Michelob Brewing Co. Turns Up the Wheat
The Michelob Family Continues To Offer New Beer Styles with Its Latest Wheat Sampler Pack
ST. LOUIS (March 2, 2009) — After a long winter, beer lovers have anxiously waited to see what new recipes Michelob Brewing Co. brewmasters had up their sleeves to usher in the new year. Well, wait no longer – Michelob Honey Wheat is the newest beer to join the growing collection. This hand-crafted filtered wheat ale, brewed with orange blossom honey from the groves of Florida and California, completes an all-wheat sampler pack created just for spring and summer.
The Michelob Brewing Co. Spring/Summer Sampler Pack, available beginning March 2, includes Michelob Honey Wheat, year-round favorites Shock Top Belgian White and Michelob Dunkel Weisse, and the spring seasonal Hop Hound Amber Wheat.
Sampler packs are an easy and convenient way for adults to try several new beer styles. Brewmaster Kristi Zantop suggests arranging a wheat beer sampling at home with friends to have some fun and brush up on your beer expertise. The Michelob Brewing Co. brewmasters have made it easy by including an informative flighting sheet in each sampler pack and posting interactive videos to Michelob.com to guide beer lovers through the ingredients, coloring, body, bitterness levels and brewing techniques for the four styles, along with suggestions for glassware pairings.
To sound like a brewing pro, Zantop shares some key facts to bolster wheat beer know-how:
- “When you’re sampling beers, always select the proper glass style and shape. This will enable you to enjoy the beer’s aroma and coloring – key parts of the tasting experience. With wheat beers, try a traditional tall, wide-mouthed glass.”
- “Typically wheat beers are not filtered during the brewing process, giving them a cloudy, hazy appearance, but it’s not uncommon to encounter filtered wheat beers as well, like Michelob Honey Wheat. When unfiltered wheat beers are bottled, the beer’s yeast settles to the bottom, so when you’re pouring an unfiltered beer from the sampler pack, like Dunkel Weisse for instance, roll the bottle slowly in your hand before topping off the pour with the last inch of beer from the bottle – this helps redistribute the yeast.”
Over the past four years, wheat beer sales have skyrocketed – and it’s no wonder. Adults love wheat beers’ refreshment and endless variety of flavors and aromas, making an all-wheat beer sampler pack the ideal choice for the Michelob Brewing Co.’s newest special collection.
The four distinct wheat brews featured in the Michelob Wheat Beer Sampler Pack are:
- Michelob Honey Wheat: a silky, smooth filtered wheat ale brewed with orange blossom honey. Zantop and her team wanted to push the envelope with their newest creation, playing around with different varieties of honey until they found just the right kind to give Honey Wheat a pronounced floral aroma and hints of orange citrus flavor.
- Hop Hound Amber Wheat: an unfiltered American amber wheat ale brewed with Cascade, Willamette and Hallertau hops and a blend of the finest caramel, wheat and pale barley malts.
- Shock Top Belgian White: an unfiltered Belgian-style wheat ale with a naturally cloudy and light golden color, brewed with orange, lemon and lime peels and coriander.
- Michelob Dunkel Weisse: a surprisingly light unfiltered dark wheat ale with unmistakable clove and banana tones, a result imparted from the unique Bavarian yeast strain used.
“We played around with several recipe concepts before honing in and perfecting the Honey Wheat. Its smooth citrus flavor and strong floral aroma are just the right balance to our Bavarian-style dark wheat Dunkel Weisse with roasted malt and banana flavors, our Belgian-style wheat ale Shock Top with subtle citrus and spice notes, and our American-inspired Hop Hound Amber Wheat with its caramel sweetness,” said Zantop. “Whether you are hosting a sampling party or pairing the beers with your favorite foods, there’s something for everyone in this craft collection.”
The Michelob Spring/Summer Sampler Pack is available at grocery and convenience stores nationwide through September in 24-packs (six of each beer), 12-packs (three of each beer) and six-packs (two of each beer, Hop Hound Amber Wheat not included).
Each recipe in the collection was developed in the Michelob Brewing Co. – a small, 10-barrel, state-of-the-art brewery with access to the best ingredients and brewing equipment.
Michelob Brewing Co. is a team of Anheuser-Busch brewmasters and sales and marketing professionals who focus their attention on creating new beer styles and bringing them to adults across the country. Once new recipes are perfected at the Michelob Brewing Co. they are brewed and packaged at Anheuser-Busch’s 12 regional breweries. For more detailed information and photos, visit www.michelob.com or www.anheuser-busch.com/ABMarketingmichelob.html.
