How to make a BMC beer

I found the perfect way for people looking to make beer identical to Bud, Miller and Coors.

Brewhouse Mexican Cerveza tasts exactly like bud...... if you are in to that sort of thing.

I think you're on the wrong forum
I doubt many of us drink bud. It's why we homebrew

Hang Glider said:

I think you're on the wrong forum
I doubt many of us drink bud. It's why we homebrew

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But actually, around here, we don't trash those who choose to drink it OR who try to brew what is one of the most difficult styles of beer to brew.....

There's actually several threads that discuss how to brew a light lager...and even BYO magazine and Basic Brewing has tackled it...
Granted it's not many of our cups of tea...but it IS a challenge and a great growth as a brewer to be able to master the skills neessary to pull it off...

FENMan this is one of the threads if you are intersted....I think orfy has a sticky on it as well.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f37/budweiser-clone-105423/

I'll have to brew some for my sister-in-law... I hate wasting my Stouts on people who would rather drink BMC

Thanks for posting on this forum, otherwise I would have never known.... and we know what GI Joe said

Way to go Revvy! It's about time someone said it! I'm sick of people getting attacked when they ask about making an American Pilisner. Every once in a while it come up and people say, "it's not worth home brewing, just go out and buy a pack." I can think of several good reason why someone might want to brew the style themselves.

1) Cost. I estimate a person could do an all grain batch for under $15. Good luck finding two cases of beer for under $15.
2) Testing your brewing skills.
3) So you have something to give people when they ask if you make any light beers.

I drink Bud Light and make award winning homebrew

AZ_IPA said:

I drink Bud Light and make award winning homebrew

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How did that feel?

JohnnyO said:

How did that feel?

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pretty good. in fact, I was drinking Bud Light when I made my award winning home brew

yeah, i drink BMC beer, i just probably wont ever brew it because they all taste the same to me, and are cheaper than homebrew anyway. Might try that olde english clone recipe floating around to satisfy teh buddies someday, though...

FenMan said:

I found the perfect way for people looking to make beer identical to Bud, Miller and Coors.

Brewhouse Mexican Cerveza tasts exactly like bud...... if you are in to that sort of thing.

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Started two of these very kits (Brew House Mexican Cerveza) tonight for two separate friends who have tasted it and really like it (the first two brews I've done for somebody other than myself, as a matter of fact). The cerveza is not something I am planning to make for myself, but it's a good beer to drink very cold on a hot day. I encourage folks to try new beers (mostly around here trying to move people away from very light coloured commercial stuff) but I don't look down at those who have found what they like and stick to it. I love brown ale but am not a huge fan of stout; I appreciate that stout drinkers don't denigrate my choice of brews!

AZ_IPA said:

I drink Bud Light and make award winning homebrew

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Why????????

Theres nothing like a fresh bong of natural light on the beach to get the juices flowin!!!

I frequently brew a cream ale to have on tap for when I have guests that prefer the BMC. I also enjoy it myself. There always seems to be this snobbery from people when someone wants to replicate BMC or they say they drink it. Unfortunately BMC is what the majority of people prefer and what most of us drank in the beginning. I occasionally drink these beers because most of my buddies only have them available. It just makes me appreciate my beer more, and a major reason why I drink is to get a buzz.

I have been known to drink a BMC or two now and again.

PBR is some good stuff, and so too was the old Schlitz of days gone by.

While BMC is flavorless in the grand scheme of styles, it's a refreshing beverage. BMC remains about 10% of my overall beer consumption.

I don't like that BMC, I do not like it, it tastes like pee.

Seriously, to each their own. I would however suggest that the average BMC drinker could be easily swayed to drinking something like a pale ale, or California Common. I'm willing to bet that half wouldn't be the wiser if you told them it was a BMC clone.

ezboarderz said:

Why????????

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because if I drank 16 homebrews I'd die. 16 bud lights and I'm fine

I made a batch of BrewHouse Mexican Cerveza with Wyeast 2112. I'm drinking it now. It's quite good.

ezboarderz said:

Why????????

