In a little less than two weeks the nation and world will focus their attention on one of the most watched events of the year – the Super Bowl. This year the gridiron action will be played out in New Orleans between the Baltimore Ravens and the San Francisco 49ers. But, for many, the commercials are just as much a part of the show as the game itself. Traditionally one of the biggest advertisers for the game has been Anheuser-Busch. This year, the brewing company will be introducing a new beer that has sprung from their Project 12 that began a year ago.
The goal of Project 12 was for each of the brewmasters at Anheuser-Busch’s breweries to add their own twist to the traditional Budweiser recipe. The top three of the resulting brews were released in November of 2012 in a special limited release 12-pack. From those three brews the company asked its consumers to select their favorite. The winner was the brew created by Los Angeles brewmaster Bryan Sullivan in collaboration with Fairfield, Calif., brewmaster Scott Ungermann and Houston brewmaster Dave Cohen to perfect the recipe. The brew was the crowd favorite among the more than 25,000 adult drinkers from coast to coast who participated in the brand’s Project 12 sampling initiative.
Called Budweiser Black Crown, the new beer is brewed with caramel malts to give the beer its deep amber color and amped up body. The hop character of this brew is also pumped up a bit through the use of four varieties of hops. The aroma is of Budweiser with a slightly more pronounced malt characteristic. The flavor is that of an amber lager through and through with sweet caramel malts and a tease of hops at the end. The finish is classic Bud; crisp and clean with a slight, lingering sweet aftertaste.
In a press release, Rob McCarthy, vice president of Budweiser said, “It didn’t matter where in the United States we asked, this is the beer that consistently drew the best feedback, and overwhelmingly so.”
McCarthy also said Budweiser Black Crown will debut a TV spot during the Super Bowl XLVII broadcast. “We’ve set our sales-to-retailers date for Jan. 21 so we’re fully ready for sales on Super Bowl Sunday.
The new brew features a slightly higher alcohol content than Budweiser and a distinctive new taste. “As brewmasters we spend most of our time in the brewhouse.” Sullivan said. “Project 12 gave us a chance to hear firsthand from the people we brew our beers for. Budweiser Black Crown is a great beer and it is a thrill for our whole brewing team to see it launch with a Super Bowl spot.”
If your Super Bowl party plans call for a easily accessible American lager, Budweiser Black Crown could be the brew for you. It is familiar enough to your Bud-drinking guests that it will not run them off and yet is different enough to be unique.
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