Michelob Ultra

If you recall, a while back I promised I was going to try Michelob Ultra. And I promised I was going to try it with an open mind. Which I did. In fact, I was open-minded enough about it that I bought a six pack. Here’s how it went.

Let’s start with the pour. It felt like pouring water from a bottle. There just wasn’t much to it. It didn’t quite look like water, but it didn’t quite look like beer. It was somewhere in between. It managed to muster a thin head and was a very clear, very pale yellow. I knew about what to expect with the first sip, and that’s about what I got. Not much. Nothing bad, nothing objectionable, just nothing much.

My wife despises beer (I keep trying to convince her to embark on a project like this, but she remains loathe to do so), and I suggested she try some. She had a sip and said that while she didn’t like it, it was the least objectionable beer she’d tried. I thought it was very similar to the Kirin Light, which is not surprising since both are made by Anheuser Busch. The Kirin seemed to have a bit more sweet, rice-like flavor to it, whereas the ultra was more dry. Both are 95 calories, but the Ultra had less overall flavor and no discernible hop flavor at all.

I understand the appeal of a beer like this. If you like beer as a refreshing drink but want to save a few calories, I could see drinking this. If I’m going to have just one beer, I’d choose something with more flavor than this. If I’m going to drink multiple beers in one day, I’d rather drink half as many of something with a little more to it. Or have a Sam Adams Light, which is only 25 calories more but double the flavor. But if you prefer easy-drinking lagers and want something light, this isn’t bad, it just doesn’t stand out as being particularly good, either.