The Fascinating Reason All Budweiser Tastes The Same
It's probably fair to say that everyone who enjoys the occasional alcoholic beverage knows the name Budweiser. From its German roots to its current, distinctly American status as the easily drinkable, delicious beer that's pretty much the alcoholic drink equivalent of mom's apple pie, the Anheuser-Busch shining star has been providing much-needed relief for thirsty Stateside consumers for ages.
Per USA Today, good ol' Budweiser is currently the fourth most popular beer in the U.S., and that's just because the top three positions are dominated by light beers ... including the number one, a little-known number called Bud Light. That's a pretty solid performance for the company, and much of it has to do with the fact that their product easy and pleasant to drink. What's more, the public can also be safe in the knowledge that whenever they open a Bud, they can be certain of the sensation that's about to hit their taste buds. In other words, their beer is reliably good.
Isn't it kind of strange, though? Sure, with the size of the company, it's easy to assume that every batch of Budweiser that leaves their breweries is vetted more carefully than their famous Clydesdale horses. But what is it that gives them the ability to make every bottle of Bud taste exactly the same?
It's all about the yeast
Here's a quick head-scratcher: Would bacon be as popular as it is if every other bite tasted like liverwurst, or perhaps like a badly-cooked pasta? Of course it wouldn't. Though those other taste explosions aren't necessarily bad in their own right, having people come buy your product again tends to require a reliable flavor. In other words, when they come for a Bud, it better taste like one.
Anheuser-Busch knows this, and as it happens, they've developed a pretty nifty trick for every bottle of Budweiser to taste the same. Per Fox News, each and every Budweiser brewery uses the same yeast culture that was used by the original one in St. Louis, and they ship it out to the other plants on a weekly basis to make sure that the beer's taste is consistent regardless of its manufacturing place.
While the Anheuser-Busch website notes that they strive to make every ingredient shine, they're also happy to state that the yeast they use is unique to them and that it hails back to the one Adolphus Busch used way back in 1876. That's the kind of continuity few companies can claim to their name.