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Why what? Why does your avatar suck?

I have been working on lagers now thats it summer and too hot in my house to have any control over my ferm temps. So my first show was a BMC clone. Just about 40% of the grist was flaked rice and Flaked corn. So cheap to make, my color and alcohol came out darker and stronger because I over boiled. But I light, underhopped ales that I try to keep on hand for my BMC friends.
**** I was a die hard Blue Light drinker for years!!.

AZ_IPA said:

pretty good. in fact, I was drinking Bud Light when I made my award winning home brew

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Ha ha me and a buddy made the mistake of getting a 30 pack of Lebatt figuring we could drink more of it during brew day without getting drunk. I will never do that again, we didnt get drunk and had to use the bathroom every 10 min. or so while we were brewing.

I drink Coors light because for me it is the best of the three. I drink it because I don't like getting trashed every night. I brew yellow ales because I love yellow beers. I figure that it's a good thing that my palate isn't as sensitive or refined as other who know what good beer tastes like because I spend a lot less money making what I like. At some point I want to try lagering a BMC type beer because I know it will be much better than the real thing. It will have that full, robust, unfiltered flavor that I have come to love in the beer I make.

If I am cornered with a gun to my head I would drink Budweiser over the other two. On draft on a hot day its not that bad, but I really have more fun drinking almost anything else.

However I think the thread using natural light as the "Water" kind of spells out how great American light lagers are.

FenMan said:

I found the perfect way for people looking to make beer identical to Bud, Miller and Coors.

Brewhouse Mexican Cerveza tastes exactly like bud...... if you are in to that sort of thing.

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I have always thought corona tastes like a skunked bud light. I tend to stay away from both at this point, unless I've had tequila and then there will be corona........................





...........and then there will be vomit

I find it funny how defensive BMC drinkers get. It's almost as if they have to justify their tastes to others. I mean, insulting another poster's avatar, that is just silly.

Fine. You enjoy the watered-down, mass-produced, yellow, fizzy stuff. Your choice. You like drinkability, triple hop brewing, and cold as the Rockies refreshment. To each his own. Just don't be surprised that homebrewers who endeavor to make flavorful and complex beers question why?

If it isn't free, I don't drink BMC, especially BMC lite. I've never purchased a BMC lite for my personal consumption. I just don't like it.

Does that make me superior? No, there are dozens of other reasons for that.

Budweiser with spicy food works fine for me. Most ethnic restaurants that offer a beer made in the country of their cuisine are really offering another mass-produced lager; the Bud is usually cheaper and works well with the food. I've done side-by-sides with my buddies, and the tastes are almost indistinguishable. Also hits the spot on a hot day. Not my favorite, but I do enjoy it once in a while- about as often as I enjoy a Guinness.

I'm OK with a light beer if its hot. Yesterday in DSM it was 108F with the heat index. Drank a few after mowing the grass and it was pretty thirst quenching. Miller Lite Trippple-hoppped with Sorachi Ace. Has a nice lemonish hop taste.

I've been making a miller lite clone for a few batches. Here are two reasons;Number two is the main reason. I can have two beers with lunch and be 100% good to go as far as getting behind the wheel, if necessary. I try to avoid doing so even after 1 beer. I usually make plans to avoid this as a judgment call.

The few MLC's that I have made are REALLY tripple hopped so they are light dry and hoppy beers.

My MLC is in the recipe drop down. So far no takers in the thread.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f62/miller-lite-really-triple-hopped-123937/

I think there are quite a few of us that do not drink BMC because of the companies behind it and not because of the taste. I don't want to support businesses that are not support who we are, homebrewers. When was the last time you saw anything relating budweiser to the craft scene and trying to improve beer in our world?

They are the bullies in the beer world and I don't feel like fueling their mayhem.

humann_brewing said:

I think there are quite a few of us that do not drink BMC because of the companies behind it and not because of the taste. I don't want to support businesses that are not support who we are, homebrewers. When was the last time you saw anything relating budweiser to the craft scene and trying to improve beer in our world?

