FARK.com: (7621825) NPR tests say Budweiser is not watered down, just tastes that way

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		NPR tests say Budweiser is not watered down, just tastes that way (npr.org)		70
		More: Followup, NPR, American craft, The Salts, Student's t-test, Anheuser-Busch InBev

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downstairs		2013-03-02 12:08:21 PM

TFA: When told that a lab commission by NPR had tested several Budweiser samples and found them to match their labeled alcohol content, Boxer dismissed our test results, confident that when he gets his hands on Anheuser-Busch's internal testing, he'll still have a strong case.

Wait. So he's going to dismiss a third-party result, confident that internal testing by the company he's suing is going to be MORE accurate? Grasping at straws, there...

JasonOfOrillia		2013-03-02 12:49:13 PM

I figured this was the case. I'm sure it was just Budweiser trying to broaden its appeal.

LDM90		2013-03-02 12:49:24 PM

xsarien		2013-03-02 12:50:29 PM

From TFA
"How would you feel if you paid premium prices for premium gas and were told that in fact, they were giving you the low-grade gas?"

Friend, when you're talking about Budweiser there are just some metaphors that you should think more carefully about using...

Enigmamf		2013-03-02 12:50:30 PM

I pointed out on a thread on Reddit that Budweiser, at 5%, has more alcohol than the top selling beers in England (Carling, 4.1%) and Australia (VB, 4.6% IIRC). Even Bud Light at 4.2% is stronger than England's top selling.

meat0918		2013-03-02 12:50:38 PM

r1niceboy		2013-03-02 12:50:50 PM

At Thunderhead brewery in Kearney, nebraska, they used to have a Russian barman. When anyone would ask him if they had Bud light, he'd dip a glass into the rinse water, and give them that. The man was a hero.

duffblue		2013-03-02 12:51:39 PM

I don't mind budweiser or mgd when I'm working on my car or something but I tend to save the good stuff for a snifter in the evening. Nothing wrong with those types of beers. There's plenty of selection out there if you don't like them.

picturescrazy		2013-03-02 12:53:29 PM

I thought it was 6%? In any case while Budweiser may lack flavor, it definitely gets the job done for people looking to get drunk.

Parthenogenetic		2013-03-02 12:57:32 PM

downstairs: TFA: When told that a lab commission by NPR had tested several Budweiser samples and found them to match their labeled alcohol content, Boxer dismissed our test results, confident that when he gets his hands on Anheuser-Busch's internal testing, he'll still have a strong case.

Wait. So he's going to dismiss a third-party result, confident that internal testing by the company he's suing is going to be MORE accurate? Grasping at straws, there...

I refuse to believe anything from NPR, as it is an ultraliberal Marxist propaganda machine, which gets 110% of its funding from taxes stolen from job creators. (They embezzle the extra 10% for limousines, Iranian caviar, and speech lessons for Diane Rehm.)

No doubt they are trying to undermine confidence in American beers, like Budweiser, in favor of froo-froo homosexual foreign beers like Stella Artois (from Belgium), Löwenbräu (from Germany), or Corona (from Mexico). They probably used science, which has a known liberal bias. I sure hope Fox and Friends does their own testing, with science-free methodology, so we know it can be trusted.

Munchkin City Coroner		2013-03-02 12:58:07 PM

Want stronger beer? Just add vodak.

drjekel_mrhyde		2013-03-02 12:58:11 PM

Drinking one now.
/May have runny shiats later, but what the hell

Doink_Boink		2013-03-02 01:01:36 PM

...as Coors Light slowly backs out of the room.

The AlbinoSaxon		2013-03-02 01:02:34 PM

[Obvious]

Oldiron_79		2013-03-02 01:03:32 PM

So NPR is now a schill for Anheiser- Busch?

Smackledorfer		2013-03-02 01:05:05 PM

Enigmamf: I pointed out on a thread on Reddit that Budweiser, at 5%, has more alcohol than the top selling beers in England (Carling, 4.1%) and Australia (VB, 4.6% IIRC). Even Bud Light at 4.2% is stronger than England's top selling.

