New: Budweiser Black Crown

Passing through the liquor store today and I came across Budweisers new Black Crown Lager.

Bought in a 12 pack.


A -Pours crystal clear golden with a good amount of carbonation. Nice head that disappears quickly.

S- Smells like corn and sugar. A bit of biscuits and caramel malt. I can detect faint amounts of hops. Some orange citrus notes. Smells like a Budweiser.

T- Tastes like Bud platinum with a bit more malt back and is pretty sweet. Probably the best Budweiser product out there. Definitely drinkable.

M- Carbonated properly, nice and balanced. Higher alcohol than a budweiser and more body than a bud light.

O- Typical Bud product but enjoyable. I was expecting a bit more as I thought they would want to jump on board with the "craft brew" movement.


Serving type: bottle

Thanks, I'll probably try a bottle if I can find it in singles. I've not had Guinness black lager yet either...which would you say is better?

What did this cost for the 12er?

Rick

A budweiser that actually has taste? I call BS!!

Whippy said:

Thanks, I'll probably try a bottle if I can find it in singles. I've not had Guinness black lager yet either...which would you say is better?

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Havent tried the black lager yet.

F250 said:

What did this cost for the 12er?

Rick

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11.99

igotsand said:

A budweiser that actually has taste? I call BS!!

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Hah! I actually sat down and tried to taste it!

Ok back to Allagash tripel

Guinness black lager is OK, smooth lager with a bit of toasted barley flavor. Went down good on New Year's Eve.

I liked this beer (Budweiser Black). It has a lot in common with ordinary Budweiser but seems to have much more body.

I think I read Bud uses the same yeast for all their beers so even these specialty beers will stay close to the mothership in root flavor.

Whippy said:

Thanks, I'll probably try a bottle if I can find it in singles. I've not had Guinness black lager yet either...which would you say is better?

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A friend of my wife's gave us a 12er of the guiness black lager and I was hesitant at first but after trying it Im sold.

Its nice and smooth.

I believe this is the LA Bud Project 12 beer.

No, it's a whole different line by AB... The project 12 beers are interesting as well though.

Evonnida said:

No, it's a whole different line by AB... The project 12 beers are interesting as well though.

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I know they are but I read a story that said the stats from the LA Project 12 beer matched exactly to that beer. Leading most people to believe that it's the same beer.

http://www.getthefive.com/articles/the-boardroom/budweiser-crowdsourced-its-boozier-project-12-beer/

^not the same article I read but the explanation is same

Ahhh... I didn't realize that, thanks for the link!

aeviaanah said:

I thought they would want to jump on board with the "craft brew" movement.

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They are probably a little scared after the slow moving American Ale.

wwf4jericho said:

I know they are but I read a story that said the stats from the LA Project 12 beer matched exactly to that beer. Leading most people to believe that it's the same beer.

http://www.getthefive.com/articles/the-boardroom/budweiser-crowdsourced-its-boozier-project-12-beer/

^not the same article I read but the explanation is same

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I'm not sure that it's the same beer. I sampled the Project 12 beers and was pleasantly surprised by all three offerings. I picked up a sixer of Black Crown today and found it to be much sweeter than any of the Project 12 beers. It's not bad, but I certainly don't believe it's the same beer.

If I cared about it more, I'd get another pack of the Project 12, but my local liquor stores suddenly decided that it warranted true craft beer pricing and I'm just not gonna spent 19 bucks on 12 bottles of Budweiser. The Black Crown on the other hand was 5.50 for a 6 pack...

IffyG said:

I'm not sure that it's the same beer. I sampled the Project 12 beers and was pleasantly surprised by all three offerings. I picked up a sixer of Black Crown today and found it to be much sweeter than any of the Project 12 beers. It's not bad, but I certainly don't believe it's the same beer.

If I cared about it more, I'd get another pack of the Project 12, but my local liquor stores suddenly decided that it warranted true craft beer pricing and I'm just not gonna spent 19 bucks on 12 bottles of Budweiser. The Black Crown on the other hand was 5.50 for a 6 pack...

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I hear ya. It may be a good camping beer.

I dont care if it makes me $hit gold bricks. I would never drink one.

Its a 13.99 12 pack here in GA, for a beer that tastes just like Budweiser with a crummy name. Save yourself a few bucks and buy normal ole Bud.

mikejamesnelson said:

I dont care if it makes me $hit gold bricks. I would never drink one.

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It would hurt, both going in and coming out. But dumping a gold brick after buying a $2 beer is a pretty good ROI in my mind...

Can't wait to try this one out honestly. I could careless where my money goes as long as I'm drinking a good beer. If this one is worth buying, I'll buy it.

Airborneguy said:

Can't wait to try this one out honestly. I could careless where my money goes as long as I'm drinking a good beer. If this one is worth buying, I'll buy it.

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It's not that bad really! I just felt it tasted similar to Budweiser. It's beer, it has alcohol, it's new, and again it's beer. Try it

BeerAbs said:

It's not that bad really! I just felt it tasted similar to Budweiser. It's beer, it has alcohol, it's new, and again it's beer. Try it

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Personally, I think they are going for the Budweiser taste. If it was too different, the diehards would reject it like American Ale. It's all part of a long range plan.

I will make sure to avoid if it tastes like budweiser.

It is the project 12 LA beer. Budweiser’s Black Crown Wins Project 12 Competition, and as I wrote in my review of the Project 12 beer, I found it extremely tasty, and much more enjoyable than their regular offerings which I don't like. Nice body, good mouthfeel, a full flavor, and doesn't leave me feeling like I have to brush my teeth after drinking one.

Just like any other beer that I enjoy, I'll buy them when the mood strikes me.

