ZiegenBock Amber - Anheuser-Busch

JMad

Texas

3/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

I drank this from a pint sized mug.
Brownish copper with a fluffy tan colored head. The smell consists of sweet, corny, metallic, with just a hint of caramel. Tastes of sweet malt with a hint of butter and toffee. It has a light medium body with low but soft carbonation. Better than other macro lagers but still nothing to brag about.

Serving type: bottle

07-16-2011 00:44:12 | More by JMad

Musicjunkieha

Texas

4/5  rDev +44.4%

06-18-2013 02:30:29 | More by Musicjunkieha

deadliest

Texas

1.75/5  rDev -36.8%

06-16-2013 01:01:27 | More by deadliest

AEbeer54

Texas

3/5  rDev +8.3%

06-10-2013 16:10:57 | More by AEbeer54

blastoderm55

Texas

2.75/5  rDev -0.7%

06-09-2013 18:54:41 | More by blastoderm55

AlCaponeJunior

Texas

2.03/5  rDev -26.7%
look: 3 | smell: 2.25 | taste: 2 | feel: 1.75 | overall: 1.75

Brown with notes of amber, head was about two fingers and dissipated quickly into a lightly tan sheen, leaving some lace.

Aroma is caramel malts, somewhat sweet, and a little grainy.

Taste is primarily caramel malt and lightly grainy malts, with a touch of (perhaps) brown sugar, with some quantity of balancing hops that I would deem "not enough."

Feel is pretty watery with a slightly cardboard-ish caramel malt lingering aftertaste. Carbonation is pretty low and allows the thin body to have a slightly slick quality, probably from the over-abundance of caramel malt.

It's a typical inbev pseudo-craft beer, in that it looks like craft beer when it's on the shelf, and is priced like craft beer, and you might think you're getting craft beer when you buy it, but that's about it. This beer does not stand out in any way, but manages to shine in the "meh" department. It's nothing like the finely crafted artisan ales that real craft breweries make. This beer lacks flavor, aroma, and body, but it excels in blandness.

I don't know where this "hop finish" mentioned in the commercial description comes from, but I can't taste it. And where the "roasted malts" are, I'm not sure of that either, unless they just added barely enough roasted malts to get the color change they wanted. Caramel malt, now that I can taste in abundance; it's the main flavor.

I know this beer has been around for a while, but don't know if it's changed over the years. However, it needs to change if it wants to reach the "good" category in my book. Perhaps they wanted to impress bud light drinkers, and if so, more power to ya. But a craft beer this is not. It's a mass produced watery alcoholic beverage with just enough beer-like ingredients where it can still be classified as beer.

BTW, I'm not just hating on inbev for the sake of it. If they were to make a good beer, I would rate it well. This just isn't a good beer tho.

Serving type: bottle

06-08-2013 01:21:54 | More by AlCaponeJunior

jngrizzaffi

Texas

3/5  rDev +8.3%

06-07-2013 04:00:33 | More by jngrizzaffi

obrike

Texas

3/5  rDev +8.3%

06-05-2013 02:25:43 | More by obrike

dmorgan310

Panama

2.75/5  rDev -0.7%

06-02-2013 03:59:40 | More by dmorgan310

czillmer

Virginia

3/5  rDev +8.3%

06-02-2013 02:42:15 | More by czillmer

speedvagen

Ohio

3.25/5  rDev +17.3%

06-01-2013 14:51:38 | More by speedvagen

Frank_TX

Virginia

3.5/5  rDev +26.4%

05-27-2013 23:02:54 | More by Frank_TX

BlesstheHarvest

Texas

3.25/5  rDev +17.3%

05-24-2013 20:54:28 | More by BlesstheHarvest

cosmonick

Indiana

2.5/5  rDev -9.7%

05-24-2013 02:01:36 | More by cosmonick

canders0927

Texas

3/5  rDev +8.3%

05-16-2013 21:32:11 | More by canders0927

JamesStreet

Louisiana

2.5/5  rDev -9.7%

05-12-2013 16:54:35 | More by JamesStreet

Dave_Treat

Virginia

3/5  rDev +8.3%

05-11-2013 23:30:14 | More by Dave_Treat

Xzfgiimtsath

Texas

2/5  rDev -27.8%

05-10-2013 00:37:32 | More by Xzfgiimtsath

Cvescalante

Texas

2.5/5  rDev -9.7%

04-29-2013 02:57:38 | More by Cvescalante

DbbC

Illinois

2/5  rDev -27.8%

04-26-2013 17:11:10 | More by DbbC

korene84

California

3/5  rDev +8.3%

04-04-2013 18:28:43 | More by korene84

DemDumplingz

Texas

2.75/5  rDev -0.7%

04-04-2013 18:27:10 | More by DemDumplingz

bluetrevian

Florida

2.5/5  rDev -9.7%

04-04-2013 01:29:42 | More by bluetrevian

GarthDanielson

New Hampshire

2.03/5  rDev -26.7%
look: 3 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.25

A friend of mine brought me back a little mix-pack from Texas. He doesn't know a lot about craft beers, but the sentiment was nice. Poured from a bottle into a shaker pint, the beer is a muddled, clear, light brown coloring with a thin ring of off-white film around the surface. Aromas are subtle, with a blending of roast and sugary caramel sweetness. Flavors are watery at best, with a touch of sweet on the mid-tongue and really nothing else. I mean, there's a dose of carbonation to sharpen up the nothingness. Wow, this is like carbonated water. There's really no aftertaste because there is no taste taste. Maybe a touch of caramel, but that is really reaching. Carbonated and watery in mouth. The finish is light and clean, because there really isn't anything to linger behind. Jesus, this was a stretch to get much of anything out of this one.

Serving type: bottle

03-29-2013 02:47:59 | More by GarthDanielson

Bladezone

District of Columbia

1.75/5  rDev -36.8%

03-22-2013 16:47:28 | More by Bladezone