Wild Blue Blueberry Lager

Dead Dog

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer
Wild Blue Blueberry Lager
Blue Dawg Brewing
Baldwinsville, NY
Anheuser-Busch, Inc.
St. Louis, MO USA
Est. 1852
wildbluelager.com

Brain Damage Quotient = 8.0 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0 

Postmortem Brew Review
Blue to purple in color.
Sweet blueberry smell; faint malt notes.
Thin, fast dissipating head with minimal to no lacing.
Sweet blueberry taste with minimal carbonation.
Light bodied, syrupy mouth feel. 

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
Highly infused blueberry taste, as only blueberry sugars will do.  This is great for the first few sips, but wears you out through the glass with its sweet syrupy flavor and taste.

Sessionable? No.

Try-able? Sure, why not.

Michelob Light

Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer
Michelob Light
Anheuser-Busch, Inc.
St. Louis, MO USA
Est. 1852
Intoduced 1982
www.michelob.com

Brain Damage Quotient = 4.3 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0 

Postmortem Brew Review
Clear yellow nearly straw color.
Sweet grain smell, no hops aroma.
Thin, fast dissipating head with minimal to no lacing.
Crisp flavor, light mouth feel.

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
Deja vu all over again.  

If the post mortem sounds like the Bud Light from this past summer you're not dreaming.  Same stuff in a different bottle as far as my taste buds were concerned.

That's not to say it wasn't enjoyable, but not my regular bony-armed reach for liquid refreshment.

Michelob Honey Lager

Dead Soldier 

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer

Michelob Honey Lager

Anheuser-Busch, Inc.

St. Louis, Missouri USA

Est. 1852

www.michelob.com 

Brain Damage Quotient = 4.9 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0 

Postmortem Brew Review
Golden yellow, 'honey' colored.
Roasted malt in character with a soft touch of hops.
Sweet smelling nose with sweet honey flavor finish.
Fair head upon pour leaving minimal lacing.
Medium bodied flavor. 

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
Just when I think I've gotten to the last of the Michelob craft series...but, no. They have introduced a Wheat and Rye-PA. Well, on to the Honey Lager.

Honey Lager is a fine beer on its own, but that touch of natural sweetness sets it apart. The honey whispers softly in the brew. The honeycomb and honeybee on the label are also there to remind you of the sweet treat inside.

It's not too ho-hmmmmmmmm but a good drinker. Neither overwhelmed or underwhelmed by the beer. And at 4.9% ABV, you won't get too buzzed. Ha-haa!

Bud Light

Dead Soldier

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Bud Light
Anheuser-Busch, Inc.
St. Louis, MO USA
Est. 1852
Intoduced 1982
www.budlight.com

Brain Damage Quotient = 4.2 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0 

Postmortem Brew Review
Clear and yellow in color.
Sweet grain smell.
Thin, fast dissipating head with minimal to no lacing.
Crisp flavor, watery mouth feel. 

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
Yup. It's Bud. And it's light. We could end the post right here.

Yeah, it's not my drink of choice, but tonight it proved it could be better than expected. Bear with me. So it's a light beer and not long on taste. But when your neighbor shows up at your door at the end of the day and plugs one of these in your paw, what are you gonna do? Say no? I think not.

It was just the attitude adjustment needed. Also, they go down easy, especially when sharing with friends. And it was surprising how many friends kept showing up on the front lawn...on a Monday night! That's not just drinkability (TM) but it's also friendability.

Stone Cold Fact: Bud Light is now the largest produced of all beers in the AB lineup, out selling even Budweiser.

Friends and Bud Light washed the rest of the day's troubles away.

Update 7/30/09 --- This Bud's for you, Mr. Bartender-in-Chief!
It would appear that our President must have read my blog. It seems he chose a Bud Light as his beer of choice for tonight's attitude adjustment hour, or the "Beer Summit", as the press referred to the event. Hmmmm? Let's see.....Four friends trying to wash away the troubles of the day over some beer. Now I must reap, er, uh-uhm that is, review:

• Sam Adams Light (Prof. Henry Louis Gates)
  
• Blue Moon (Sgt. James Crowley)
  
• Buckler N.A. (V.P. Joseph Biden)

Michelob Dunkel Weisse - Dark Wheat Ale

Dead Soldier

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Michelob Dunkel Weisse - Dark Wheat Ale
Anheuser-Busch, Inc.
St. Louis, Missouri USA
Est. 1852
www.michelob.com 

Brain Damage Quotient = 5.5 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0 

Postmortem Brew Review
Deep bronze color.
Malty taste with caramel, chocolate flavor.
Hints of clove and banana.
Frothy, foaming head; dissipates slowly.
Fair to good lacing with some rings.
Medium bodied flavor. 