They are the bullies in the beer world and I don't feel like fueling their mayhem.

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Yes, you are right! They make beer that appeals to the masses and that is difficult to do over and over w/o a variation in taste. Need process control and the associated technology.

The alot people hate them for the same reason they hate wal-mart. Big business that has a predatory-like reputation on smaller businesses. Not to mention the dumbing down of beer for commercial sake too.

Last Sunday I was roofing the new gazebo and I have to admit that the 2 or 3 Coors lite's afterwords tasted great .. But then so did the kegged Hefe beer later that day . All beer has its time and place I sure as hell wouldn't have liked a pint or 2 of my smoked porter after roofing . So say what you will there will always be BMC at my house.

I personally cannot drink any Budweiser beers instant headache. But Miller, Michelob and Coors no problem

Commercially produced American Pilsners cater to a wide range of tastes and do a pretty great job of it. This is a style that as a homebrewer you know you have to be spot on. Your little "mistakes" will be very evident. So many times we can miss a mash temp, ferment a little high on different brews and it isn't noticed. Try that with a BMC clone. I personally don't care for going out and buying BMC but I've visited the Coors plant in golden many times and have never turned down the free ones. Oh and BTW, does anyone have an idea how long I should leave my carboy out in the sun? Can't quite dial in that corona taste.

Well, of course it's difficult to reproduce. The scale, equipment, and process BMC uses pretty much ensures that. Making an exact copy of Kraft Mac and Cheese from scratch is difficult, too. That's really not an issue. The question a lot of us have is why would you go through the effort of trying to brew something you wouldn't want to spend money on?

As for the beer after roofing/yard work/logging, if a buddy walked up with a cooler full of BMC and SNPA and said, "Thanks for your help, which do you want?", who goes for the BMC?

beerkrump said:

As for the beer after roofing/yard work/logging, if a buddy walked up with a cooler full of BMC and SNPA and said, "Thanks for your help, which do you want?", who goes for the BMC?

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As in to take away ? The SNPA but to just have a few the BMC then the SNPA after .

Well there was Goose Island IPA and Ommagang Vous in the cooler too and I picked the Coor's . They were drunk at a later time after the shower

I believe the issue is in fact that we all have tastes in regards to beer. Otherwise, we would perhaps have a BJCP style guide that only consists of a few styles rather than the wide variety that it does. The analogy that you gave caters to the beer connoisseur. Chances are you are right. I myself would pick the Pale ale. However, if you presented the same scenario at say......a football game, nascar event, etc... Statistically you would have more people choose the BMC.

springer said:

I personally cannot drink any Budweiser beers instant headache. But Miller, Michelob and Coors no problem

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Yeah I've noticed the same thing. Especially Bud Light. Budweiser too, but not as much. But I can drink Natural Light or Busch/Busch Light.. other beers that they make and it doesn't give me a headache at all. Well I take that back, Natural Ice - that beer gives me a headache everytime too.

Anyway... back on the subject of making a BMC beer. If you look on AB's websites about their beers where they talk about their hops they mention they grow their own hops but they also mention Hallertau and Cascade hops by name, and at one time they mentioned that their hops were grown in the Willamette valley which led me to believe that there might be some Willamette hops in there as well. I've made a few lagers with Willamettes that turned out well and had the similar kind of hoppiness you'd expect from Budweiser. I've had good luck with a Sterling/Liberty, Sterling/MtHood, and Sterling/Crystal combinations as well. But I think the easiest way to get the hoppiness aspect of the beer similar to Bud type beers is 1/2oz Perle pellets at 50 minutes for bittering with no other additions at all - no flavor, no aroma - just 1/2oz Perle at 50 minutes.

Also I think when you try and make a BMC similar beer, its easy to make the beer to big, or to have better than expected efficiency and end up with a beer thats too big.

1.5# 2 Row, 2.5# 6 Row, 3# Flaked Rice @ 147F for 60 minutes with 90% efficency will get you right at .043 -- and thats already on the big end of where you want to start if you try and make a BMC beer.

