I participated in an Influencer Activation on behalf of Millennial Central for Budweiser. I received a product samples to facilitate my review and a promotional item to thank me for participating.
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Truth. I drank three beers this weekend in the name of science.

It was kind of sort of a non-IRB approved “social experiment”, if you will. Or some kind of new drinking game?

I call it – “Stress Drinking With A Purpose”.

(Be honest – it needs work if it’s ever going to catch on with the frat bros. Something short and sweet and cutesy and totally descriptive like “Beer Pong” or “Flip Cup”. I’m on it.)

Mostly it involves drinking beer instead of watching the endless football games that are playing on your tv against your better judgment.

Or drinking beer instead of preparing for a presentation you have to give in a mere 48 hours…

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…or drinking beer under the pretense of “research”.

Yes, let’s go with that.

First questions first: what is Project 12 and does it have anything to do with aliens landing in Nevada?

Answer: Project 12 is what happens when Budweiser’s brewmasters are let loose with Adolphus Busch’s signature yeast, with the instructions to go forth and be creative. And it has nothing to do with Area 51. (That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.)

This is the second year that they have done this and it has produced three new limited edition beers that The.Boy and I were lucky to try over the course of the last few weeks. And let me tell you they are nothing like any Budweiser product I’ve ever tasted. In a good way.

They are complex and unique and make you want to go back for just one more sip so you can try to get a handle on everything that’s going on in them. Again. In a good way.

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The.Boy and I had a little beer tasting on Sunday and here is what we thought of all of them. Note that we are in no way beer connoisseurs and/or snobs. Just people who like to drink something cold, refreshing, and alcohol infused while blocking out watching football.

The first beer we tried was the North Pacific Style Lager. They said: Brewed with a unique blend of North Pacific hop varieties, including Cascade and Palisade, this bold, hoppy lager is 5.5 percent alcohol by volume (ABV) and offers a distinct taste of the American Northwest. We said: definitely refreshing, a cross between and IPA and a lager, with a hint of bitterness at the end. Goes well with savory sharp foods like cheeses, (veggie) burgers, chips, chili.

Next up was the Vanilla Bourbon Cask. They said: Aged on a bed of bourbon barrel staves and vanilla beans, this light amber lager indulges the sweet side and features a 5.5 percent ABV. We said: This one was a little too sweet for us. Maybe because we were drinking it with dinner? You could really taste the vanilla in it, so it was probably more of a dessert beer or better fitted for things like beer-in-baking than straight up drinking. Goes well with dessert!

And finally (our favorite. Not that we played favorites. Except we totally did) – Beechwood Bock. They said: Brewed with chocolate and caramel malts for a rich auburn appearance and finished on Beechwood chips for a crisp, clean taste, this deep amber lager is 6 percent ABV. We said: LOVED IT!! This beer definitely has a hint of sweet, but it’s more subtle than the vanilla bourbon. It also sneaks into your taste buds so you’re left thinking…mmmmm. Goes well with sweet savory – winter squash, sweet potatoes, salted caramel.

For more information about Project 12 check out: http://budweiserbrewing.tumblr.com/tagged/Project12. And be sure to look for these beers in stores. Maybe host your own Beer Tasting Extravaganza? I guarantee out of these three, there will be one for everyone in the mix!

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37 Responses to Let’s Drink To That: Budweiser Project 12 #BrewForYou

  1. gloria says:

    this beer look awesome, my twins adore beer I love use to make bread:)

  2. Kristi says:

    Totally jealous of your beer tasting! I think that I would love the Beechwood Bock., too. I sometimes love a little sweetness in my beer. It’s not one of those beers that I could drink more than 1 of, but I like to enjoy a good quality beer.

  3. Barbara says:

    Fun post, Joanne! I am not a beer drinker..but my boys sure are!

  4. How fun! The hubs and I are very into craft beer, as you know, so this is a super interesting post to me! It’s refreshing to see Budweiser break away from the norm and make beers that are more along the craft beer lines. Will have to look for these to try them and see how our thoughts compare to yours 🙂

  5. What a fun project, Joanne!! Reminscent of the one my best bud and I did togeher back in the day, during our anestheia training. We took it upon ourselves to find out if ETOH does indeed supress ADHD secretion – turns out, indeed it does! Fun times. Love this post, and the beer looks pretty tasty too!!

