Here in Louisiana we are literally starving for a good Czech or German Beer. In the 1980's Pilsner Urquell exploded on the market and it was plentiful for a while. Then it disappeared. Now it is hard to find. In most places we have a small selection of German/Czech beers because local craft beers took over. We even used to be able to get German beer on tap, but now all the big tap places have been taken over by local craft beers.. The only beer we can get on tap now is Guinness stout. None of our craft beers come close to a Czech or German brew. Thanks for your ratings and reviews. You do a good job.More informative than most.
I regularly buy the Czech Budvar at home bargains £1.49 and £1.59 for the Budvar dark lager which is a really nice drink. I often think that these 'foreign' beers that are brewed here in the UK all come out of the same tank but just put into different logo bottles.
@@kpace8605 It could be truth. I worked for small old Bohemia Regent brewery (since 1379) and we sold beer into UK literally into tanks truck going there to brew it there. So may the Budwar use the same way.
@@drakulkacz6489 Your comment arrived as i had just finished a Budvar Dark Larger.I don't have it very often but it's £1.69 at Home Bargains.🤗 It's good.
Thank you for your great work. Just to point something out - American Budweiser is very very different to British Budweiser. American Budweiser has a distinct crisp sweetness and is ever so slightly skunked, its also at 5%. As I really don't like Budweiser American variety (although I don't begrudge any one else ) I was astounded when I was given a Bud here - I didn't think Id find a beer I disliked more, but you Brits have done it! :)
@@FilthyTheDog1 Interesting. Im not sure, You do have different alcohol levels in supermarkets depending on how stringent / prohibitionist states they are. But the beer in bars and in liquor stores (off licences) should be 5%. None the less the difference between American and British Bud is astounding - something i do not understand.
@@GavJ_81 yep the UK has the insane idea to screw up every beer going by lowering the ABV to gain profit...people just need to stop buyin this watery garbage! Money talks and that's all they understand.
Budweiser is not a family name but a the name of the town Budweis in what is now Czechia (Czech Republic). It was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire back then where German was the common language. Busweiser means "from Budweis" just as Pilsner means "from Pilsen". The brewery there in Czechia, Budweiser Budvar, began exporting to the USA in the late 19th century and as it was popular, Anheuser-Busch decided to make their own Czech style version.
Another great comparison review, have had short chats about these two in the past only one winner. US/UK Budweiser ~ Good for cleaning the drains awful stuff. Czech Budvar ~ No comparison to the other so called lager, this has proper taste and flavour.
On my personal investigation some years ago I got the American and Czech beers together as you did here. I kept them in the same cooler at the same temperature etc. My opinion was exactly as yours. I was amazed at the taste and complex bitter sweetness of the Czech version while I classified the American as as near to a water taste as is possible to make a beer. My friends who were with me laughed when I called the American tasteless water in comparison, for they all called the American version "vesi" (Estonian for water) and all said after they had their first American Budweiser years ago none of them ever touched the stuff again! Considered as the trials of gaining experience as one ages....!
I'm an American.. This is one reason I started home brewing years ago. Most everything mass produced in America with the exception of a few craft breweries is swill.. Designed to produce diabetics for profit.. Actually my next brew planned is an American Pre prohibition lager. On paper, by the numbers it looks to be a winner. Hey! Really enjoyed the "home brew" review of the Irish stout you did. Wish you knew more brew masters that home brewed😅. 🇺🇸🍻🇺🇸
Budweiser Budvar is a real beer made to the German Purity Laws, which means it can be sold in Germany. However, Budweiser can't be sold in Germany under the Purity Laws because it was marketed without refridgeration in the 1800's, meaning it has a preservative in it, known to many as formaldehyde. Budweiser copied Budweiser Budvar's name, and they had the gall to claim it for their own. Historical note: when Budweiser started selling it's beer in England, they sued Budweiser Budvar to get rights to the 'top shelf' in the stores. The English judge was not amused by this and ordered that if a store sells these two beers, they must be put on the same LEVEL and immediately SIDE-BY-SIDE. Budweiser has not been brewed anywhere near as long as Budvar.
It is not as simple. There were nationalistic fights in austria-hungary, and a group of brewers separated from the Samson company, and established Budweiser. But they lacked finances to start, and then the brewery was built for a while. In this period showed the american and bought the recipe. Since USA has no local trademark protection, anyone can brew champagne or produce roquefort cheese.
The german purity law only applies to german beers. Imports can be sold as beers even if they didn't obey the law because of trade agreements within the EU. Nowadays the purity law is worth less anyways because everything the beer gets filtered through doesn't have to be on the list of ingredients. So you basically can do a lot with a beer without breaking the law.
Budweiser is an American beer made by Anheuser-Busch & Company; you are talking about another brand called Budweiser Budvar. Do your research.@@tomassali8870
Budweiser isn't a family name - it's where the beer originated from. Much like Pilsner originated from Pilsen, Budweiser originated from Budweis. They should be geo protected products, like Cornish Pasties and Champagne. 😁
Good review Simon. I actually tried an honest review of UK/US Bud yesterday. I found it a perfectly acceptable, clean, crisp, easy drinking beer, better than other UK mass market lagers. Even got a couple of fruity notes in canned version .6/10. And to be fair, the rival Buds are not even purporting to be the same beer
I was on this on saturday. Was at oir local brewery bar in rivington in bolton. I was told it was a check beer. Was served in the budvar glass you have there. I commented what a brilliant beer and loved the glass. I even ordered some of the glasses in the morning. But iv only just realised this is the same beer. Loved it. So much flavour.
I was in Ceske Budejovice last month, the tank Budvar is nothing like what is sold in the bottle. Creamy head stays on the beer till the end. In order to taste this increadible beer one must travel to the source. Same story with Pilsner Urquel.
Czech used to evaluate beers not by alcohol content, but by "degrees", which meant density. Budvar would be a 12 degree beer. One of its main features - as with many European vs. American beers - is its body. Its not empty, it is full. Some American young drinkers might like American Bud as they like to drink rather flat ales. Traditional lager drinker choice would be Budvar. What is missing in the video is the history of American copy of the Czech beer and the ensuing legal battles. I add that the Czech town name is Budejovice, called by Germens Budweis and the adjective Budweiser identifies the beer from that town.
Budweiser is for when ure young and dont know what ure drinking ie pisswater Budvar is for when uve manned up and realised there is proper beer worth enjoying
I've always preferred Michelob which is the premium Anheuser-Busch beer. Budweiser just tastes watery. Amazing what you can do with good marketing, (and lawyers) even if the product is nothing special.
There is no "Budweiser family". Anheuser Busch used the name inspired by this new style of beer originating from Budwar (or Budweis in German). They didn't think the original brewery would sue them for decades.
@@cehaem2 But the name "Budweis" is WAY older than the US brand. In fact it was what inpired the US company for the name. US brand legislation is a protectionist caricature of what legislation is supposed to be.
@@HotelPapa100 They own the trademark for longer than Budvar exists. They registered - they own it in the US which makes sense since Budvar didn't exist in 1876..
I used to drink the American Budweiser (draft) back in the eighties. It was 3.5% AVB and brewed in the states. It was a nice refreshing summer beer that went down easily. Some time in the late eighties/early nineties they switched to UK brewing and upped the AVB. It became a completely different beer and not to my taste.
Brother I literally searched for this with you like last week as i was re-looking into the two Budweiser Instead i found you washing your car with it. LOL Great video mate. Cheers.
The US Bud used to brewed at Mortlake at the former Watney's brewery but since that plant closed I think its moved to Magor near Newport? The brewery was built there to take advantage of the water from the Severn Tunnel, which is why I always visit the toilet on trains going through there as that beer needs the extra flavour
A true tale, in 2012 I suffered kidney failure after a severe infection, for 3 years I was on Kidney Dialysis and was on a rigid fluid intake restriction, but we could have a drink whilst on the machine and the beer we were allowed was Bud, not being a fan I asked why? I was told that it wasn't brewed like our beer and it lacked any of the goodness found in proper beer the doctors words not mine. After my transplant I swore I'd never the rubbish again. I do remember it being 5% abv though. Another UK Beer casualty no doubt.
have to say it isn't that British water is not so good for brewing, it is that these beers were developed with the water available which is obviously different to UK water, and water in the UK is different in different locations anyway and local brews are developed with what they have, having said that the comparison reviews are interesting
@@noggintube know exactly what you mean, some work far better with local water than others do, one thing springs to mind is all the breweries (mostly now gone) In the Burton on Trent area and some of the beers that are now brewed elsewhere and are nowhere near as good
@@noggintube Absolutely agree with Simon about these two 'beers' , but I also agree with you that the UK makes some , many even , excellent ales and stouts . Our brewing masters understand their local waters and have had time , decades maybe centuries , to develop their beers . I live north of bristol and my water comes from the Sharpness canal .... I know , WTF is going on ! Well i has been a while since I last made a brew , but I found after experimenting that lager was definitely a no no here , which suits me fine ! I found that a trad ale , say Six X or Doombar style , had a chance , but stout was the business . From the bottom of a bottle of Original Guinness I used to get my stout yeast . Then I would use proper malt grains and crack the chocolate malt (burnt coke of malt ) and some wheat malt ( provides more head ) and boil away . it would give Guinness a challenge to be honest . Did you know Dublin , named by the Vikings long ago , means black pool in Norse ? That is because of the dark water in the river tainted by the peat bogs ..... Sharpness canal ..... see what I mean ! Lol . ATB
Czech Budvar is state owned, it's a national brewery, they are not driven by profit, but old principles. I watched programme about them and they are pedantic about maintaining the recepie and brewing methods. As we know now, corporate capitalism is a race to the bottom when it comes to quality. Although I did buy the American Budweiser a few weeks ago cheaply and I actually enjoyed it.
Bumped into your channel a few videos ago 👍🏻 In the 90s budweiser was my weapon of choice in the pubs and clubs great when your a young 20 year old drinker , Did try the budvar but was not for 20 year old me , trying the budweiser a few years ago and it tastes like a lot of other famous beers "washing-up liquid " think it's time a gave the budvar another go 🍺🍻cheers
Last drank the American stuff about thirty years ago, and I remember a nice 'woody' taste in the background, from the beechwood fermentation. I take it that's not there now since the 'hop across the pond' production wise?
I don't know if its drunk the same way across the US, but I used to spend a lot of time in Texas, and bud there was drunk bastard cold in a frozen glass, and funnily enough it enhanced all of the things you picked out as being good from the American Bud. It all works really well in the heat of Texas, but in the context UK I agree entirely with what you found x
I used to like Michelob and Miller lite US beers but you can’t get either in the UK anymore. It also looks like they have withdrawn Samuel Adams as well as I haven’t seen that for a while either.
Budweiser Budvar is branded as "Czechvar" here in the US and in some other countries because Anheuser-Busch nabbed the trademarks first. I've had it and like it Quite a Lot More than I do the Anheuser-Busch swill.
Love your channel Simon.. BUT to be fair, following your stella / san miguel UK brewed Slop comparison I think a bottle of USA brewed Budweiser V UK bud is needed !!!!!
About 10 years ago someone left a bottle of US Budweiser at our house. I put it in the fridge and opened it one Friday evening, I tasted it then tasted it again. I then poured it down the sink horrible. It’s the only beer I’ve ever had a drink of and poured the rest away. What a joke. Love these these new reviews on two similar beers. Ian
Miller is far far worse pure sin masquerading as a beer. Even the sweet sickly smell is horrendous before you even think about drinking it. Worst beer I ever tried was Flame from new zealand.
Cool side by side One note on tasting. You mentioned a British water in the “American” budweiser. I assure you that InBev has a world class water treatment facility in every brewery they build. They are kings of science and efficiency, for better or for worse. I think your recognition of British water was simply your previous knowledge of the beer putting ideas in your head. Beer is hard that way
I have to post my thought just before I'll be going to watch your video till the end: I, a Czech, but specially a Moravian who grew up drinking wine, I tell you that Budvar is the best beer in the world. Thus a wine degustator said.
I was recently in Ceske Budejovice, not for the Budweiser, but a microbrewery that also served some of the best czech food i ever had Their beers ranged from light lagers to a heavy and dark stouts(almost 10%) Incredible character to every beer I can recommend visiting the city to try out ALL the breweries
Your whole description of American bud is the exact reason I like it so much. (I am not a proper beer drinker) I like the session piss water lol. Amstel/madri is about as “beery” as I can handle.
I think you're essentially preaching to the converted here, mate! Small correction - Budvar is actually called 'Czechvar' in North America. As far as I can tell Budweiser (US) is so popular for two reasons: 1 - Anheuser Busch have a multi-million dollar marketing budget that far outstrips anything the brewers of Budvar can compete with. 2 - A large majority of North Americans don't do 'good' beer: case in point - the top selling beers in the US are Bud, Bud Light, Coors Light, Miller Lite and in Canada it's pretty much the same with the addition of Molson Canadian and Labatt Blue. Keep fighting the good fight! Cheers.
I visited the Budvar brewery two weeks ago. Very nice experience. I only recently learned that there are two different Budweiser beers. I always just thought the american version was the only one. I very much like the Budvar version. Good tasting, yet easy drinkable, yes very round as well. I like that it's only produced one place on earth. Keeps the taste consistent. The same way Guinness is only produced in Dublin.
Off topic I know but after your recent review on the Krombacher Pils I just thought to add this. I was bought a bottle of this from Morrisons today. I had a look at it standing on the shelf in the kitchen, I thought the bottle looked a bit thin, had a look and it turned out that it is only 500ml. Haven't seen those before, and hope this isn't going to be the norm, if so what next? Not going to end up like Rheinbacher pils.
Nice comparison Simon. Not trying to defend Budweiser as I truly dislike their product, but I once heard a talk by a brewmaster who said A-B actually brews an exceptionally well-crafted product with the precision that craft beers coundn't match (not that they try), it's just that the product is a light, mild, relatively low ABV, adjunct lager catering, unfortunately, to the tastes of the masses. For those of us who appreciate authentic lagers and real ales, that's just not very good. I thought it was an interesting point. Cheers
Hello, Simon, You should have done your homework before making this video comparison, Budweiser isn't named after a family, it means "of Budweis" a town in southern Bohemia in the Czech Republic. Budweiser Budvar was founded in Budweis in 1895, the brewery has been state owned since 1948, although brewing in the town of Budweis actually dates back to 1265. The brewing water is drawn from an artesian well. The American Budweiser dates back further than the Budvar version, it was founded by Adolphus Busch in 1876 when he and a friend created a "Bohemian" style lager after a trip to Budweis. The American Budweiser is brewed in St Louis, Missouri.
Simon never does his research. Just makes things up and spreads the rubbish. Needs to be more like Craft Beer Channel. Spend less time drinking and more time recording quality content than pushing out a higher quantity of lackluster content.
Adolphus Busch immigrated from Germany and partnered with Eberheart Anheuser and formed the Anheuser- Busch Company in St.Louis Mo. And Budweiser beer was born.
Nicely done but does anyone not know that they are two completely different beers with really only a name in common. Maybe some do not know and this will help educate them.
I had a can of bud light the other week and , honestly, I can't fathom why anyone would buy it when any other brand (even Carling of Fosters) is in the same shop
@@heiltd1286 yeah, exactly, but people have taste 'buds' (see what I did there) and should be able to tell when something tastes like diluted urine and costs much the same as something that tastes nice even if they're thick
The so called "King of Beers" has become the Joke of a Beer in the US, big time. But before all that, I've never known anyone to actually like Budweiser. Many bars here served the popular and super cheap Bud Light, which is garbage as well. Be interesting to try a Budvar though. Cool video.
Your comments about water is interesting. Until the 1980s we had Ansells brewery . The got water from a well. - very soft water. The same one used for HP Sauce. They brewed Ansells Mild. The brewery closed in the 1980s and brewing was transferred to Burton on Trent. Ansells mild didn’t reappear for sometime. It didn’t work with Burton’s hard water. Eventually they recommenced with specialty treated water.
To make the contrast to stand out even more, it's good to know, that even the Czech Budvar (at least the 10° version) is rather light, without any strong earthy, hoppy or bitter tones. (I had two bottles this week just to corroborate 🙂). How bland and watery must then the American beer be!
Can you do a budvar vs pilsner urquell???? The people need to know that PU is superior! Although the craft beer channel really screwed my argument recently.
First tasted Budweiser in the 70s , bought four cans and the first taste it was just fizzy water, gave the other three away and would never bother with it again, Miller , Coors, all rice fermented watery beer.
Anheuser-Busch Budweiser is the only beer I've ever had where the UK version tasted better than the beer in its home country. UK Bud isn't fantastic but IME is drinkable. US Bud (drank in 2000, New Orleans pre Katrina) was practically undrinkable fizz (& my US then-wife confirmed this). Budweiser Budvar IME is a decent lager similar to Becks. 5 vs 8 sounds right.
I think Budweiser Budvar should be suing US Budweiser for bringing their name into disrepute! Joking aside, there is a place for inexpensive, clean crisp beers or "throat wet" as I refer to them. If you've been repairing fences all day on a ranch in hot, dusty Arizona then I imagine a couple of ice cold Buds would be perfect. For us sitting in a bar, chatting with friends and savouring the flavour, then a well brewed beer with a complex flavour and aroma profile is infinitely preferable!
I'd like to hear from those people who actually prefer the american budweiser. I'm sure there are many, but I'm pretty sure they don't watch beer reviews on RUclips.
Actually there's a big site at Samlesbury just outside Preston close by, that produces Budweiser. So much for US authenticity. A clean but rather bland drink, I see lads in the pub with a bottle of bud in hand who would never touch a pint of real ale. I bought a bottle of Budweiser Budvar a while back, I think it was from Lidl, and as Simon says it is a more tasting and superior drink.
The kind of pubs frequented by 'lads( read idiots) with a bottle of bud in hand who'd never drink a real ale......' are the sort of places best avoided. In England we have the best beer in the world, why would anyone want to drink Bud? It's actually down to poor education. A truly educated person wouldn't drink Bud.
@@heiltd1286 Yes. You can't beat the anticipation of approaching a bar with 5/6 cask ales on hand. Deciding on whether to get dark or light cask ale, whether to go for ABV 4.3% or 5.5%. Ordering a drink then hearing the glorious sound of the hand pump as it thumps, as the ale pours into a pint glass, topped by a creamy head. Paying the bar person money, and taking a sip before they return with the change. Bottle bud drinkers will never experience what real ale cask drinkers do. I'm mindful of going to a local pub for a few jars this afternoon and watch the Test Match ! How English is that.
Here in Louisiana we are literally starving for a good Czech or German Beer. In the 1980's Pilsner Urquell exploded on the market and it was plentiful for a while. Then it disappeared. Now it is hard to find. In most places we have a small selection of German/Czech beers because local craft beers took over. We even used to be able to get German beer on tap, but now all the big tap places have been taken over by local craft beers.. The only beer we can get on tap now is Guinness stout. None of our craft beers come close to a Czech or German brew. Thanks for your ratings and reviews. You do a good job.More informative than most.
Time to brew your own beer!
To put it simple, ones American mass produced dish water, the other is a bloody good beer.
I regularly buy the Czech Budvar at home bargains £1.49 and £1.59 for the Budvar dark lager which is a really nice drink.
I often think that these 'foreign' beers that are brewed here in the UK all come out of the same tank but just put into different logo bottles.
Yes the dark Budvar is really nice.🍻
@@kpace8605 It could be truth. I worked for small old Bohemia Regent brewery (since 1379) and we sold beer into UK literally into tanks truck going there to brew it there. So may the Budwar use the same way.
@@drakulkacz6489 Your comment arrived as i had just finished a Budvar Dark Larger.I don't have it very often but it's £1.69 at Home Bargains.🤗 It's good.
They’re 4 for £6 in B&M 500ml bottles my go to beer recently flavour is top notch and the abv is 5% 👌
Thank you for your great work. Just to point something out - American Budweiser is very very different to British Budweiser. American Budweiser has a distinct crisp sweetness and is ever so slightly skunked, its also at 5%. As I really don't like Budweiser American variety (although I don't begrudge any one else ) I was astounded when I was given a Bud here - I didn't think Id find a beer I disliked more, but you Brits have done it! :)
I believe that the ABV depends on the state. A guy I met from Oklahoma told me it's brewed to about 3.5% there.
@@FilthyTheDog1 Interesting. Im not sure, You do have different alcohol levels in supermarkets depending on how stringent / prohibitionist states they are. But the beer in bars and in liquor stores (off licences) should be 5%. None the less the difference between American and British Bud is astounding - something i do not understand.
That's funny! welcome to the world of brewed under license UK lager
@@GavJ_81 yep the UK has the insane idea to screw up every beer going by lowering the ABV to gain profit...people just need to stop buyin this watery garbage! Money talks and that's all they understand.
Budweiser is not a family name but a the name of the town Budweis in what is now Czechia (Czech Republic). It was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire back then where German was the common language. Busweiser means "from Budweis" just as Pilsner means "from Pilsen". The brewery there in Czechia, Budweiser Budvar, began exporting to the USA in the late 19th century and as it was popular, Anheuser-Busch decided to make their own Czech style version.
The Czech Beer is the First Fake. Thats the funny Part.
What?
Another great comparison review, have had short chats about these two in the past only one winner.
US/UK Budweiser ~ Good for cleaning the drains awful stuff. Czech Budvar ~ No comparison to the other so called lager, this has proper taste and flavour.
On my personal investigation some years ago I got the American and Czech beers together as you did here. I kept them in the same cooler at the same temperature etc. My opinion was exactly as yours. I was amazed at the taste and complex bitter sweetness of the Czech version while I classified the American as as near to a water taste as is possible to make a beer. My friends who were with me laughed when I called the American tasteless water in comparison, for they all called the American version "vesi" (Estonian for water) and all said after they had their first American Budweiser years ago none of them ever touched the stuff again! Considered as the trials of gaining experience as one ages....!
It's like fornicating in a punt, fucking close to water.
I'm an American.. This is one reason I started home brewing years ago. Most everything mass produced in America with the exception of a few craft breweries is swill.. Designed to produce diabetics for profit..
Actually my next brew planned is an American Pre prohibition lager. On paper, by the numbers it looks to be a winner.
Hey! Really enjoyed the "home brew" review of the Irish stout you did. Wish you knew more brew masters that home brewed😅. 🇺🇸🍻🇺🇸
Budweiser Budvar is a real beer made to the German Purity Laws, which means it can be sold in Germany. However, Budweiser can't be sold in Germany under the Purity Laws because it was marketed without refridgeration in the 1800's, meaning it has a preservative in it, known to many as formaldehyde. Budweiser copied Budweiser Budvar's name, and they had the gall to claim it for their own. Historical note: when Budweiser started selling it's beer in England, they sued Budweiser Budvar to get rights to the 'top shelf' in the stores. The English judge was not amused by this and ordered that if a store sells these two beers, they must be put on the same LEVEL and immediately SIDE-BY-SIDE. Budweiser has not been brewed anywhere near as long as Budvar.
It is not as simple. There were nationalistic fights in austria-hungary, and a group of brewers separated from the Samson company, and established Budweiser. But they lacked finances to start, and then the brewery was built for a while. In this period showed the american and bought the recipe. Since USA has no local trademark protection, anyone can brew champagne or produce roquefort cheese.
The german purity law only applies to german beers. Imports can be sold as beers even if they didn't obey the law because of trade agreements within the EU. Nowadays the purity law is worth less anyways because everything the beer gets filtered through doesn't have to be on the list of ingredients. So you basically can do a lot with a beer without breaking the law.