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
I've been looking for this one since the trip out west, when we got to sample it at the AB brewery. I found a six pack in a local grocery and thought I'd get some. If you have had wheat beer before, then you know how good this can be. But when you couple it with the fact that it's also a dunkel (dark), well you're in for a treat.

So if you like wheat beer, dark beer and can lurk in your favorite store until they carry it, then I'd suggest you get some while the gettin' is good.

Rolling Rock

Dead Soldier

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Rolling Rock
Latrobe Brewing Company
St. Louis, Missouri USA
Est. 1939
www.rollingrock.com 

Brain Damage Quotient = 4.5 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0 

Postmortem Brew Review
Clear and pale yellow in color.
Simple hops flavor with distinct sweet grain smell.
Quick foaming head which disappears fairly quickly.
Light to medium body and color.
Crisp and smooth flavor. 

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
Here's another golden oldie....

Extra Pale since 1939, it's famous "green and white" painted on label with the horse and paddock fence, nor the Tito brother's formula has changed much. And there's still that mystery of "33" to go along with it's lore. This beer was famously found at picnics, especially those that included a fair game of 'horseshoes'. Clear, clean tasting and refreshing, you can enjoy this simple easy drinker with your favorite BBQ foods and an ear of corn-on-the-cob, (or corn-on-the-bone as we say at our crypt!)

Alas, it has had one change since then. The locale of their famous 'glass lined tanks' has moved from Latrobe PA to St. Louis MO. Anheuser-Busch has added them to their (ahem) stable in order to keep this noble name afloat. The Rock should now get some well deserved national attention, with their new campaign "Born Small Town". Once a regional northeast beer, it was hard to get west of the mighty Mississippi. In its day this beer was the 'Coors of the East'.

Budweiser

Dead Soldier

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Budweiser
Anheuser-Busch, Inc.
St. Louis, Missouri USA
Est. 1852
www.budweiser.com 

Brain Damage Quotient = 5.0 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0 

Postmortem Brew Review
Clear and yellow in color.
Sweet corn smell.
Thin, fast dissipating head with minimal to no lacing.
Crisp flavor. 

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
Here we go...an indulgence into retro beers, or what I refer to as "Brews from Yester-beer." Okay, I know that's corny, but we begin with a brew that everyone knows...Bud. Once the flagship product of AB, it is now supplanted by Bud Light in production and sales.

This beer is one you will always find available in mass quantity, wherever you are. It is the beer we all reach for in the absence of any real beers. It is old, reliable Bud. Good enough for a softball game, a picnic at the beach or pool, or even at weddings, (and sometimes funerals.) Well okay after the funeral.

What with the beginning of the Lenten season and the poor economy, I decided to indulge a fantasy into what were and in some cases still are some great old beers. Stay tuned...

Michelob Irish Red Ale

Dead Soldier

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Michelob Irish Red Ale
Anheuser-Busch, Inc.
St. Louis, Missouri USA
Est. 1852
www.michelob.com 

Brain Damage Quotient = 5.7 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0 

Postmortem Brew Review
Ruddy mahogany color.
Not too hoppy in flavor but full of malt and caramel.
Fruity in flavor.
Creamy, long lasting head with minimal lacing.
Medium to full bodied flavor. 

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
A good example of an amber (red) ale. This one is the last in the sampler pack left to review. It has a distinct malty flavor found in these style ales and finishes with a small amount of fruitiness and just a bit of bitter hops. I was able to try this ale not only from my sampler, but also on my excursion at the brewery in Colorado. Fresh from the brewery!

Michelob Amber Bock

Dead Soldier

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Michelob Amber Bock
Anheuser-Busch, Inc.
St. Louis, Missouri USA
Est. 1852
www.michelob.com 

Brain Damage Quotient = 5.2 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0 

Postmortem Brew Review
Deep brown color.
Malty aroma and taste with good amount of hops.
Frothy, foaming head; lasts for a while.
Fair to good lacing with some rings.
Medium bodied flavor. 

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
Continuing through the Craft Sampler from Michelob, we have their old faithful, Amber Bock. This beer perplexes me. It is good, very good indeed, but there's just something about it that misses over the others in the lineup. Just can't figure it out. It's at home on it's own as a multi-drinker, or as a single with a good meal. Well, it just doesn't have it's own identity. Namely, if you want a dark beer, go for the Porter. If you want a good malty lager, try the Marzen. Hmmmm........it's somewhere lost in the middle.

Michelob Porter

Dead Soldier

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Michelob Porter - All Malt
Anheuser-Busch, Inc.
St. Louis, Missouri USA
Est. 1852
www.michelob.com 

Brain Damage Quotient = 5.9 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0 

Postmortem Brew Review
Dark brown.
Malt smell and taste to a good bitter finish.
Fast foaming head that disappears rapidly.
Minimal Lacing.
Medium to full bodied flavor. 

