Budweiser Reaches Out to Fans of Craft Brews (Maybe)--Budweiser American Ale

      Lately I've been seeing commercials for Budweiser's new American Ale, which seems to be the brewing giant's attempt to appeal to the craft brew crowd--an apparent indication that they may actually now fear losing customers to the hundreds of little breweries (and homebrewers!) that have popped up around the country. But they haven't exactly launched what you might call a full-scale marketing assault, so I've been curious about their intentions for the new variety. Are they truly test-marketing a new, more sophisticated taste to please America's ever-more beer-savvy market? Or are they just wondering if they can get away with charging a fancier price for what people might perceive to be a fancier beer?
      Either way, I figured I'd give it an honest try--I would ignore its provenance and evaluate it as I would any other beer I'd never tasted before. I even made sure I hadn't eaten or drunk anything in a while, just so I'd have a clean palette. I have to admit, however, that I was made suspicious of Budweiser's intentions right off the bat, when I discovered that they had given the bottle a non-twistoff cap. Seemed a bit desperate, that.
      I gave it my usual pour--first half down the side and second half straight up. It produced a respectable, slightly lacy one-finger head that demonstrated decent staying power. The color was a shiny ruby-amber, leaning a bit toward the ruby side. It presented very little malt aroma, just a slightly aggressive, acidic hops smell. The first sips again betrayed an under-achieving mix of malts, with a lightweight, fizzy mouthfeel. The followup was pretty hoppy but fairly unpleasant--the hops came forward more as bitter and metallic, rather than sharp and citrusy as you might expect in an APA.
      Not surprisingly, it proved easy to drink, but the overall experience was disappointing--I felt as if most of my palette was left with nothing to do. I wanted a cracker or a piece of bread or something, just to engage my grain flavor receptors. The American Ale is a step above Budweiser's famous lager, but only just. I'm still not sure exactly what Budweiser's up to here, but whatever their intentions, I doubt the American Ale will be around for long.