Michelob Celebrate
Editor’s Note: Donavan isn’t as behind on his tasting or writing up his notes as you might guess from the timing of this post. Blame it on the editor, who managed to overlook this post for way too long…
I’ve been following the “Here’s to Beer” campaign. My recommendation for Anheuser-Busch was to make better/different beers. Actually, this last holiday season A-B’s Michelob brand released a different beer. It was called Celebrate.
Unfortunately, there’s little to celebrate here. I was really hoping to say something good about this beer. A-B bashing seems to be a popular sport with the craftbrew crowd. I’m serious when I say I’d be happy to see some decent beers coming from A-B. But Michelob Celebrator isn’t what I would call a decent beer; to be perfectly honest it’s just cloyingly sweet, overly alcoholic, bodiless, and without any head. Here’s what Michelob has to say about their beer:
Similar to a fine cognac, Celebrate is a smooth, robust and complex sipping beer carefully hand-crafted in small batches using generous amounts of dark caramel and carapils malts, imported hops and gently-milled imported whole vanilla beans carefully selected for their rich aromatic character. At 10 percent alcohol by volume (ABV), this brew is aged on heavily toasted bourbon oak barrels that contribute to its depth of flavor, aroma and full-bodied dark color. Ideally served in a large snifter to open up the brew’s rich aromas and flavors while directing bourbon-like, caramelized notes toward the nose, Celebrate is a truly special and unique style of beer unlike any other currently available. [quoted from “Anheuser-Busch Brewmasters Craft Two Special Limited-Edition Seasonal Brews In Time For Holidays“]
I’ll concede the cognac. This beer is dominated by alcohol, so words like cognac, brandy, and whisky come to mind when searching for palate descriptors. The nose is perfumey. It smells like an apple Jolly Rancher to me. Celebrate just doesn’t compare to the craft brews I’ve had that were fermented in bourbon barrels.
You can find more reviews of Michelob Celebrate at Ratebeer.com and on Nog Blog by Matt McGuire.