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
I have teleported back to the crypt after a fun time out west. While there I visited one of the Anheuser Busch breweries. At the end of their brew house tour, we were treated to a 'flight' of four beers. For the uninitiated, a flight is a small sampling of several beers. And what a nice grouping is was!

Since I am working my way through the 'Mick' craft sampler here at the crypt, it made a simple choice as my flight. The Winter Bourbon Cask Ale, and Pale Ale, both of which have been recorded in these annuls, were in the batch. Additionally, Michelob's Dunkel Weisse (gotta' find some of that here to review) and the Porter you see here were also in the sampling.

This is a very good porter with robust chocolate malt and coffee undertones. The hops amount gives just enough traction or bite, at the end of each delicious sip. This is a beer you can enjoy by itself or with a rich meal. From the Rocky Mountains where first sampled or right here where it is being savored while typing, I 'highly' recommend this brew.

Michelob Pale Ale

Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer

Michelob Pale Ale
Anheuser-Busch, Inc.
St. Louis, Missouri USA
Est. 1852
www.michelob.com 

Brain Damage Quotient = 5.5 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0 

Postmortem Brew Review
Tawny, rusty amber hue.
Aromatic maltiness and taste.
Long lasting, finger high head.
Spiderweb lacing with notching down the side of the glass.
Medium bodied. 

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
Wow! It's been a while since I've been nicely overwhelmed by a beer (ale). This is a fine example of what ales should taste like. There is a wonderful flavor from start to finish...yup, just tasted it again and had to be sure, without pinching myself! I would enjoy one of these again and again and again. And I can because I bought a Michelob sampler...so I will. The question is, will you do likewise?

Michelob Marzen

Dead Soldier

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Michelob Marzen
Anheuser-Busch, Inc.
St. Louis, Missouri USA
Est. 1852
www.michelob.com 

Brain Damage Quotient = 5.1 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0 

Postmortem Brew Review
Amber, copper in color.
Hops and malt in fine balance.
Good foaming head with abundant lacing.
Medium bodied.
Delicious. 

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
I will make no bones about it, this is one of my all time favorites. I found AB's Marzen a few years back. It was made in small batches and usually placed in the Michelob Winter Collection of beers. It became an instant hit and I have used it as a high water mark of a good Oktoberfest style beer. Nothing left to say but there's still 3 more left in the fridge...hooray!

Budweiser Select

Dead Soldier

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Budweiser Select
Anheuser-Busch, Inc.
St. Louis, Missouri USA
Est. 1852
www.budselect.com

Brain Damage Quotient = 4.3 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0 

Postmortem Brew Review
Light straw color.
Unremarkable in hops, malt or aroma.
Highly carbonated.
Head foams up, then evaporates in 3...2...1 seconds.
Light bodied.

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
Not too heavy so it won't weigh you down. Actually not a bad tasting beer...just not remarkable. Does not taste as funky as light beers. It's "do-able" on a hot day or if you just want refreshment. Maybe you might need a tonic for an upset tummy...it's a bit 'gassy' for a beer. High carbonation, that is! It doesn't say light, but that's what it is.

Michelob - Winter's Bourbon Cask Ale

Melting Snowman

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer

Michelob - Winter's Bourbon Cask Ale
Michelob Brewing Company
Anheuser-Busch, Inc.
St. Louis, Missouri USA
Est. 1852
www.michelob.com

Brain Damage Quotient = 6.0% ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0 

Postmortem Brew Review
Soft amber orange, tawny color.
Sweet vanilla smell and taste up front.
Robust, smokey bourbon after finish.
Smooth foaming head from the pour with good lacing.
Medium bodied mouth feel.

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
Distinctive and different. An ale for the winter. Interesting flavor being aged in oak casks used at one time for bourbon. And as if that's not enough, they drop whole Madagascar vanilla beans in the batch! Yummy! Oh yeah, that's not even the best part; here's to a mass produced American beer with an alcohol content of 6%. There is so much more flavor in higher alcohol content beers. The Europeans know this the best! This will become a Christmas tradition!

Michelob has been a sort of Jekyll and Hyde brand for AB. In the 50's & 60's "Mick" was for cool ultra hipsters being they were way too cool for Budman and his sophomoric antics. Its sexy signature 'teardrop' bottle proved it was more for adult "after-hours" types.

Then came the lean 70's thru 80's where the audience shifted to adult urbanites, again making the cool scene. The last 15 years or so, Michelob has been a brand adrift in light, ultralight, low carb, low taste gimmicky beers...but still aimed at the hip movers and shakers that don't want to get into the Bud rut. I thought it would become the dot-com of beers during that age and die a death, but no!

About ten years ago something started to metamorphize. AB set its sights square on whatever Sam Adams was up to in the micro-taste part of the industry. Michelob now sports a variety of seasonal beers aimed at...you guessed it...hip beer drinkers looking for something a little different in their brew. The familiar 'teardrop' bottle is just a memory now, but they definitely have my attention. Here's to reincarnation; something the Reaper can certainly get behind!

