also my choice at Mexican Restaurants.

 

You do realize that if just a tiny fraction of Bud drinkers joined Beer Advocate and reviewed their favorite beer the number one rated beer here would be Bud.

 

Perhaps you haven't suffered the ill-effects of marketing and brand-conditioning?

Males of a certain age/generational coterie may have grown to adulthood with a national or regional "Heritage*" brand in their household. This is especially true if a father or grandfather had a preferred brand, but even brands preferred by maternal grandfather or older relative(s) are understood to have made a similar impression many.

Repeated exposure to said brand (radio/jingle, television ad, logo placement in automotive/sports sponsorship) would often -- but not always -- lead many such individuals to adopt the brand following earlier family exposure. Continued exposure (including POS ads at retail and POP/tabletents or signage at bar, tavern, or other on-sale) would reinforce any existing brand appreciation or personal/family identification, if possible.

Of course, don't take my word for all of this speculation; studies have been done by the breweries and trade organizations, I'm just outlining some of those findings.

Beyond that possibility, some consumers develop a brand preference for such Heritage brands ("Macro Lager, "Swill", "Yellow Wussie Beer", etc, etc) independently of family background or life-long media exposure to a brand or its image.

For some, this is based upon an intangible appeal to their degree of nostalgic reckonings which can be difficult if not impossible to qualify or quantify, and this includes both "false" and true nostalgia.

For others, it might even be a rejection of a brand which they grew up with (dad's beer, "grandpa's brand", etc.)

Again: This mostly applies to individuals of a particular age or generation, and more specifically to --MALE-- individuals, as reliable market research has indicated that males comprise the majority of beer drinkers in the U.S.A.

Ultimately if you can't figure out what you're missing, then these brands are probably not for you.

*Craft Beer market demographics are more difficult to pin-down as the market segment is both smaller and newer than are market demographics for Heritage brands. On the other hand, marketing researchers and demographers are catching-up to Craft -- and quickly.

 

Correct you are, Jack. BUD has simply been focus-grouped into its current image, and that's how those customers like it.

However, if I were to judge it per style, I'd have to say it's just not a good representation of an AAL (being so bland and insipid). So, there's really two questions here regarding the appeal of BUD as well as the appeal of AALs in general. As to the latter, AALs definitely can offer tasty light and delicate malt/grain/hop qualities in addition to their refreshing nature, so I'd hesitate to make extrapolations based on the big national brands.

 

Yup, it is true that there are some AAL beers which are not extremely insipid. Having stated that it seems to me that the vast majority of AAL beer drinkers consume a HUGE (and I do me HUGE) amount of insipid AAL beers. For example, lets consider the top selling beers in the US: Bud Light, Bud, Coors Light, Miller Lite. All of these beers sell tens of millions of barrels of beer per year.

Cheers!

 

My analogy with macro/micro is McDonalds cheeseburger vs. grilling up a burger at home