If you do extract beers, there've been a few kits I've done that came real close to BMC when done with a Lager type yeast like w34-70. Cooper's Canadian Blonde made with a kilo of rice syrup solids came out like a Michelob light. And also, Munton's Light American Lager made with a 1# rice syrup solids, and 1# dextrose came out very much like a BMC type light beer. And Cooper's Draught made with Dextrose is nearly identical to Miller Genuine Draft.

beerkrump said:

As for the beer after roofing/yard work/logging, if a buddy walked up with a cooler full of BMC and SNPA and said, "Thanks for your help, which do you want?", who goes for the BMC?

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definitely the BMC

now go out to dinner or something where I want to eat something and relax, maybe I'll have a SNPA but when you just want to stand around and shoot the ****, or do yard work, or boat and fish, situation where I want to drink 10-12 instead of 1-2 then yeah, I will take a BMC type beer every time

Catch-22 said:

I believe the issue is in fact that we all have tastes in regards to beer. Otherwise, we would perhaps have a BJCP style guide that only consists of a few styles rather than the wide variety that it does. The analogy that you gave caters to the beer connoisseur. Chances are you are right. I myself would pick the Pale ale. However, if you presented the same scenario at say......a football game, nascar event, etc... Statistically you would have more people choose the BMC.

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I'd probably pick SNPA too- I rarely bypass a good ale for a BMC, but I don't mind drinking it when the situation dictates it. I think the only objection I have to the anger some direct toward BMC is that it seems to bring into question the intelligence of people who drink that stuff, the people who have the gall to not be interested in beer the way we are. I don't think you're doing that at all here, mind you, so don't read this as an attack on your post- just reflecting. I'm working on a Ph.D. right now, and it's similar in the academy, where people grow frustrated with folks who don't share their singular obsession with their field, and eventually put themselves and their preferences on a moral pedestal. That's dangerous stuff, and it sneaks up on you, but it's not a helpful way to think. So yeah, I almost always drink flavorful, full-bodied ales, but I also drink cheap wine and drive an inexpensive car. Don't tell anyone.

Mutilated1 said:

1.5# 2 Row, 2.5# 6 Row, 3# Flaked Rice @ 147F for 60 minutes with 90% efficency will get you right at .043 -- and thats already on the big end of where you want to start if you try and make a BMC beer.

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Just add to that. Do a 90 minute boil, but add the hops at 60 as Mutilated suggests. The longer boil removes more DMS. Also use 1 tsp. Amylase enzyme (AE) when you rack to your secondary. It will make your beer dry as a frickin' bone and hide the corn adjunct flavor. Expect FG 1.000. You want the beer pretty much dry as can be to hide those other dextrines. BTW - It also bumps the ABV up a bit! :rockin:

I have used AE in 4 beer now made with corn. The difference is quite telling from primary to 2ndary. AE is super damn cheap too.

elkdog said:

I'd probably pick SNPA too- I rarely bypass a good ale for a BMC, but I don't mind drinking it when the situation dictates it. I think the only objection I have to the anger some direct toward BMC is that it seems to bring into question the intelligence of people who drink that stuff, the people who have the gall to not be interested in beer the way we are. I don't think you're doing that at all here, mind you, so don't read this as an attack on your post- just reflecting. I'm working on a Ph.D. right now, and it's similar in the academy, where people grow frustrated with folks who don't share their singular obsession with their field, and eventually put themselves and their preferences on a moral pedestal. That's dangerous stuff, and it sneaks up on you, but it's not a helpful way to think. So yeah, I almost always drink flavorful, full-bodied ales, but I also drink cheap wine and drive an inexpensive car. Don't tell anyone.

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None taken. My point was that these beers are so ingrained in who we are as a society that they define us. They are truly America's contribution to the beer world. American Lagers are enjoyed around the world.

BTW - Right now I'm drinking my Miller Lite Clone made with Sorachi Ace. Damned tasty since it wacked out with late & dry hops.