Budweiser wrong to go for ‘authenticity’
‘American Magazine described it as “so inferior [that] St Louis rowdies were known to project mouthfuls of it back over the bar.”’
– Philip Van Munching, Beer Blast
News that Anheuser-Busch is to rebrand its Budweiser as an authentic quality beer will surprise many as Budweiser is a tribute to great marketing rather than brewing craft.
This is why the brewer created Busch Gardens and not Anheuser Gardens.
According to Van Munching’s excellent history of brewing in the US, Eberhard Anheuser (the brewer in the Anheuser-Busch partnership) stood up in court and admitted he’d never actually tasted a Budweiser (which is a beer type, akin to Pilsner). Beers are brewed to the same basic recipe (although Anheuser-Busch chuck some rice into the mash) and the brewer must constantly tinker in order to match each brew to the last. Anheuser could not have brewed an authentic Budweiser, as he had never tasted one. But Adolphus Busch was a truly great marketing man.
Much better to stick to the fresh ‘born on’ message that truly differentiates Anheuser-Busch Budweiser from the many products with genuine claims to a brewing heritage and tradition.
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