Newcastle has 4.7 and is delicious while still not being too heavy for a hot summer day. I'll accept the penalty of drinking less than 10% more of them than Budweisers.

miniflea		2013-03-02 01:06:56 PM

I dislike the stuff as mush as the next snob, but it seems to me that when filing a class action lawsuit, one must have more evidence than a (from the article's explanation, clearly misunderstood) statement of an employee.

Enigmamf		2013-03-02 01:15:16 PM

Smackledorfer: Enigmamf: I pointed out on a thread on Reddit that Budweiser, at 5%, has more alcohol than the top selling beers in England (Carling, 4.1%) and Australia (VB, 4.6% IIRC). Even Bud Light at 4.2% is stronger than England's top selling.

Newcastle has 4.7 and is delicious while still not being too heavy for a hot summer day. I'll accept the penalty of drinking less than 10% more of them than Budweisers.

You don't get to pick-and-choose what the top selling beer in your homeland is. Your countrymen do that for you. And if Americans are going to get pegged with Bud on that basis, you should be judged on Carling.

jtown		2013-03-02 01:15:34 PM

LewDux		2013-03-02 01:16:48 PM

Tried DNA test yet?

cptjeff		2013-03-02 01:19:27 PM

miniflea: I dislike the stuff as mush as the next snob, but it seems to me that when filing a class action lawsuit, one must have more evidence than a (from the article's explanation, clearly misunderstood) statement of an employee.

Well, you don't have to have it when filing, though that's usually a pretty good idea. You usually need it to win a class action suit, though.

Derigiberble		2013-03-02 01:20:51 PM

InBev has been systematically changing their hops to less expensive varieties. Perhaps that could be the reason for a taste shift which some people perceive as being more watery?

Robo Beat		2013-03-02 01:22:09 PM

Five percent ABV? I would have thought it was half that.

NightOwl2255		2013-03-02 01:22:38 PM

r1niceboy: At Thunderhead brewery in Kearney, nebraska, they used to have a Russian barman. When anyone would ask him if they had Bud light, he'd dip a glass into the rinse water, and give them that. The man was a hero.

A man enters an establishment that sells a product, and orders a brand of that product, the largest selling band of that product in the country and the worker tries to humiliate that man, and that's the actions of a hero?

Here's a link to a pic of the taps at Thunderhead.
http://i.imgur.com/1yEH1.jpg

Notice the tap 7th from the right? Yeah, that's Coors Light. Either your story is, shall we say, an embellishment, or the bar man is an ass.

LDM90		2013-03-02 01:23:36 PM

Parthenogenetic: downstairs: TFA: When told that a lab commission by NPR had tested several Budweiser samples and found them to match their labeled alcohol content, Boxer dismissed our test results, confident that when he gets his hands on Anheuser-Busch's internal testing, he'll still have a strong case.

Wait. So he's going to dismiss a third-party result, confident that internal testing by the company he's suing is going to be MORE accurate? Grasping at straws, there...

I refuse to believe anything from NPR, as it is an ultraliberal Marxist propaganda machine, which gets 110% of its funding from taxes stolen from job creators. (They embezzle the extra 10% for limousines, Iranian caviar, and speech lessons for Diane Rehm.)

No doubt they are trying to undermine confidence in American beers, like Budweiser, in favor of froo-froo homosexual foreign beers like Stella Artois (from Belgium), Löwenbräu (from Germany), or Corona (from Mexico). They probably used science, which has a known liberal bias. I sure hope Fox and Friends does their own testing, with science-free methodology, so we know it can be trusted.

Ok I loled

cptjeff		2013-03-02 01:24:16 PM

Derigiberble: InBev has been systematically changing their hops to less expensive varieties. Perhaps that could be the reason for a taste shift which some people perceive as being more watery?

If you had the palate to detect a shift in the taste of Budweiser, wouldn't you be drinking something else?

