During my hunt for the absolutely delicious Founders All Day IPA, I saw that Total Wine in Cherry Hill, NJ was selling singles of the Budweiser Black Crown. Since I was curious to see what this beer is all about, I decided to pick up a bottle as part of a mixed six pack.
Here’s what Budweiser has to say about their Black Crown:
Budweiser Black Crown is a new 6% ABV golden amber lager chosen by you, the people. Rooted in Budweiser’s rich heritage and authenticity, it delivers a smooth and distinct flavor you’ve come to expect from the King of Beers. Brewed with toasted caramel malt and a variety of American Hops, this drinkable golden amber lager is finished over beechwood chips for a smooth and distinctive flavor. Join the conversation now with #TasteIs.
Let’s find out if Budweiser brewed up something special…
- Appearance: Crystal clear amber color. Quite the noisy pour! All of that pop pop fizz fizz makes it sound like I’m filling my glass with seltzer. Zero head and zero lacing.
- Aroma: It even smells like seltzer! Actually, it smells like a Yuengling Spritzer. I guess it smells kinda malty and sweet, but that would be quite a stretch.
- Taste: Watery mouthfeel and light carbonation. Would it have killed them to add some hoppy bitterness? Talk about an unbalanced beer! All I’m getting from start to finish is bland malt. And the aftertaste reminds me of wet cardboard. Let me clarify. This is what I imagine cardboard would taste like if you let it steep in stagnant water for 7 days.
- ABV: 6.0%
McDonald’s hamburgers. Cheetohs. Kraft Mac and Cheese. Instant Ramen Noodles. Hamburger flavored Doritos. Many of us would classify these foods as craptastic, i.e. so so bad, yet so so good (especially late at night and with a bit of buzz going on). I wish this beer fell into the craptastic category. What we have here is a beer that is so bland and flavorless that I wish it were awful enough to be considered craptastic. Bud Black Crown bored me to tears and almost put me to sleep. I never thought I’d say this, but this beer is making me crave a Leinenkugel Summer Shandy. Now I just need to find a snack that will get this awful taste out of my mouth!
But wait! There’s more…
If you’d like to read a bit more about this beer, click the following links:
- “Proof that Budweiser REALLY Wants You to Love Black Crown” by Jim of the Beer & Whiskey Bros. blog
- “Budweiser Bares it All with Black Crown (or is it Black Clown?)” by The Alemonger
And just to be fair, here’s a Bud drinker’s opinion about the Budweiser Black Crown:
