Anheuser-Busch to try Budweiser American Ale?
Anheuser-Busch Cos., the St. Louis brewer that built its fortune on lager beer, appears to be interested in trying its hand at a new ale.
Ales are traditionally the domain of small craft brewers, which have experienced strong growth recently.
Now, the country’s biggest beer maker has received label approval from the Treasury Department’s Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau for “Budweiser American Ale.”
The beer is slated to have 5.1 percent alcohol by volume — about the same as standard Budweiser — according to label filings.
The development was first reported by brewblog.com, a website run by Miller Brewing Co., A-B’s Milwaukee-based rival.
As Miller helpfully points out, Budweiser American Ale considered rolling out a beer by that same name back in 1997, but the effort was put on a back burner.
Jeremiah McWilliams is a native Virginian who came to the Post-Dispatch in early 2007 to cover beer and other consumer products. He previously covered manufacturing for the Virginian-Pilot newspaper in Norfolk, Va. He is a graduate of Washington and Lee University. 