Smackledorfer		2013-03-02 01:25:13 PM

Enigmamf: Smackledorfer: Enigmamf: I pointed out on a thread on Reddit that Budweiser, at 5%, has more alcohol than the top selling beers in England (Carling, 4.1%) and Australia (VB, 4.6% IIRC). Even Bud Light at 4.2% is stronger than England's top selling.

Newcastle has 4.7 and is delicious while still not being too heavy for a hot summer day. I'll accept the penalty of drinking less than 10% more of them than Budweisers.

You don't get to pick-and-choose what the top selling beer in your homeland is. Your countrymen do that for you. And if Americans are going to get pegged with Bud on that basis, you should be judged on Carling.

I'm not british, and not everyone in the world judges the salt of the earth cheap top-selling beers as the representation of quality in a country.

Nobody does that with any other product, I don't see why anyone pretends it makes sense with beer.

Hot Lunch		2013-03-02 01:25:43 PM

Smackledorfer: Enigmamf: I pointed out on a thread on Reddit that Budweiser, at 5%, has more alcohol than the top selling beers in England (Carling, 4.1%) and Australia (VB, 4.6% IIRC). Even Bud Light at 4.2% is stronger than England's top selling.

Newcastle has 4.7 and is delicious while still not being too heavy for a hot summer day. I'll accept the penalty of drinking less than 10% more of them than Budweisers.

You really enjoy a Newcastle on a hot summer day? I've always enjoyed it in cooler months, but maybe I'll have to give it another whirl this summer.

Of course, Magic Hat #9 is my summer go-to, and it's a tough habit to break

cptjeff		2013-03-02 01:28:49 PM

NightOwl2255: r1niceboy: At Thunderhead brewery in Kearney, nebraska, they used to have a Russian barman. When anyone would ask him if they had Bud light, he'd dip a glass into the rinse water, and give them that. The man was a hero.

A man enters an establishment that sells a product, and orders a brand of that product, the largest selling band of that product in the country and the worker tries to humiliate that man, and that's the actions of a hero?

Here's a link to a pic of the taps at Thunderhead.
http://i.imgur.com/1yEH1.jpg

Notice the tap 7th from the right? Yeah, that's Coors Light. Either your story is, shall we say, an embellishment, or the bar man is an ass.

Yes. Working to save the nation from the scourge of crappy beer, however popular, is an act of heroism. If you want an easygoing, refreshing lager... well, that's what Yuengling is for. If you don't care about taste and just want to get hammered, well, that's what rail vodka is for, but please go to the next bar over instead, I don't want you puking on my floor.

Robo Beat		2013-03-02 01:29:04 PM

Hot Lunch: Smackledorfer: Enigmamf: I pointed out on a thread on Reddit that Budweiser, at 5%, has more alcohol than the top selling beers in England (Carling, 4.1%) and Australia (VB, 4.6% IIRC). Even Bud Light at 4.2% is stronger than England's top selling.

Newcastle has 4.7 and is delicious while still not being too heavy for a hot summer day. I'll accept the penalty of drinking less than 10% more of them than Budweisers.

You really enjoy a Newcastle on a hot summer day? I've always enjoyed it in cooler months, but maybe I'll have to give it another whirl this summer.

Of course, Magic Hat #9 is my summer go-to, and it's a tough habit to break

Newkie Brown is a surprisingly capable lawnmower beer. Flavorful without being too heavy.

Personally, on a hot summer day I really like a Unibroue Éphémère or a Brooklyn Summer Ale if I can get my hands on either of them.

Happy Hours		2013-03-02 01:31:10 PM

miniflea: I dislike the stuff as mush as the next snob, but it seems to me that when filing a class action lawsuit, one must have more evidence than a (from the article's explanation, clearly misunderstood) statement of an employee.

Are you drunk?

Enigmamf		2013-03-02 01:34:21 PM

Smackledorfer: Enigmamf: Smackledorfer: Enigmamf: I pointed out on a thread on Reddit that Budweiser, at 5%, has more alcohol than the top selling beers in England (Carling, 4.1%) and Australia (VB, 4.6% IIRC). Even Bud Light at 4.2% is stronger than England's top selling.

