October 10th, 2009
Blue Moon . Bud Light Golden Wheat
Inbev releases new flavor of Bud Light – Golden Wheat
Ok – Let me start by saying that this is a strange article to write. I haven’t seen any of the ad’s on tv or the beer on the shelf, but I’ve seen a couple of articles announcing a new flavor of Bud Light – Golden Wheat. [Yup – I used the words flavor and Bud Light in the same sentence :)] A beer that they have worked for the last 2 years to make. “An unfiltered wheat beer brewed with citrus, a hint of coriander and the superior drinkability of Bud Light.”
Is this a sign – Has the world come to an end? Are the big guys now looking at the craft industry for ideas or is this an attempt for Inbev to challenge the Blue Moon line produced by MillerCoors?
Answer – All of the above and more.
Although the craft breweries produces nearly 8.6 million barrels of craft beer in the US in 2008, they only represent 5%-6% of the total volume of beer produced. This is a very small percentage; leaving the InbevAB MillerCoors (along with a few others) the responsibility to produce a large quantity of beer on their own. [Fact: InBev currently holds 49.2% of the US market share.]
AB-Inbev’s Major competitor, MillerCoors, is the owner of the Blue Moon brand. Founded in 1995 and originally operating out of Colorado, Blue Moon operations were moved into the Molsen Brewery in Canada.  The Blue Moon brand is very popular, with the Belgian White style leading the way. The Belgian White can be found at many restaurant chains and bars across the country. The increasing popularity of the brand has encourages MillerCoors to expand into different flavored wheat beers; such as the Honey Moon (Summer Ale), Harvest Moon (Pumpkin Ale), Full Moon (Winter Ale), Rising Moon (Spring Ale) and recently added Pale Moon.
Anheuser-Bush sat back and watched the popularity of the Blue Moon brand increase, but have now jumped into the mix with their latest offering.
Golden Wheat Specs:
- Brewed at Anheuser-Busch’s Baldwinsville, Cartersville and Fort Collins breweries,
- 118 calories
- 4.1 percent alcohol by volume (also available in 3.2 percent ABW)
- Available in 12-ounce glass bottles, 22-ounce single-serve bottles and draft
This wasn’t the first experiment for the Bud Light brand. “Following successful launches of Bud Light Chelada and Bud Light Lime in 2008, Bud Light Golden Wheat marks the third brand extension under the Bud Light name, offering light beer drinkers options suitable for diverse palates and drinking occasions with the quality they expect from the world’s best-selling light beer.”
I wouldn’t expect anything revolutionary to be happening here, but it might be a good thing for the beer industry. If beer drinkers start deviating from the norm and like the Golden Wheat, maybe more and more people will be interested in the craft beer movement. If you get a chance to try the Golden Wheat, please let us know your thoughts about it. If you’d like to learn about other beers that are similar, please keep reading.
Sean
2Beerguys.com
Drink Craft Beer, You’ve Earned It
****** SIMILAR CRAFT BEERS ******
If you like this beer and you’d like to try other beers that taste similar, please try the following:
Harpoon UFO Hefeweizen – 5% ABV – An American style un-filtered wheat beer – Most popular wheat beer created in New England – Available at most restaurants and bars. Also included in the series are: UFO Raspberry, White and recently added Pale Ale.
Allagash White – 5% – A traditional Belgian wheat beer, brewed with a generous portion of wheat and a special blend of spices. Maine’s most popular Wheat Beer, brewed by Allagash Brewing Company
Widmer Brothers Hefeweizen – 4.7% – A golden unfiltered wheat beer that is truly cloudy and clearly superb. – Available at many liquor stores and on draft at the Redhook Brewery.
Circus Boy Hefeweizen – 5.4% – Unfiltered and Unfettered. Circus Boy is a unique and refreshing American-style hefeweizen. Made by Magic Hat Brewing Company and available at many liquor stores. Other similar styles by Magic Hat: Hocus Pocus -4.5% – An unfiltered wheat ale.
Sebago Hefeweizen – 4% – Golden unfiltered wheat beer. It is Maine’s original German-style Hefeweizen. Fermented with a traditional German yeast strain which produces it’s unique fruitiness. Made by Sebago Brewing Company in Portland, Maine. Available in 6pks and 22oz beers in many local liquor stores.
Other honorable mentions: Sea Dog Unfiltered Wheat Series (Blue Berry, Raspberry, Apricot, Peach) Long Trail Blackbeary Wheat Ale, Flying Dog In-Heat Wheat, Left Hand Haystack Wheat, Flying Dog Woody Creek White, Sam Adams Imperial White, Cambridge Brewing Half Wit, and more. For more information, look up the following styles: Witbier, Belgian White, Hefeweizen, and Unfiltered Wheat beers.
Resources:
Other online reviews
Seen Through a Glass – Bud Light Golden Wheat
Anheuser-Busch to launch Bud Light Golden Wheat this year
Is AB-InBev Trying to Play Down the Belgian Roots of Bud Light Golden Wheat?