I'm drinking Black Crown now. Doesn't taste anything like regular Bud to me. The mouthfeel is much more ale like, seems to have less carbonation. There is a hint of caramel and very slight toast. Nothing special, but definitely different from Bud.

I broke down an bought a sixer of this the other day on a whim...I can echo many of the statements here...there's a bud-like quality, but it definitely has a more robust taste, as well mouthfeel and body than regular budweiser. I can't say I'd drink it frequently, but it would be picked above any of the other light lagers if it was the only other option...

As for the commercials during the Super Bowl...sucked! They should've had the Clydesdale bit as the first commercial and put the Black Crown one later on...

F*** craft beer! This Black Crown is so good that it's gonna be my go-to beer from now on!!!

Anybody want my fridge full of Deschutes, Russian River, HUB, Heddy Topper, Cascade sours, and Cantillon?

Piratwolf said:

F*** craft beer! This Black Crown is so good that it's gonna be my go-to beer from now on!!!

Anybody want my fridge full of Deschutes, Russian River, HUB, Heddy Topper, Cascade sours, and Cantillon?

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This sounds legit.

Signed,
Lennay Kekua

neko said:

They are probably a little scared after the slow moving American Ale.

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They should be. Their American Ale was a piss-poor attempt at an ale. I assumed that they asked their brewers to come up with something to compete with the craft brews, then, when they got something half decent, they decided it had too much taste for a mainstream market and it was too expensive, so they used cheaper ingredients and cut down on the hops.

I've never had an American Ale made by a home brewer that was anywhere near that bad.

Piratwolf said:

F*** craft beer! This Black Crown is so good that it's gonna be my go-to beer from now on!!!

Anybody want my fridge full of Deschutes, Russian River, HUB, Heddy Topper, Cascade sours, and Cantillon?

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Can't you have both? I do....In fact I'm drinking the last black crown I had in my fridge, and kinda wishing I had a few more, even though my fridge and my keezer is filled with all sorts of different beers, some my own. It's hitting the spot for what I'm in the mood for right now.

Just like any beer has it's place. Why can't it ever be about the pure enjoyment of a beer, and not who makes it? OR why can't we celebrate the fact that for once a mega brewery actually made something that some of us diehard craft beer geeks may actually enjoy drinking. I'm kinda marveling at the fact that something with the name Budweiser is actually given me drinking pleasure, considering it was at least 20 years before they came out with Bud American Ale...that was the first time I spent any money on an Anheiser Bush product since I was underage and spat it out. Doesn't mean I like Bud or Bud Light....but this is a decent beer. Especially since it comes from them.


Have you even tried it or are you just being snarky?

SteveM said:

They should be. Their American Ale was a piss-poor attempt at an ale. I assumed that they asked their brewers to come up with something to compete with the craft brews, then, when they got something half decent, they decided it had too much taste for a mainstream market and it was too expensive, so they used cheaper ingredients and cut down on the hops.

I've never had an American Ale made by a home brewer that was anywhere near that bad.

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yeah, i guess a bigger beer would mean lower profits, so bud just keeps puttin out the same ole fizzy yellows
you would think that they could accpet a lower profit on a new bigger beer just to protect some market share
craft beers are obviously growing steadily. some chain restaurant bars even carry one now and then. unheard of ten years ago
btw, i dont think that budweiser's brewers are at all less talented or knowledgable than some of the countrys BEST craft brewers... theyre just shackled by the goal of maximizing profit. kinda sad.
just imagine what budwesier COULD put out of they set their mind to it

I tried it on draft at Mellow Mushroom. Haven't had it from a bottle but the draft incarnation had hints of banana in the aroma. Not like hefeweizen banana, but like cheap banana popsicle banana. Needless to say, I wasn't impressed.

stevo4361 said:

Guinness black lager is OK, smooth lager with a bit of toasted barley flavor. Went down good on New Year's Eve.

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That's what she said!

Revvy said:

Have you even tried it or are you just being snarky?

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Sorry--I was being snarky, but purely for the fun of it. I have no real stance on the BMC, mostly b/c 90-95% of the beer I drink is mine. If it gets in my path and there's nothing else, I'll try Black Crown some day.

I haven't bought Black Crown because the price ($1/beer) is on-par with SNPA where I shop. I'm not a huge fan of SNPA, but I generally like it better than Busch if I'm at a bar.

Carver said:

I tried it on draft at Mellow Mushroom. Haven't had it from a bottle but the draft incarnation had hints of banana in the aroma. Not like hefeweizen banana, but like cheap banana popsicle banana. Needless to say, I wasn't impressed.

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Sounds like dirty lines or an infection because there's absolutely nothing like any of that in the normal flavor profile.

I bought a 12 pack right after I heard about it and wasn't really impressed. For the price there are other beers I'd rather have. It mostly resembles a yuengling to me.

Whippy said:

Thanks, I'll probably try a bottle if I can find it in singles. I've not had Guinness black lager yet either...which would you say is better?

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Guiness Black Lager is absolutely terrible. Rumor has it they are going to discontinue it due to lack of sales. It is the most watered down garbage of a black lager you can find. Save yourself the aggravation and buy what they do best, stouts.

NewJersey said:

y
craft beers are obviously growing steadily. some chain restaurant bars even carry one now and then. unheard of ten years ago
btw, i dont think that budweiser's brewers are at all less talented or knowledgable than some of the countrys BEST craft brewers... theyre just shackled by the goal of maximizing profit. kinda sad.
just imagine what budwesier COULD put out of they set their mind to it

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Chains: Pizzeria Uno is freaking beer heaven! We have no shortage of great brew pubs and beer joints in Philly, of course, but an Uno is five minutes from my house and they have Green Flash IPA on tap almost all the time.

Bud's brewers: Fully agree. I don't doubt that they have enormously talented brewers pm board. I wonder if any of them prowl this forum.