Newcastle has 4.7 and is delicious while still not being too heavy for a hot summer day. I'll accept the penalty of drinking less than 10% more of them than Budweisers.

You don't get to pick-and-choose what the top selling beer in your homeland is. Your countrymen do that for you. And if Americans are going to get pegged with Bud on that basis, you should be judged on Carling.

I'm not british, and not everyone in the world judges the salt of the earth cheap top-selling beers as the representation of quality in a country.

Nobody does that with any other product, I don't see why anyone pretends it makes sense with beer.

They sure do with Americans. "Oh, you all and your bud. You're so lame. You should try real beer. Blah blah blah". Well your country's top selling beer is just as bad. Get over it.

AliceBToklasLives		2013-03-02 01:35:15 PM

Robo Beat: Five percent ABV? I would have thought it was half that.

That's what makes Bud a perfectly serviceable beer #7, #8, etc. of the evening.

/what, I'm gonna pay twice as much to achieve the same goal?

NightOwl2255		2013-03-02 01:38:38 PM

cptjeff: Yes. Working to save the nation from the scourge of crappy beer, however popular, is an act of heroism

You might to tell Thunderhead Brewer to stop selling crappy beer since they sell Bud Light.
i939.photobucket.com

downstairs		2013-03-02 01:46:49 PM

meat0918: downstairs: TFA: When told that a lab commission by NPR had tested several Budweiser samples and found them to match their labeled alcohol content, Boxer dismissed our test results, confident that when he gets his hands on Anheuser-Busch's internal testing, he'll still have a strong case.

Wait. So he's going to dismiss a third-party result, confident that internal testing by the company he's suing is going to be MORE accurate? Grasping at straws, there...

5% ABV is beer enough for me.

Is this guy expecting some high powered beer like some of the micros and crafts have been doing?

It has nothing to do with the actual ABV. He's saying Bud claims they're 5%, but its less than that. That's all. If it were- its deceptive advertising. Problem is, its not.

cptjeff		2013-03-02 01:54:38 PM

NightOwl2255: cptjeff: Yes. Working to save the nation from the scourge of crappy beer, however popular, is an act of heroism

You might to tell Thunderhead Brewer to stop selling crappy beer since they sell Bud Light.
[i939.photobucket.com image 789x331]

That picture in no way disproves a story about an individual bartender refusing to serve it.

goatleggedfellow		2013-03-02 01:56:41 PM

How sad is it to be a professional taster for Bud? Wasting a refined palate on that dreck is like a highly skilled artist being assigned to spot-check Kinkade prints.

Monkey		2013-03-02 01:57:00 PM

Friend of mine used to work at an Anhueser-Busch bottling facility. Said that when they switched from Bud to Busch on the bottling line, they'd "clear the lines" by putting Bud into Busch bottles or vice/versa. No one ever noticed or complained....

Duke Phillips' Singing Bears		2013-03-02 01:59:51 PM

pippi longstocking		2013-03-02 02:05:52 PM

When I see what, how, and where Americans eat it always reminds me of my uncle's pig farm.

picturescrazy		2013-03-02 02:10:39 PM

cptjeff: NightOwl2255: cptjeff: Yes. Working to save the nation from the scourge of crappy beer, however popular, is an act of heroism

You might to tell Thunderhead Brewer to stop selling crappy beer since they sell Bud Light.
[i939.photobucket.com image 789x331]

That picture in no way disproves a story about an individual bartender refusing to serve it.

No,but it does negate the heroism. That's a douchey thing to do. Work at or visit bars that don't serve bud light if it's that big of a deal.

Ranger Rover		2013-03-02 02:13:11 PM

Enigmamf: I pointed out on a thread on Reddit that Budweiser, at 5%, has more alcohol than the top selling beers in England (Carling, 4.1%) and Australia (VB, 4.6% IIRC). Even Bud Light at 4.2% is stronger than England's top selling.

