American-style Lager: Budweiser Select

Budweiser Select was introduced in 2005, and it attempted to do what the failed Bud Dry (1989-2010) tried to do- present full-flavored lager beer taste in a light-bodied, low calorie beer. In other words, it is a light beer with a premium beer taste. It could be argued that Bud Dry failed because Anheuser-Busch gave that beer almost no advertising attention after the initial promotional rush, much like what happened with Budweiser American Ale. With Budweiser Select, Anheuser-Busch (InBev) has maintained a consistent, relatively strong advertising regimen for the brand. When sales began to slip around 2010-2011, alongside a reduction in advertising, InBev responded in 2012 with another strong round of advertising, especially on television.

This beer was introduced in 2005, and it is made with 2-row and caramel barely malts (and grain adjuncts) and American and Bavarian hops. According to the brewery, it spends twice as long in the brew house as regular lagers, resulting in a lower calorie and carbohydrate count. Budweiser Select is 4.3% alcohol (the same as Milwaukee's Best, as a point of reference) and has only 99 calories per serving. It is sold in bottle and cans, of various package counts and container sizes.

In 2009, InBev introduced Budweiser Select 55, which is touted by the company as being the lightest beer in the world, of which this writer can attest. Today, the name of that beer is simply Select 55.

I have tried Budweiser Select on a number of occasions and have found it to be well balanced, well crafted, tasty, and enjoyable. It most certainly fulfills its mission. However, one wonders how long this brand will stick around.

Bud Light Platinum

In 2012, Anheuser Busch/InBev released Bud Light Platinum, accompanied by a strong advertising push, which still continues, at a slightly reduced level. This beer has been one of the company's most successful roll-outs ever, and sales have been quite strong. It is somewhat unclear, however, what InBev was shooting for with this beer, but the subsequent release of Budweiser Black Crown and Beck's Sapphire shed light on the reasoning.

Bud Light Platinum, at 6% alcohol and with 137 calories per 12 oz. serving, hardly qualifies as a light beer, considering that most light beers run around 4% abv and offer 110 calories or much less. This beer, in its snappy blue bottle or brilliant, glowing cans, is actually more of a light malt liquor. And, here is where one can begin to understand the reasoning behind the concept. As mixed drinks (or cocktails or high balls) have increased in popularity over the years, it seems as though the company wanted to tap into the desire for higher-alcohol beverages, but not to turn consumers away by presenting a beer that was too heavy bodied. Essentially, with Bud "Light" Platinum, Budweiser Black Crown, and Beck's Sapphire, we have malt liquor being marketed to a consumer category (young, upwardly mobile, professionals- or those wanting to appear to be such), which would never allow itself to be caught drinking malt liquors, like Hurricane or King Cobra, even though such beers have aroma, taste, and body profiles almost identical to the three new beers. We basically have malt liquor for those who would never drink something called "malt liquor".  This is a brilliant approach, or deception, if one cares to use that term.

Bud Light Platinum is sold in various bottle and can sizes and configurations and is seen on tap at various establishments. As mentioned above, it receives a healthy amount of advertising attention, as well as a good dose of point-of-sale promotion.

Being a fan of malt liquor, this writer finds the new Bud Light Platinum to be a smooth and enjoyable beer, although, I see common malt liquors, available at a lower price, yet having about the same taste and character, to be a better value. If you bring Bud Light Platinum to a dinner party, you might be praised; if you bring King Cobra Premium Malt Liquor, you'll either be ridiculed or never invited to another party, even though you would, more or less, be bringing the same thing to the event.

It will be interesting to see where Bud Light Platinum stands ten years after its release (January, 2022).

