REVIEW 100: BUD LIGHT

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:  USA

BREWERY:  Anheuser-Busch

STYLE:  Light Lager

ABV:  4.2%

PURCHASE:  Case of 24 12-oz. bottles, $20.99

SERVING:  12-oz. bottle, poured into pint glass. Fluffy two-inch head from a normal pour; a hair under an inch with a slow one. Retention is by no means remarkable but better than you'd expect.

APPEARANCE:  Very pale straw color with a standard white head. Active bubbling. Lacing is MIA. Take away the head and the bubbles, and this could pass for a urine sample.

BOUQUET:  Clean as a whistle. Although to be fair, I haven't smelled a whistle in quite some time.

PALATE:  Has the carbonation of watered-down club soda. EXTREMELY "drinkable"--no wonder so many meatheads and sorostitutes get drunk off this. Light beer can be sneaky like that. As far as taste goes, well, it works. There's not much to say. Generic grains seem to "characterize" the somewhat sweet mouthfeel. Hops are barely noticeable, and only if you have an educated palate. Seltzery and slightly yeasty aftertaste. Hardly tastes like beer, but I give it credit for being agreeable. The best part of my experience tonight was . . . the label! "Always brewed using the choicest hops, best barley, and rice." (Italics are mine.) At least A-B is honest about the adjuncts!

MUSINGS AND METAPHORS:  In my opinion, the best of the Big Three light beers, by a thread. What an honor.





GRADE:  D