For more than 30 weeks out of the year, the mobile brewery (seriously, it takes you to the point just before fermentation; to go any further would be, well, illegal) travels across the country to reach audiences at sporting events and festivals.
One of the factors separating the Brewmaster Tour from other mobile units is right there in the name: Switch tapped retired Budweiser Brewmasters to tell the story of the craftsmanship behind the beer, really driving home what makes a Budweiser a Budweiser.
We recently caught up with one of the Brewmasters from the tour to find out about how his history with Anheuser-Busch have influenced his experiences on the Brewmaster Tour.
What’s your history with Anheuser-Busch?
I actually started 17 years ago with another brand and I grew into a Brewmaster position there. Then, after two years on a different competitor, finally I moved to Anheuser-Busch and worked there for 13 years before retiring 6 years ago. Overall, I’ve worked at 11 different breweries. Having worked in older breweries, I was not accustomed to the state-of-the-art equipment and research. The brewery, engineering and research (at A-B) are lightyears beyond other breweries.
What are the requirements to be a Brewmaster? What does the job entail?
Those on the path to becoming a Brewmaster have to start in the St. Louis plant. Brewmaster candidates would painstakingly study the taste of the final product to learn how a Budwesier is supposed to taste. But not only do you have to be able to recognize notable attributes in the beer, you also have to become an expert on how the unfermented ingredients are supposed to taste – malt, water and wort. Brewmasters are conduits for quality assurance in the brewing process, and it is essential to taste various stages in the process to ensure each Budweiser retains its authenticity and contains the attributes customers have come to expect from a Budweiser. Trainees in the St. Louis location were often relocated to the other 11 breweries. I spent nine years in Jacksonville, Florida as an Assistant Brewmaster before my promotion to Brewmaster.
How did you learn to taste Budweiser correctly?
Every day, seven days a week, we would taste a beer five times during its life cycle. Sometimes we would taste all 12 Anheuser-Busch breweries’ beers and compare the tastes – Budweiser, Michelob, etc. So we would point out if we tasted bitter in a Bud, for example, and that brewery would have to tweak its process to ensure a Bud in Jacksonville would taste the same as a Bud in LA. It’s hard work; I worked 12-hour days.
Have you been involved in Anheuser-Busch brewery tours before? If so, how did the mobile brewery compare?
Absolutely; as the senior assistant, I led all VIP tours (if August Busch came, for instance). It was one of the primary responsibilities of any Brewmaster. Also, when distributers would visit, they wanted to meet the Brewmaster, so I would ensure they had a visit to the taste panel to experience how we taste the beer. Involving them in the process made the experience much more meaningful. The Brewmaster Tour had several differences; it was designed to spark interest in the casual beer drinker, someone who may have no idea how beer is even made. And it was a much shorter event.
Do you feel like the Brewmaster Tour was successful in showing the passion and commitment to quality that makes a Budweiser?
I do. Brewmasters have a passion for their art, so they have a tendency to go on and on because they want to teach not only about the brewing process, but also how to enjoy beer to the fullest. I really think if people understand how to properly pour, taste and smell a Budweiser, they’ll enjoy it much more and they’ll be more likely to buy. So I taught the other tour managers to taste properly; I would list the different tastes and notes. It starts with pouring the beer, the different style glass and more. The C02 is a carrier gas, and it takes the different tastes to the top. Your nose is way more powerful than taste buds. People don’t realize how much they’re using their nose. So you swirl, smell, sip and swallow. And when you swallow, you exhale through your nose so the gasses are released through your nose. This really opens your palate to the different tastes.
What were people’s reactions to the taste of Budweiser once they discovered the intricate brewing process?
I’d say 95% were blown away by the whole process. It was a new experience for people who had never seen a brewery up close. Teaching them to taste properly also made a huge impact.
Interesting – so what is your tasting methodology?
I would have people taste with their nose plugged, then taste with their nose open and look for common attributes in the beers. They could only taste those attributes when their noses were unplugged. Draft beer is often considered the supreme way to drink and for good reason: It’s automatically transferred into its proper vessel – a glass. You’re able to enjoy a beer more when it’s poured with a layer of foam for a few reasons. First, it cleanses the palate. Second, the bubbling CO2 allows for aromas to reach your nose. Third, the released CO2 prevents you from getting quite so bloated because it’s released into the air; if you’re just slugging a bottle or can, you consume most of the carbon dioxide.
Do you have any interesting stories from the tour?
My favorite part was a trip to the military base in Tampa. The service men and women were extremely interested to learn about the brewing and tasting processes. It was great to share that with people who really deserved a pat on the back. Every leg of the military was there. The Daytona 500 was also amazing; the entertainment area was packed! With such huge crowds, it was a race to get people moving to reduce the lines a bit – but everyone loved it. One more story – the Brewmaster Tour stopped at a ski resort in Vermont. The weather outside was frightful, but inside the resort, we got a bit creative. I went on stage with the Bud Girls and showed the 200 or so people in attendance a quick lesson in pouring, smelling, tasting and swallowing the beer. The distributor allowed me to give away 50 or so Buds, so it was really great to deliver a meaningful experience to the audience.
)
