Support Brian's Belly by purchasing through these links.
Stop the World
Rated 6.77 by 52 Beer Drinkers.
Rate & Post A Comment Below.
Anheuser World Select
By Big Belly Brian Bailey
I spent a large part of my Fourth of July day hanging out in a terrific dive on the beach in Santa Monica. The place had no liquor. It was strictly a beer only proposition. All day long shirtless roller bladers and bikini’d sun worshippers filled the place around me.
It was the perfect time to try a new brew. A brew proclaimed by its brewers to be one of the finest beers in the world. Some of you in select locations, major cities, etc. may have begun to see the billboards and print ads- and I'm sure that television spots are sure to follow. Because of this rollout, I heard myself utter, "Let me try the Anheuser World Select, please."
World Select is the newest brew from Anheuser Busch, touted as "a classic, pilsner-style beer with a taste that features a distinctive hop note and full malt flavor." The brew masters tapped to craft this beer hail from these 10 countries – Ireland, Spain, Italy, Korea, Japan, Canada, China, Argentina, UK and the United States. More info is available in this thread in the Brian's Belly Bar and this news item in the Belly News.
But back to the beach. I hoped this was about to be a special moment. When the bottle arrived I immediately thought this would be a hearty drink. The green bottle is unique and sturdy, painted with gold leaf lettering. It also weighs more that most bottles I’ve held. Therefore I figured the beer held inside would be sturdy as well.
I must admit though, since this was a product of Adolphus Busch IV or whatever number they’re up to, I was afraid World Select might taste a little like a Budweiser.
It did.
Sort of.
I tried the wine taster’s technique of drawing air across the liquid as it rests on your tongue. It helps to broaden the flavor pallet of the drink, allowing the taster to experience the full rush of goodness. Well, the beer was cold, thankfully since it was hotter than a MF’er this 4th of July. And it wasn’t unpleasant. It did smack of being somewhat lighter than a Bud but ten times better than a Bud Light. In the background of this ultra-dry brew was a bitterness that reminded me of Bud Ice. It had a faint malt aroma and taste, albeit slight. The alcohol by volume comes in at 5%.
The bottle and packaging are designed to look like an import, hoping to attract a discriminating crowd- perhaps even to steal drinkers from other imported pilsners without hurting A-B's own sales. But in fact, World Select is a domestic beer, imported all the way from Anheuser-Busch's New York brewery. It may surprise you to learn that the green glass is a step down from the amber/brown glass of its older brother Budweiser. It allows more light to get at the beer which can change its composition- so the darker the bottle the better. Case in point, the word "skunked" is always instantly synonymous with Heineken and even several other green-bottled beers. And yes, clear bottles are the worst thing for beer.
So this is basically what we have in World Select. It is the All-Star Team of the Budweiser league. I didn’t love it, but I certainly didn’t hate it. Regular Budweiser drinkers may consider this a black-tie beer for special occasions, but ultimately this might be a beer that you will just have to try for yourself.
When the bartender came around for my next order, I heard myself utter, "Yeah, give me a Michelob Light." [Editor's Note: Mich Light? California is changing you man- leave before you're washing down fish tacos with Michelob Ultra in West Hollywood.] Like I said, I didn’t love it. And it was going to be a long day at the beach.
Ah, heaven.
Rated 6.77 by 52 Beer Drinkers.
Add Your Own Comment There are 49 Drinker Comments - Last 10 Displayed
5Scrappy» This is the second best thing A-B has to offer, the first being Mic-Ultra. Everything this company makes is pretty much macro-brewed swill except these two. 7Manase» As reviewed, it's not the greatest beer but by Busch standards it is definitely the best of their brands offered. 0LoveBeer» Clearly a rip-off of Heineken. Funny how someone who loves Bud hates Heineken. Outside of the US Bud products are about as popular as cat-piss. Heineken on the otherhand is appreciated for what it is by beer lovers around the world. 1T» Better than Bud/Bud Light, but thats not saying much. Recommend drinking through a beer-bong. 9Brian The Pappy» Gooc all on the pretetntious, Hollywood (redundant) cocksuckers. I tried originally in October 2003 and made sure the retailers kept it circulation. Quite unfortuantely, I haven't seen it in a quantity larger than 6-pack=( 9Mark» Had World Select a couple of weeks ago and really enjoyed it. Full bodied lager with an import taste but with out the skunk. It's hard to find. 2Hank» Budweiser Select. Instant taste of leaf soaked water. Was that hops? The next flavor was....nothing...no flavor at all! Too high of a alchohol% for low cal.Guzzler swill. 3BillK» Still taste like it came from those Clydesdales in the Bud Commericals...*puke* 9Bud Man» I liked this beer, a lot. I agree its a cross between bud and heineken, but its good, clean, and refreshing. Further, Heineken sucks. 6Clyde S. Dales» I've had it on tap, I've had it from a 12 oz bottle. Beer tastes better when decanted from large volume containers and this one is no exception. Is that RICE I taste in there???
Key:9 Rating RED» Guests GREEN» Registered Buddy
Rate It:
Name (optional):
Comment (max 250 char, optional):
In order to post a comment, you must also supply a name.