Kirin Ichiban

Dead Kamikaze

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer

Kirin Ichiban
Shinkawa 2-chome, Chuo-ku
Tokyo, Japan
Est. ????
www.kirin.com

Brain Damage Quotient=4.95% ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0 

Postmortem Brew Review
Soft golden yellow in color.
Crisp malt, rice and corn with lots of carbonation.
Decent head with soft clumpy rings in the lacing.
Medium bodied mouth feel. 

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
Well after reviewing so many domestic and European brews, we've finally gone east. To the Far East, that is, only to find out Anheuser Busch has their mitts in this one...so before you go putting on a kimono and serving up some sushi, listen up.

Kirin is a very good beer with a distinct taste. Hmmm....I just can't put my bony finger on it....perhaps it's the rice? Yes, that would explain why the Budman's interested in this import. After all, Bud is blended with rice in it's recipe, so that would seem to explain their involvement. And we all know the rocking-est place in the world is Bud-o-kan, which is Japanese for, Budweiser-in-a-can. If you don't believe me, you can go, "...wax off Daniel-san!"

One more interesting note.....this is the first beer I've rated with two numbers to the right of the decimal point. I guess the Japanese brew masters are as precise as their engineers!

Shock Top - Belgian White

Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer

Shock Top
Anheuser-Busch, Inc.
St. Louis, Missouri USA
Est. 1852
www.anheuser-busch.com

Brain Damage Quotient = 5.2 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0 

Postmortem Brew Review
Light golden to amber color.
Faint citrus aroma.
Foamy head (when poured by directions on reverse label).
Light bodied and refreshing. 

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
A wit-beer, or wheat beer is brewed with about 50% wheat (in the Belgian fashion) instead of the traditional barley malt. The beer will produce a cloudy pour that you think will go away, but never does. That's the released protein enzymes that embodies a wheat beer, more than those found in barley. Also, this style of wheat does not roast or 'malt' the wheat. Enough science!

The fact is, it's also brewed using lemon, lime and orange peel to give it a zesty taste. A great beer for the summer time and a sure hit with the ladies. Oh, it also has coriander inside! Very unusual beer considering AB just sold out to the Belch, er...I mean Belgians. This beer and other wheat beers are cracking into the, "...what else can we do with fruit and beer" theme. Corona used to have it all locked up with the lime slice, but these wheat beers are now adding lemon or orange slices to a pour of theirs...but not in the neck of the bottle, no! In the glass, itself. Hanging on the pint glass, deliciously stuffed into that rich, soap-like & foamy head.

Enjoy the cool half-moon orange slice dude with his "wheaty" mohawk and Ray-Ban's! Then enjoy the beer.

Bud Light Lime

Dead Soldier

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Bud Light Lime
Anheuser-Busch, Inc.
St. Louis, Missouri USA
Est. 1852
www.budlightlime.com

Brain Damage Quotient = 4.2 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0 

Postmortem Brew Review
Light golden, straw color.
Basic beer aroma, but with a hint of citrus.
Average head with minimal lacing.
Light watery mouth feel. 

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
There is a pretender to the throne! Okay, I'll give them credit for having "100% Natural Lime Flavor" as posted on the label, but this 'King of Beers' is trying to take the crown from Corona. So instead of a garnish like Corona, they, "...put the lime in the coconut and stir it all around" like the song says.

It's all good, if you are in a hurry and want some heat scorching refreshment. Unlike Corona, you can skip the trip from the beer aisle to the produce department and hit the checkout line quicker!

Organic Wild Hop Lager

Dead Soldier

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Organic Wild Hop Lager
Green Valley Brewing Company
Fairfield, CA USA
Est. 2007
www.wildhoplager.com 

Brain Damage Quotient = 5.0 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0 

Postmortem Brew Review
Pleasant amber color to the point of a rusty orange hue.
Full, rich hop aroma.
Frothy head throughout most the glass.
Grassy aromas, wildflower field nose.
A little watery but an easy drinker.

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
Interesting beer and equally interesting website. The bill themselves as, "...the organically certified brewery of the Anheuser-Busch Company", according to the label. Sounds like AB had a little skunk works going with this one. But I must say it is a deliciously admirable beer.

Green valley is wholly committed to being organic, down to the labels on their bottles and even the raised lettering at the bottom of the bottle encouraging recycling. The reaper agrees...what comes from the earth, should return to the earth! Ashes to ashes and all that. I guess you should relieve yourself near a bush when through drinking. Muwa-ha-ha-ha !

The website is sparse but has a gadget that will look up where you can find this beer by zip code. Surprisingly, it's not shipped to Florida, but it got here somehow. I must find more.