This Thing Called Michelob …
For me, the Michelob story really terminates about 1980, as after Michelob entered a long period of sales decline for the hallmark, or regular brand.
Light, Dark, Dry, AmberBock and other iterations arrived, to be sure. And finally ultra-successful, super-light Michelob Ultra. But I am a partisan of old-time quality, based on all- or high-malt and a fine hop taste. Once the flag-bearer in the line slid in American affections the story really ended, for me.
It must be said, in 2007 regular Michelob regained an all-malt formula, but to my mind was not as good as even when a malt-and-rice brew.
The pre-1961 all-malt brew vaunted its choice Bohemian hops as I showed earlier in period ads. A 1936 ad for Budweiser, in a Plattsburgh, NY newspaper, insisted that it too benefited from an exquisite Bohemian bouquet.
Michelob and Budweiser were likely rather similar therefore to pilsener beer from Bohemia, now in the Czech Republic. Assays on Budweiser I reported in earlier posts from the late 1800s and early 1900s, bore this out in my view, especially considering lagering time and final gravity.
In 1980 though, what was regular Michelob like? By my own memory, quite distant from Czech lager.
It was a decent beer, better than the North American norm, but not more. It had a malty, characteristic taste but was rather light compared to good German or Czech lager.
Critics seemed largely to agree. Michael Jackson gave it 2.5 stars out of 5, only middling, in his 1982 The Pocket Guide to Beer. Between in other words “well-made” and “worthy of attention” by his scheme. Not a ringing endorsement.
James D. Robertson gave it a respectful review in his 1978 The Great American Beer Book, lauding its “fine malt-hop taste”. He called it “excellent … and a worthy choice for the serious beer drinker”, finding the (unpasteurized) draft even better.
Michael A. Weiner in his 1977 The Taster’s Guide to Beer wrote it was “very smooth”, and “do not underestimate it”.
Fair enough, but I think to a degree it’s the times – the bar was simply lower then, when imports were not always fresh and craft beer was starting to emerge.
A California wine writer, Dan Berger – still active – did a review of Anheuser-Busch beers in the Desert Sun of Palm Springs in 1980 – in the presence no less of August Busch III.
He is interesting to read as someone with an experienced taster’s palate albeit avowing little expertise in beer.
He did find differences comparing both Budweiser and Michelob to competitors such as Olympia and Coors. His language is not greatly detailed, but accords with Weiner and Robertson that Anheuser-Busch made flawless, hence clean, but still enjoyable beverages.
Certainly he did not find all these beers the same, but used general terms to distinguish them. Anheuser-Busch made “clean” beer as noted, whereas another brewery’s product was “racy”, say, or fuller in body.
It seems doubtful Michelob or Budweiser of c. 1980, which I recall myself as sweetish and mild with limited character, resembled the prewar versions in bouquet, bitterness, or malt character.
The body of pre-adjunct Michelob, bearing in mind the gravity known for Budweiser in the late 1800s, had to be richer than in 1980.
Imo, Anheuser-Busch never should have changed the all-malt formula of Michelob. Surely the beer could have been bottled in 1961 as all-malt despite company assertions to the contrary.
As it was, in the 1980s and ’90s Michelob faced established and newer imports, fresher than ever due to improved shipping and handling. The more characterful of them showed adjunct Michelob to disadvantage, while the blander imports had cachet simply by being imported.
Michelob was outpaced too by the craft palate gaining increasing acceptance.
As Michelob Ultra has been an outsize success, at least the Michelob name survives, which is a certain satisfaction. But this beer is the obverse surely of all that Michelob originally represented.
Craft has brought lager beer full-circle, returning it to 19th century roots. Craft restored the kind of 19th century standards Michelob Draught of 1896 exemplified to a “t”.
Michelob has not come full circle, but it is not too late. Anheuser-Busch InBev should re-issue the beer as it was originally brewed in 1896.