What I Drank Wednesday: Budweiser Project 12

Disclaimer: I participated in an Influencer Activation on behalf of Millennial Central for Budweiser. I received product samples to facilitate my review and a promotional item to thank me for participating.

Remember back when I did two “What I Drank Wednesday” posts and thought it would be great to continue doing them? Well obviously I failed at that part, but I’m back with my third installment today! This particular post is all about beer, and specifically, Budweiser’s Project 12 beers; Vanilla Bourbon Cask Batch 23185, North Pacific Lager Batch 94534, and Beechwood Bock Batch 43229.

What is Project 12, you may ask? Well, simply put it’s Budweiser’s innovation platform, where brewmasters have the opportunity to try new things and create new beers. Their Black Crown beer is actually a product of this project as well. These particular beers (mentioned above) are all named after the zip codes where they were brewed (Virginia, California, and Ohio)!

As mentioned above in the fun little FTC disclosure, I received these three beers to try at no cost to me on behalf of Millennial Central. I’ll be honest – I was really skeptical about new Budweiser beers. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a beer loving gal, but these days I gravitate towards beers with more complex and varied flavor profiles and I wasn’t sure if Budweiser would be able to deliver. If you are my friend on Untappd, you know what kind of beers I like (and subsequently don’t like).

I brought the beers with me to my parent’s house for a fun little tasting since my sister and her boyfriend were there for Thanksgiving. My sister isn’t much of a beer drinker but her boyfriend is, so I knew I could count on some good thoughts and opinions on the beers from him. I also thought it would be fun to get my parents to try them! So, what did we think of the beers? I decided to give each beer a rating out of 5, based on not only taste, but also what the taster’s notes mentioned (i.e., could I actually taste a hint of the chocolate it was brewed with?).

North Pacific Lager Batch 94534: This was your most “typical” beer tasting beer. Lagers are the types of beers that most people are familiar with (at least around here), so it definitely gets that “yup, this is a beer” taste recognition. It’s light and crisp, and would pair well with just about any food; especially if you’re having a dish on the heavier side, since this beer is rather light. I gave this beer a 3.5.

Vanilla Bourbon Cask Batch 23185: I was the most excited to try this beer, but liked it the least. It’s aged on bourbon barrel staves and vanilla beans, and you can definitely taste the vanilla. It’s a smooth amber lager, but left a bitter aftertaste, which was a little too much for me. My sister’s boyfriend, however, loved this beer. So obviously tastings are all relative! Obviously this beer would pair well with sweeter foods (bacon wrapped dates for my carnivore friends, perhaps). I gave this beer a 2.

Beechwood Bock Batch 43229: This was my favorite! Brewed with chocolate and caramel malts finished on beechwood chips, the beer had the most complex and palate friendly (for me) taste out of the three. In addition to sampling it with my parents, I also had it with a sweet potato chili earlier last week, and the pairing was spot-on. I actually think this would be a great beer to use in a chili! I gave this beer a 4.

Out of the three beers, as I mentioned, the Beechwood Bock was my favorite. I would definitely purchase it on my own and I’d also grab the North Pacific Lager for someone that likes a more traditional tasting beer. While the Vanilla Bourbon Cask was my least favorite, different beers appeal to different people, so I’m sure there are plenty of people that would really enjoy the flavors (my sister’s boyfriend included). I’ll definitely be on the lookout for these next time I head to the liquor store.

This was such a fun way to spend the Friday after Thanksgiving – sampling beers, noshing on appetizers, and just enjoying each other’s company (after an afternoon of shopping, of course)! The idea of doing a little “beer tasting” get together has really sparked my interest, and I’d love to do a beer & cheese night (think of wine and cheese, only in my opinion, better) with friends where everyone brings either their favorite, or a new beer to try. I definitely need to plan one of those for the future!

Tell me…
Are you a beer drinker? What’s your favorite? 

Again, the beer and promotional items were sent to me on behalf of Millennial Central, but all thoughts and opinions are my own. Additionally, I feel the need to mention that everyone who tasted the beers was over 21, of course.