St. Ides High Gravity Malt Liquor

St. Ides High Gravity Malt Liquor (8.2% alcohol) was introduced in 1987 by McKenzie River Corporation of San Francisco, California, a company that once owned Sparks and Steel Reserve 211 (now Miller brands). This brand was once heavily marketed and became a sort of hip-hop cult beverage, with many commercials featuring popular rappers. Interestingly, the original St. Ides was a 6% alcohol beer, but at some point in the 2000s, the abv was strengthened to its current high level, and the beer was renamed. It was first called St. Ides Premium Malt Liquor. For whatever reason, this beverage faded in popularity, and by the late 1990s had lost its cache', being relegated to relative obscurity. Today, under Pabst Brewing Company ownership, one will see no television commercials or hear any radio ads, but point-of-sale items may be encountered at beer outlets.

St. Ides is sold in 40 ounce bottles, 22 oz. bottles, 24 oz. cans, 16 oz. cans, and possibly 18 oz. bottles. Distribution is not nationwide, but is limited to various regions around the country. Interestingly, many fruit-flavored St. Ides variants, such as Special Brew Berry, Special Brew Kiwi Strawberry, Special Brew Mixed Fruit, and Special Brew Passion Fruit, are also sold.

I have tried the original St. Ides and the current high gravity version and have found both to be comparable to other mass-produced beers of that class.

Heileman's Old Style

Heileman's Old Style Beer was introduced in 1902, by Heileman Brewing (itself, established in 1858 by Gottlieb Heileman) of LaCrosse, Wisconsin. For many decades Old Style was a very popular Midwestern brand, and had an especially strong following in Chicago, Illinois, where it was considered the hometown brand, although it originated out of state. As with most regional favorites, the Heileman company found itself unable to compete against the onslaught of national beer brands, and sales of Old Style (and the other Heileman brands) had slipped badly by the 1990s. In 1996, Heileman was bought out by Stroh Brewing Company of Detroit, Michigan. Stroh's, was snatched up by Pabst Brewing Company in 1999, and, today, all Pabst brands are contract-brewed by others, mainly Miller Brewing, although some Pabst beers are still produced at the old LaCrosse brewery, today under independent ownership as City Brewery.

Heileman's Old Style, at 4.72% alcohol and 134 calories, has made a bit of a comeback in the present century, and is heavily promoted at Chicago Cubs baseball games and at local events, although it is still only sold on a regional basis and enjoys no national advertising attention of any sort. Old Style Light, at 3.8% alcohol and with 110 calories, is an even rarer commodity. 

Since 2007, Heileman's Old Style has undergone a kraeusening process, meaning it is double fermented. This is not a particularly rare process (Budweiser is kraesened), but it is heavily emphasized on the Old Style website, which even features a graphic of how the process works. http://www.oldstylebeer.com/think-local/what-is-kraeusening/#silvermedal

This writer has sampled Old Style on occasion and found it to be comparable to other mass-produced American-style lager brands.

Pearl Beer

Pearl Beer was introduced in Bremen, Germany in 1883 by the Kaiser-Beck company and brought to the United States in 1886. Pearl Brewing Company's brewery was located in San Antonio, and the name was changed from Perle to Pearl to appeal to English-speaking customers. Otto Koehler took over the company in 1902 and, after his death, his wife, Emma Koehler modernized the brewery's facilities, increasing production from 6,000 to over 110,000 barrels per year, and Pearl became the most famous and iconic Texas beer brand. Following Prohibition and World War II, stiff competition from national brands and the ruthless in-state rivalry with Lone Star Beer kept Pearl from being able to become a true national player, and they barely fended off a buyout attempt by Pabst Brewing in the 1950s, although the company did pull off an important acquisition of its own by purchasing Goetz Brewing of St. Joseph, Missouri in 1961. Pearl enjoyed much success with the Goetz brands, especially with the nationally-popular Country Club Malt Liquor, a brand which enjoys a cult following even today. Pearl also acquired the rights to the once-popular Jax Beer of New Orleans, but this beer faded out by the late 1990s.

