Remember that summer when Budweiser just renamed itself “America”?
It was the perfect culmination of star-spangled exceptionalism and lazy marketing. At least they left in that first “A.”
Undeterred, the Belgium/Brazil-based company is back at it again, angling for American wallets this summer the best way they know how: introducing Freedom Reserve Red Lager, a recipe derived from a young George Washington’s own personal military journal.
Washington, like most of our Founding Fathers (see: Franklin, Benjamin) was a man of various interests, occupations and tastes. Alcohol was clearly one of them, as the statesman owned one of our fledgling nation’s largest whiskey distilleries. And three centuries later, his “Recipe for Small Beer” — which called for “three gallons of molasses” — has been brought to life by a team of Budweiser’s veteran brewers.
The beer itself will include a hint of the molasses for which GW clearly had an affinity, along with a hearty combo of caramel malt and toasted barley. And Budweiser’s intention aren’t entirely capitalistic here: they’ve paired with Folds of Honor, a nonprofit that provides academic scholarships for military families. For every case sold (they come in shorter vintage bottles and one-pint cans) Budweiser will donate $1 to Folds of Honor.
We’ll drink to that.
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