A beer created by Budweiser Williamsburg’s brewmaster was one of three picked for national distribution in a fall limited-edition sampler pack.
In its “Project 12” contest, Budweiser challenged its 12 American brewmasters to create new beer recipes, each named for the zip code where the beer was first brewed. The top six were chosen to be brewed in small batches, and then were sampled by consumers at dozens of summer events around the country. From those tastings, the six were narrowed to the three that will be included in the pack. The winners were created in Williamsburg, Los Angeles and St. Louis.
The sampler pack will be available for sale beginning on Oct. 29. It will include 12 bottles, with four of each beer.
Consumers were invited to sample the brews at a variety of events, including the Budweiser Made in America festival held in Philadelphia over Labor Day weekend. Brand ambassadors asked samplers to describe the taste, freshness, style and flavor of the six Project 12 beers.
Williamsburg brewmaster Daniel Westmoreland invited his staff members, along with industry friends Mike Anderson and Dan Kahn, to brainstorm about what would make a great lager. Inspired by Kentucky’s bourbon industry, they developed a light amber, all-malt bourbon cask lager with hints of oak, vanilla bean and caramel. He credited Budweiser’s original yeast strain, first developed in 1876, as making “a big difference in flavor and profile.”
In July, he told WY Daily: “With that style in mind, we were looking at something we could do that utilized the Budweiser yeast. We wanted something with great drinkability – a clean, refreshing beer. This was totally an open book, which is a great thing. It was a lot of fun.”
The other beers in the pack include:
- Budweiser Small Batch 91406: Los Angeles brewmaster Bryan Sullivan’s contribution is a deep-amber lager using four types of hops.
- Budweiser Small Batch 63118: St. Louis brewmaster Jim Bicklein was inspired by the history of the company, creating a deep-gold lager using the same types of hops – Hallertau and Tettnang – that were used at the original Busch brewery in the 19th century.
