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Interview and
review of the new Michelob Ultra Amber 3/09/06
This is the update on our article "There
is a new brew in town." We were fortunate enough to be able to ask,
Florian Kuplent, the Brewmaster of Michelob Ultra Amber several questions. For
those of you who submitted questions for us to ask Florian, we now have your answers. For those of
you who submitted reviews of Michelob Ultra Amber we have posted some of them as
well.
Barbax interview with Florian
Kuplent, Brewmaster of Michelob Ultra Amber!
1. Tell us about yourself. How long have
you been brewing beer? How is it that you have become an Anheuser-Busch brewmaster (were you recruited)?
I am
originally from Germany. After graduating from the University of Munich in Weihenstephan, I worked in small microbreweries in England and the U.S. before
coming to Anheuser-Busch a little more than three years ago. I started out at
the Anheuser-Busch Newark, N.J. brewery prior to coming to St. Louis.
2. What is a typical day in the life of a brewmaster?
A typical
day consists of developing recipes for new beers and testing those beers in our
microbrewery. Because all the new beers are evaluated by taste panels, daily
tastings are an important part of our job.
3. What inspired you to make the brew?
Contemporary adults have told us they want different drinks at different times
and in different settings, so we’re always exploring products that will capture
their attention and meet their needs. We think the
combination Michelob ULTRA Amber represents – an American-style lager with a
full-flavored, malty taste that also has reduced calories and carbs – is an
exciting new beer that people will find
4. Do people around the
brewery have any nicknames for you? IE: Beer God, or maybe Dionysus?
I think the title “brewmaster” is quite nice in and of itself. But no, we don’t
have t-shirts made up or anything.
5. Now that you have unlocked the secret to great
tasting light beer, what is next?
We’ve just launched our third
seasonal draught beer, Spring Heat Spiced Wheat. This is a Belgian-style wheat
ale with a slight taste of orange. This beer is available exclusively in
on-premise accounts, such as bars, restaurants, and pubs and will be out through
May. Spring Heat Spiced Wheat follows the successful introductions of Jack’s
Pumpkin Spice Ale and Winter’s Bourbon Cask Ale. Our seasonal draught program
is a great opportunity to provide beer enthusiasts with specialty beers that
each have their own unique personality and appeal.
6. Does it get hard being the brewmaster with women throwing themselves at you all day long?
Being a
brewmaster is a very fun job. In addition to brewing beer, we also get to talk
regularly with beer lovers, so we meet a lot of people – women and men – who are
excited about what we do. I think the male and female brewmasters I work with
would agree that when people find out what we do, there is no shortage of
questions… or suggestions.
7. Some people say "never trust a skinny
chef." Can you say the same thing about a brewmaster without a beer belly?
Actually
there is no evidence that beer bellies are caused by the consumption of alcohol.
Beer does not promote weight or waist gain any more than any other source of
calories.
8. When you imagine someone drinking your
beer, who or what do you see?
Because we
really work hard to meet the needs of our consumers and offer them a variety of
choices for their drinking occasions, I can’t say we have one type of beer
drinker. Overall, I envision the people who enjoy our products as adults who
like having fun and trying new things.
For Michelob ULTRA Amber, we see someone who wants a
beer with a flavorful taste as well as reduced calories and carbohydrates.
9. Do you have other brews or side
projects that the public can try?
We are
constantly creating and innovating. We have a microbrewery at the
Anheuser-Busch St. Louis brewery where we can develop innovative beers and new
products.
In addition
to our seasonal draughts, which I mentioned earlier, we recently crafted a
specialty beer to celebrate Benjamin Franklin’s 300th birthday. This
was available at our St. Louis Brewery Tour Center and commemorated the man some
call the “First American” with a colonial-style beer. Franklin is widely quoted
as saying: “Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.”
Needless to say, we were thrilled to be able to toast him on his special day.
10. Is Michelob Ultra Amber more closely
related to a symphony or a rock show?
I would
categorize it as a symphony. Michelob ULTRA Amber is full of complex flavors;
malty, toasted aromas; and has a rich, deep amber color – which all melds
together for the perfect arrangement of balance and flavor.
11. What is the craziest brew that you have
created?
We’re
having a lot of fun right now with our seasonal draught beers. And in our pilot
brewery we’re able to play a little and experiment with different recipes. We
definitely have some exciting things in the works.
Although I
wouldn’t call it crazy, we did recently develop a unique beer that used a fresh
hop brewing process – Front Range Fresh Harvest Hop Ale. The brand started out
as an experimental batch at our Fort Collins, Colo. brewery and featured an
intense hop aroma and a slightly bitter taste balanced by maltiness.
Generally
in brewing, hops are kilned almost immediately after harvesting to extend the
timeframe over which they can make a good beer. In a fresh hop process, we skip
the kilning process, adding freshly harvested hops to the maturation tank, which
results in a more intense hop aroma.
12. When crafting a beer, is it for your own
taste buds or a committee? Do you have most of the creative control?
All of
the beers that we create, no matter who has the idea, involve the collaboration
of a group of very passionate people – the brewmasters. We talk through the
many the different concepts and possibilities for these new products and brew
test batches to evaluate the color, aroma, and flavor. Although an idea may
have originated with one person, several people provide input to ensure we are
creating a beer that meets our high standards.
13. Are you able to get drunk on the job?
When it
comes to brewing and delivering the consistent, high-quality beer adult drinkers
have come to expect from Anheuser-Busch, the skill of tasting is very
important. We taste beer throughout the day and judge its flavor and aroma.
The concept of tasting is very different from the social activity of drinking.
14. What is your favorite sip in the bottle?
To get the most flavor and best
taste out of your beer, you really need to pour it into a glass. As the
carbonation escapes, the aromas rise to your nose. This is how you can best
enjoy your beer and get the greatest taste out of it.
The review of Michelob
Ultra Amber
Our
review team consisted of five people total. Three members of the review team
considered themselves average to upper level beer drinkers (Justin, Diana,
Dean). The other two members of the team considered themselves as high level
beer aficionados (Jeff and Dave).
We started the review by gathering around a table. At the center of the table
lay 10 Michelob Ultra Amber brews in a bucket of ice. At the periphery of the
table there are 5 frosty pint glasses decisively placed in front of our chairs.
Adjacent to each glass is a pen and a piece of paper with five questions on it.
Three of the reviewers sit and lie in waiting, steadfastly studying the dark
bottles, as Justin retrieves the ceremonial bottle opener. Dean grabs a review
sheet off the table and proclaims the review guidelines. Jeff inquires
about the whereabouts of Justin as a bottle opener slices through the air in his
direction. Diana shrieks and alerts Jeff to his impending doom. With lightning
speed Jeff snatches the bottle opener from the open air and cracks open a bottle
of Michelob Ultra Amber. The sequence reminds Dave of a catcher throwing
out a runner trying to steal second base, and with a comic howl he makes this
known to everyone. The table explodes into a boisterous
chorus of chuckles as we begin our review.
For each question attribute a
numerical value between 1 and 10 for Michelob Ultra Amber (Ten being the very
best in beers of it's class)
First
question:
Once in a pint glass; what particular aspect of Michelob Ultra Amber makes it's
first impression on you?
Justin:
I would
definitely have to say the color. 8/10
Jeff:
Although I was
expecting it, I am still surprised that a light beer can have such a rich color.
9/10
Dave: I enjoyed the
way it poured. It does not flow like a regular light beer. 7/10
Diana:
Good hue. 8/10
Dean:
I like the
first burst of intensity that the beer lets off when being poured. 8/10
Second
question: What are your thoughts on the aromas that Michelob Ultra Amber gives
off?
Justin:
MUA has a crisp
aroma, but not especially fragrant. 7/10
Jeff:
It has the
typical light
beer aroma, with a hint of Smokey zest. 7/10
Dave:
It's hard for
me to get excited about the aroma of a light beer, but it smells on par with
others in its class. 6/10
Diana:
Unlike other
light beers this beer has a quite, yet pleasing aroma. 8/10
Dean:
It has a soft
aroma, but what I do smell I enjoy. 7/10
Third
question: Overall how would you judge Michelob Ultra Amber's taste?
Justin:
There are
some good flavors here and for a beer with 3.7 carbs and only 114 calories, they
have done a good job. 7/10
Jeff:
With that dark
color I was hoping for a little more kick in the flavor department, but it was
still effective. 6/10
Dave: It tastes
cleaner than a regular light beer. 7/10
Diana:
I think it has
a crisp and refreshing taste. This is what I was looking for in this type of
brew. 8/10
Dean:
There are
subtleties here that take awhile to detect. It has a nice flavor. 8/10
Fourth question: What
is your favorite thing about the beer?
Justin:
It was the
first thing I noticed and my favorite thing. I really like the color. 8/10
Jeff:
I have to go
with the color on this one. It is very pleasant. Makes you feel like your
drinking a regular beer. 7/10
Dave:
My favorite
thing about this beer is where it can fit in. If you get this beer nice and cold
it will make a very good hot summer day brew. 8/10
Diana: I like the
smooth flavor. Definitely a day time beer. 8/10
Dean:
Great color,
low carbs and calories. 8/10
Last
question:
Add the values from the four
questions above. How does Michelob Ultra Amber compare to other beers in its
class?
Justin:
7.5/10
Michelob Ultra Amber is definitely in my top five favorite light beers.
Jeff:
7.25/10
Michelob Ultra Amber is setting the precedent for light beers with it's ultra
light status. It is one of the better ones I have tasted.
Dave: 7/10 Overall I
think Michelob Ultra Amber compared well with it's great color and nice flavor.
I think people who drink a lot of light beer will really appreciate this brew.
Diana:
8/10 This is
what I want in a light beer. Michelob Ultra Amber is going to be a regular brew
for me.
Dean:
7.75/10
Michelob Ultra Amber is like a beautiful. shy women. At first all you appreciate
is her good looks, but after you get to know her better, you end up enjoying
what she has to say.
As a group the Barbax review team gave Michelob
Ultra Amber a rating of 7.5/10 (10 being the best light brew ever made). We
considered this a good rating and would recommend you trying it.
Submitted Michelob Ultra Amber reviews
Jack Ryle writes
"The first time I tried
Michelob Ultra Amber was at the St Louis Brewery, after the tour. I liked
Michelob
Ultra, but the Amber version has an assume flavor. I have since bought a six
pack, and am still enjoying the flavor. Definitely the best in class of light or
regular beer I have tasted."
Stephan writes "The
color for an ultra light beer is quite amazing. My only complaint was that it
was a little over priced."
Jake writes "At first I was hesitant about the
brew. When I sat down and actually evaluated it however I found myself enjoying
it in many ways."
Megan writes "This has a big brew look without all
the unnecessary carbs and calories. I think those of us counting our calories,
have found a beer we can actually enjoy."
Denis writes "I was expecting a stronger taste
when I first saw the brew, but for a light beer it was not bad."
You can email your ideas and opinions about
Michelob Ultra Amber to us at Barbaxvote@gmail.com
or you can submit them
on our vote
page.
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Copyright © 2006 Justin
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