By Sarah Truckey
Never before did I think that I, a somewhat snooty beer drinker with tastes for aromatic ales and anything made in Quebec or Belgium, would have reason to fall head-over-heels in love with something made by Anheuser-Busch.
While serving as a taste tester in October for the brewery’s “You Choose It, We’ll Brew It” campaign—an election-season–themed promotion that gave Missouri drinkers a chance to vote for one of three specialty brews and that aimed to involve the community in the process associated with developing a beer—I learned that A-B’s flowery-talking brewmasters are more passionate about brewing beer than most beer enthusiasts are about drinking it. They showed us how to swirl and swish and sniff our glasses. They used the term “hoppiness” like it actually existed.
There was the Pilot House Imperial Pils (my rule is, if you can clearly see the other end of the bar through your beer, it’s not worth enjoying), the Confluence Amber Wheat (an explosion of caramel and malted-wheat hints that took my pilsner-induced buzz to a whole other level) and the Mule Kick Oatmeal Stout (a rich, dark ale with hints of coffee and caramel that made me crave chocolate).
I cast my vote for the wheat, which ultimately lost to the oatmeal stout (available at local bars starting January 8), but I was still happy—and no, it wasn’t the brew that had me glowing, although after four pints in an hour, I was quite rosy-cheeked. No, it was the realization that a little barley and hops could illustrate the power of the democratic process. The drinkers who voted for their favorite beer may have taken this race more seriously than any other in the state last fall, but you know what? That’s OK. It has to make you wonder how many people might show up to the polls if they knew a free pint were waiting for them.
