The thing about Budweiser is that by the time someone gets well-phrased enough in the world of beers to know what good and bad is, they tend to become snobs who can only appreciate craft IPAs, refusing to even treat mass-produced delights like Bud as beer.

I’m not delusional. I’m well aware of what Bud is and what it is not, and one of the things that it is is a good evening drink for me. It’s soft and the very thin and very smooth taste is a fair trade for its modest price. It doesn’t have any strong beer-ish aroma to it, only some slightly bitter aftertaste that gives you a hint that you’re not drinking Coca Cola. It’s soft (I’d love to just call it buttery) and easygoing. It’s pretty apparent how they tuned down all tones of it so that it could appeal to an even wider, general audience. So don’t expect an overwhelming, traditional lager taste from it.

What I like about it a lot is that it doesn’t reek of alcohol. That’s one of the problems I’m having with Japanese beer (and a problem I’ve never had with beers made elsewhere): they just taste of alcohol. Bud doesn’t do that and I can’t not appreciate that considering its price in comparison to more quality beer that (of course) doesn’t have that unpleasant taste to them.

One of the qualities people demand from beer that it be refreshing – I’m not so sure that Budweiser is like that. Its smooth body feels more of a dessert you’d have after a meal than a cool gulp that feels great after running. Recently I’m only drinking beer in the former situation (eg as a finishing tune to a meal), so it’s not a problem for me.

That makes Bud a relatively cheap alternative to local beers for me when I get tired of their stingy alcohol taste and I don’t want to spend more to get craft beauties.