Michelob Brewing Co. In Full Swing With A Full-Flavored Collection Of Beers
Answering Beer Drinkers’ Call for Exciting New Choices, the Michelob Family Takes the Reins to Deliver More Distinct Styles and Flavors
ST. LOUIS (Sept. 8, 2008) — Since 1896, the Michelob name has captured what today’s adults appreciate most about their favorite beers – the best ingredients, high brewing standards and flavorful taste. Building off a foundation steeped in heritage, Michelob is proud to bring together never-before-released recipes and some familiar styles as part of the family.
Anheuser-Busch created Michelob Brewing Co. to give even more autonomy and creative license to its skilled brewmasters to brew their interpretations of classic styles to better meet the needs of adults who enjoy exploring different beers.
“We’ve been playing around with new recipes and experimental beer styles for years at our microbrewery in St. Louis, sometimes only brewing small batches for fun to showcase at beer competitions or special events,” said Nathaniel Davis, brewmaster, Michelob Brewing Co. “It’s exciting to be able to focus our attention on developing dozens of new styles under the Michelob nameplate that we can now share with beer lovers across the country.”
Davis works with a small team of brewmasters dedicated to brewing traditional styles of full-flavored beers. The team has access to the best ingredients, resources and brewing equipment that Anheuser-Busch uses to brew all its world-class beers.
Beginning today, Michelob Dunkel Weisse and Michelob Pale Ale are joining Michelob, Michelob Light, Michelob AmberBock, Michelob Honey Lager and Michelob Porter as beers available year-round to adults nationwide.
Dunkel Weisse is an unfiltered dark wheat ale brewed with a special Bavarian yeast strain combined with wheat, caramel and chocolate malts. This delivers unmistakable clove and banana tones with a roasted malt palate, but surprisingly light finish. The dark weissbier style has roots back to the 1520s, making this Dunkel Weisse perfect for any season.
Pale Ale, previously only available on a select seasonal basis in the annual Michelob Specialty Sampler Pack, can now satisfy beer drinkers throughout the year with its delicious floral and citrus nose. This gracefully balanced ale has a beautiful tawny-orange hue and a complex spicy character. After fermentation, the beer is aged on hops, known as dry-hopping.
Rounding out the family are the Marzen and the new Irish Red Ale. The Irish Red Ale is an all-malt ale brewed with toasted caramel malt to naturally produce its signature red color. Its fruity nose and initial malt sweetness is a classic interpretation of the style. Available for a limited time only as part of the new fall sampler 12- and 20-packs, Irish Red Ale accompanies Marzen, Pale Ale, Porter and AmberBock (20-packs only).
Anheuser-Busch is also bringing many of its distinct, specialty beers together under the Michelob nameplate. Shock Top Belgian White and Stone Mill Pale Ale, the first nationally available organic beer, will also be added to the growing Michelob collection as will Anheuser-Busch’s popular seasonal beers Jack’s Pumpkin Spice Ale, Winter’s Bourbon Cask Ale, Sun Dog Amber Wheat and Beach Bum Blonde Ale. All of these recipes were first developed and hand-crafted in the Anheuser-Busch Research Pilot Brewery in St. Louis, the creative brewing heart of the Michelob Brewing Co.
To complement their new nameplate, the Michelob Brewing Co. beers are getting a fresh, consistent look. Each will be packaged in the brand’s signature embossed bottle with its raised ridge around the neck displaying a subtly arched label trimmed in muted gold. New six-pack carriers will show detailed information on the side panel about the ingredients, taste and color of each beer style. The bottom panel also includes fun facts about the Michelob Brewing Co. All the beers are now available in grocery and convenience stores.
In addition to building word-of-mouth buzz through sampling at beer festivals across the country, the Michelob beers will be supported with national print, television, radio and online advertising. The TV spots peek behind the curtain to show the family behind the Michelob family of beers. The brand also has an enhanced Web site where visitors can view ads, get information on beer and food pairings, read more about the Michelob Brewing Co. brewmasters and learn about the brands’ many awards. To date, the Michelob family of beers has been awarded nearly 40 medals at renowned competitions and festivals that honor brewing excellence.
Michelob Brewing Co. is a team of existing Anheuser-Busch brewmasters and sales and marketing professionals who will focus their attention on creating new beer styles and bringing them to adults across the country. Once the new recipes are perfected at the Michelob Brewing Co. they will then be brewed and packaged at any of Anheuser-Busch’s 12 regional breweries. For more information, visit www.michelob.com.
A complete list of the Michelob Brewing Co. beers follows. For more detailed information and photos, visit http://www.anheuser-busch.com/ABMarketingmichelob.html.