Try?
Back in the mid
nineteen nineties, Ice beers were all the rage. I worked at a liquor store
at the time, and we just couldn't keep Molson Ice in stock. The stuff would
literally fly out the door. Why? Simple, really. The alcohol content was
higher. That made it an instant hit for the newly-of-drinking-age crowd. Of
course, it wasn't long before the other large brewers saw the potential of
ice beers, and realized their brands were being cannibalized by Molson. Soon
we saw Bud Ice, Weinhard's Ice, Icehouse, Lite Ice, Coors Arctic Ice,
Olympia Ice, Pabst Ice, Rolling Rock Ice, and countless others. Ice beers
were originally a premium category, but eventually even the budget brands
introduced an ice version. One of them was Natural Ice.
So where does the concept of ice beer come from? Germany. The Germans had made Eisbock (ice bock beer) and Eiswein (ice wine) for many years. The beer or wine is partially frozen, and the resulting ice removed. This increases the concentration of alcohol in the drink and makes it more rich and flavorful.
Anheuser Busch's Natural Ice has an elevated alcohol content as a result of this process. It is 5.9 percent by volume, about one percent higher than most beers. There isn't really any increase in flavor however. The beer is light golden color with a light head formation and a light malt nose. The palate is a bit firmer in body than Budweiser or Natural light, but it is still rather light and redolent of adjuncts. It seems to taste of corn and has an unpleasant astringent finish. I can see where it might be drinkable in large quantities ice cold, but it's not a beer I would enjoy drinking. I am fairly liberal in regard to taste, but Natural Ice seems to have none at all.
So where does the concept of ice beer come from? Germany. The Germans had made Eisbock (ice bock beer) and Eiswein (ice wine) for many years. The beer or wine is partially frozen, and the resulting ice removed. This increases the concentration of alcohol in the drink and makes it more rich and flavorful.
Anheuser Busch's Natural Ice has an elevated alcohol content as a result of this process. It is 5.9 percent by volume, about one percent higher than most beers. There isn't really any increase in flavor however. The beer is light golden color with a light head formation and a light malt nose. The palate is a bit firmer in body than Budweiser or Natural light, but it is still rather light and redolent of adjuncts. It seems to taste of corn and has an unpleasant astringent finish. I can see where it might be drinkable in large quantities ice cold, but it's not a beer I would enjoy drinking. I am fairly liberal in regard to taste, but Natural Ice seems to have none at all.
And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.
*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.
(B)=Bottled
(D)=Draft
