Election Day on Tuesday, Veteran’s Day on Friday — if there were one week every four years that screamed America, this would definitely be the one. In honor of this patriotic week, regardless of who you chose on Tuesday, we’re voting to honor our vets and support our country by drinking the most American beverage of them all. This weekend, we’re keeping it simple by sitting back, relaxing, and cracking open a good ol’ Budweiser, the most American lager of them all.
Budweiser, the signature American-style pale lager from Anheuser-Busch, finds its domestic roots in St. Louis, Missouri. However, the trademark name has been a topic of conflict for the past 100 years between Anheuser-Busch and Budweiser Budvar Brewery of the Czech Republic. EU countries avoid the drama by referring to the American Budweiser as we do here — simply, Bud. The Anheuser-Busch umbrella is responsible for over 50 percent of all beer sales in America, with Budweiser being a large factor for these impressive numbers.
Budweiser is produced with a blend of (up to 30 percent) rice, hops, malted barley, yeast and water. The beer is lagered with beechwood chips and aged in horizontal tanks, allowing the yeast more surface area for fermentation. The result is a light-bodied beer with minimally bitter flavors, considered “bland” by some beer connoisseurs. You can find these nationalist suds served up in all forms: can, bottle or on tap at your local bar.
In 2016, Budweiser was temporarily renamed “America,” a title approved by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, until the end of the election. The renaming only applied to 12-ounce cans and bottles of the patriotic brew. This weekend, we’re honoring our love for our country and the citizens who have served it by drinking America’s trademark beer — because regardless of who’s president, beer always has our vote.