Thanks for fighting the good fight. The persistent claim that American beer is weak may arise from some genuine problem with our mass-produced brews, but simply perpetuating a myth that has more to do with measurement systems doesn't do anything to solve it. I'm happy with the status quo - we have excellent microbreweries all over the country and relatively decent lawnmower beers coming from the middle. In addition to that, any serious stay in many of these countries seems to confirm that their beer is not so much stronger as it is simply, as a whole, darker (and in Germany, I don't even really remember it being all that much darker, at least in the north).

Plus we have better sports to watch while drinking our beer.

cptjeff		2013-03-02 02:13:56 PM

picturescrazy: cptjeff: NightOwl2255: cptjeff: Yes. Working to save the nation from the scourge of crappy beer, however popular, is an act of heroism

You might to tell Thunderhead Brewer to stop selling crappy beer since they sell Bud Light.
[i939.photobucket.com image 789x331]

That picture in no way disproves a story about an individual bartender refusing to serve it.

No,but it does negate the heroism. That's a douchey thing to do. Work at or visit bars that don't serve bud light if it's that big of a deal.

Not in the slightest.

HeliumAddict		2013-03-02 02:42:26 PM

Most large breweries let their beer ferment to 8 or 8.5 percent alcohol and then water them down to get more mileage out of the brewing process.

The Alcohol content is always within limits, it just tastes watered down.

garumph		2013-03-02 02:48:56 PM

I remember from reading back in my heavy home brew days that all the majors brewed a stronger beer (around 9% abv) then cut it at bottling to the proper strength. It saved them millions on brewing space and distribution brewing and distributing to the bottlers a "concentrated" brew. I think it was from an old copy of Zymurgy.

duffblue		2013-03-02 02:51:49 PM

Smackledorfer		2013-03-02 02:53:20 PM

Enigmamf: They sure do with Americans. "Oh, you all and your bud. You're so lame. You should try real beer. Blah blah blah". Well your country's top selling beer is just as bad. Get over it.

Do they? It seems like it is mostly you. I've never met a foreign person who considered bud to be the cream of the American crop.

You also keep saying "your". I live in Michigan. But I think I see the problem. Just as you repeatedly assume I'm not American when there is nothing I've said to suggest that (and in fact am defending Americans' ability to drink common drinks without having that represent our finer tastes), you are probably also just making up the profiles of people you think believe Americans only drink Bud.

golden goat		2013-03-02 02:53:21 PM

It truly is a testament to the power of American advertising that people still buy and drink Budweiser, or any other "domestic" rice beer. It's even more shocking that some people will go so far as to defend it's "taste."

If you ignore the usual "domestic" suspects, then thankfully the US is starting to catch up to European standards, wherein beer should be delicious and refreshing, and not consumed to merely "get drunk." In fact, I'd prefer LESS alcohol content so I could drink more beer without feeling too buzzed.

Smackledorfer		2013-03-02 02:54:40 PM

Ranger Rover: Plus we have better sports to watch while drinking our beer.

Now THAT is a fact, although I admit soccer is growing on me as I age.

duffblue		2013-03-02 02:56:16 PM

cptjeff: NightOwl2255: r1niceboy: At Thunderhead brewery in Kearney, nebraska, they used to have a Russian barman. When anyone would ask him if they had Bud light, he'd dip a glass into the rinse water, and give them that. The man was a hero.

A man enters an establishment that sells a product, and orders a brand of that product, the largest selling band of that product in the country and the worker tries to humiliate that man, and that's the actions of a hero?

Here's a link to a pic of the taps at Thunderhead.
http://i.imgur.com/1yEH1.jpg

Notice the tap 7th from the right? Yeah, that's Coors Light. Either your story is, shall we say, an embellishment, or the bar man is an ass.

Yes. Working to save the nation from the scourge of crappy beer, however popular, is an act of heroism. If you want an easygoing, refreshing lager... well, that's what Yuengling is for. If you don't care about taste and just want to get hammered, well, that's what rail vodka is for, but please go to the next bar over instead, I don't want you puking on my floor.

I would not say yuengling is easy going but it's a better choice than bud on most days. however if it's 100 degrees out I'm grabbing bud or landshark.

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