Of course, the inevitable did occur, and Pabst bought up the operations of Pearl in their second acquisition attempt in 1985. Pabst was unable to revitalize the brand, however, and the Pearl brewery in San Antonio was closed in 2001. Pearl, formerly sold in 47 states is now available only in Texas and typically in 12 oz. cans. Production volume is very low. Pearl, at 4.7% alcohol, and Pearl Light, at 2.16% alcohol (a very low content), are the only beers sold under the brand. A beer fan may have difficulty locating Pearl even in Texas, and it is uncertain how long Pabst will continue to make it. This author has sampled Pearl on a number of occasions and was sorry to see it leave Louisiana store shelves in the late 1990s. I always found it to be an enjoyable and credible American-style lager beer.

Lone Star

The Lone Star story can be traced back to 1884 when the original brewery was opened in San Antonio by Adolphus Busch and a group of local businessmen. A modern brewery was started up in 1904, and the actual Lone Star brand was not rolled out until 1940. Early brands were Sabinas beer and, later, Champion beer. Lone Star was based on a premium formula developed by Peter Kreil of Munich, Germany. Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, Lone Star enjoyed widespread popularity in Texas, competing against other local brands like Pearl, Shiner, and Jax. However, like so many other regional, and even national brands, by the 1970s Lone Star began to falter in the face of stiff competition. Olympia Brewing of Tumwater, Washington bought Lone Star in 1976. Seven years later Olympia was acquired by G. Heileman of LaCrosse, Wisconsin. Stroh's Brewing, of Detroit, Michigan, bought out Heileman in 1996, and Pabst bought Stroh's in 1999. Lone Star has been a Pabst brand ever since, and the parent company has revitalized the brand across Texas with local advertising and promotions. 

Lone Star beer, at 4.65% alcohol and 136 calories, is sold in Texas and in seven other states. It is available in bottles, can, and on draft. Brewing is done at the Miller facility in Fort Worth, Texas. The recipe uses Pacific Northwest hops, malted barley from the Central and Northern plains, and corn extract as the adjunct. It was a gold medal winner at the 2007 and 2008 Great American Beer Festival.

Lone Star Light, which uses the same ingredients ratio as the full-bodied Lone Star, has 3.85 alcohol and 111 calories. The same hop level as the original beer is used as well. 

In 2012 Pabst brought back Lone Star Bock, which had been discontinued decades ago. Lone Star Bock has 4.5% alcohol and 140 calories. 

The consumer will find that the Lone Star line is comparable in taste and body to other major American beers.

Henry Weinhard's

The Henry Weinhard's line of craft beers, a Miller subsidiary since 1999, has a rather typical history for a regional brewing company. Founded in Portland, Oregon in 1856 by German immigrant, Henry Weinhard, this company, later called Blitz-Weinhard, after an early 20th Century buyout, enjoyed wide popularity in the American Northwest, was staggered by Prohibition, bounced back in 1933, and slowly faded under intense competition from major national brands, like Budweiser, Miller, Pabst, and Schlitz. In 1982, The G. Heileman Brewing Company of Lacrosse, Wisconsin bought Blitz-Weinhard, and Heilemann was, itself, purchased by The Stroh Brewing Company of Detroit in 1996. Three years later, Stroh sold out to Pabst Brewing Company of Chicago (headquartered in Los Angeles, California as of 2011). As part of the purchase agreement, Weinhard beers, along with other brands, were turned over to Miller Brewing Company (Philip-Morris, and since 2002, SAB of England). Pabst also ceded all of their breweries to Miller, who either rebranded them as Miller facilities, or in the case of the Weinhard brewery in Portland, closed them. This Portland brewery had been open since 1862.

Today, Weinhard beers are positioned by SAB as mass-produced, above-premium, craft-style beers, much like the Leinenkugel division. In 2012, SAB began to expand availability of the line from the West and Midwest into other parts of the United States. One will find that these beers, sold in 12-oz. bottles, have a flavor and body in the craft vein, yet have characteristics mellow enough to give them a mass-market appeal.