  6. SallyBR says:

    Fun project indeed… if only I liked beer! But I will show your post to Phil and to one of our former grad students who used to brew his own beer, and was pretty darn good at it (according to what I heard)

    I just never developed a taste for beer, not sure why

  7. I don’t drink beer but this seems like a pretty cool project that you got to participate in. Many friends are interested in brewing their own so this is a great post to show, thanks Joanne!

  8. Crap shoulda done this one, the vanilla bean is intriguing!!

  9. I am not a drinker, but my husband definitely would love Bud.

  10. Tahnycooks says:

    This is probably the only project my hubby would participate in with me if I had to do this!

    Awesome!

  11. Daniela says:

    Lucky you to participate in this fun project.
    My sons would have loved to join:)
    Presentation and review are very well done, great job Joanne!

  12. We don’t drink beer ( but Anna’s kids do the Beer pong ) but your tutorial is very informative.

  13. Non-IRB approved research project. You kill me. The research assistant in me sees all of the flaws in this but that wouldn’t stop me from signing consent!

  14. Don’t you love getting free samples of things? I have some chocolate coming in the mail and I am pretty stoked for it!

  15. Fun post! I love any excuse to indulge in a frothy beer!

  16. Oh, how Paul would love if I got beer samples. There’s always such disappointment when a shipment of balsamic vinegar shows up. For him, not me 😉

  17. Kate says:

    I need to do more beer drinking for research

  18. What a fun project! I’m not a huge fan of beer but this post is making me crave a tall icy cold one.

  19. Margarita says:

    i’m more of a dark beer girl and love stouts… hints of coffee and chocolate in a thick beer, perfect for me. i like the beer and food pairings here.

  20. I love tasting beer side-by-side for comparison. Sounds like fun, in the name of research!

  21. In the name of science? Sounds like in the “name of fun ways to blog about beer”. Maybe I could get lucky some day and be asked to test out some good French wine and blog about it? We all need a dream to shoot for(:

  22. Drinking in the name of science…cheers to that, Jo!

  23. Hotly Spiced says:

    My husband has been to a ‘beer appreciation evening’. He had to come home in a taxi. He also referred to the evening as ‘research’ xx

  24. P says:

    Never knew there was such a thing as chocolate beer! But then again, I guess anything’s possible when it comes to a popular drink :P!

  25. Hehe I am LOVING seeing other peoples’ reviews of these 🙂 I did a full tasting menu with friends. It was a ton of fun!

  26. I don’t even like beer, and you’re making me want to try them! You know, in the name of research ;p

  27. sounds like a fun and delicious experiment! I’d love to try that Beechwood Bock!

  28. Christine says:

    Never have been a beer fan except in 90F+ weather and after heavy-duty gardening except when shared. Will note the beers for next summer!

  29. ramblingtart says:

    That is a really cool idea! I love the creative flavors they came up with. 🙂

  30. Cheers to that, wow interesting.
    Not a big drinker, but I can imagine how this can be popular with the beer lovers.

  31. Good to know that Budweiser is making beer that I may actually enjoy finally – I’m not so into their standard versions, but these sound fun!

  32. Such a fun project! I do not drink beer, but I love cooking with it 😉

  33. maryking says:

    We have done both year’s Project 12 tastings. The North Pacific Lager from Fairfield, California might just be the perfect beer! Last year AB mass produced the St. Louis Brewery’s batch as their Black Crown brand. Project 12 is a great opportunity for the individual brewmasters to show their talents. Try and find a case, you’ll enjoy it. Sounds like an ad for Bud, but we just like beer tasting!

  34. I like a good beer now and then. These look good.

  35. Rika says:

    Very thorough and detailed review! I love beer tasting, my partner is a huge fan of hoppy beers.

  36. Such a fun project.. I am not a big fan of beer but my hubby adores beer… beautiful clicks 🙂

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