Its a Czech beer for god sake
Budweiser is an American beer made by Anheuser-Busch & Company; you are talking about another brand called Budweiser Budvar. Do your research.@@tomassali8870
Budweiser isn't a family name - it's where the beer originated from. Much like Pilsner originated from Pilsen, Budweiser originated from Budweis. They should be geo protected products, like Cornish Pasties and Champagne. 😁
I think in Italy it is geo-protected. The American beer cannot be sold as "Budweiser" in many European countries
Czech Budweiser is geo protected in the EU. Check the bottle/can.
@@cehaem2 what does it mean? American Budweiser was sold in UK pre brexit
@@sender5804 UK courts decided that no one has exclusive rights to the brand and that it's impossible to confuse both.
@@cehaem2 ok, but what does the "Czech Budweiser is geo protected in the EU." mean?
Good review Simon. I actually tried an honest review of UK/US Bud yesterday. I found it a perfectly acceptable, clean, crisp, easy drinking beer, better than other UK mass market lagers. Even got a couple of fruity notes in canned version .6/10. And to be fair, the rival Buds are not even purporting to be the same beer
I was on this on saturday. Was at oir local brewery bar in rivington in bolton. I was told it was a check beer. Was served in the budvar glass you have there. I commented what a brilliant beer and loved the glass. I even ordered some of the glasses in the morning. But iv only just realised this is the same beer. Loved it. So much flavour.
I was in Ceske Budejovice last month, the tank Budvar is nothing like what is sold in the bottle. Creamy head stays on the beer till the end. In order to taste this increadible beer one must travel to the source. Same story with Pilsner Urquel.
Czech used to evaluate beers not by alcohol content, but by "degrees", which meant density. Budvar would be a 12 degree beer. One of its main features - as with many European vs. American beers - is its body. Its not empty, it is full. Some American young drinkers might like American Bud as they like to drink rather flat ales. Traditional lager drinker choice would be Budvar.
What is missing in the video is the history of American copy of the Czech beer and the ensuing legal battles.
I add that the Czech town name is Budejovice, called by Germens Budweis and the adjective Budweiser identifies the beer from that town.
the Americans put the money into big flash expensive advert , the Czechs put there money into ingredients
Good t-shirt mate! 😃 Czech Budweiser (Budvar) is beer! 🍺 American Budweiser is soda water with hint of malt. 😃
Budvar is one of my top beer love the stuff
I have never tried the Budweiser Budvar, I will this weekend now!
Budweiser is for when ure young and dont know what ure drinking ie pisswater
Budvar is for when uve manned up and realised there is proper beer worth enjoying
yes
I've always preferred Michelob which is the premium Anheuser-Busch beer. Budweiser just tastes watery. Amazing what you can do with good marketing, (and lawyers) even if the product is nothing special.
Bud sucks
The saying is “Budweiser, the King of Beers. Budvar, the Beer of Kings.”
Budvar is quality night and day as you say, you can taste how soft and good the water is. Prefer Pilsner Urquell but you cant go wrong at all.
There is no "Budweiser family". Anheuser Busch used the name inspired by this new style of beer originating from Budwar (or Budweis in German). They didn't think the original brewery would sue them for decades.
It was AB that sued Budvar.
@@cehaem2
If so, it shows how "evil" AB is. Lawsuit against the original brewery for using its own name.
@@ad.ke.7224 nonsense. Budvar is younger than ABs registered brand name.
@@cehaem2 But the name "Budweis" is WAY older than the US brand. In fact it was what inpired the US company for the name. US brand legislation is a protectionist caricature of what legislation is supposed to be.
@@HotelPapa100 They own the trademark for longer than Budvar exists. They registered - they own it in the US which makes sense since Budvar didn't exist in 1876..
Had a Budvar last night. It's so far ahead of anything else, apart from some of the German ones. It's the lager equivalent of an expensive wine.
I used to drink the American Budweiser (draft) back in the eighties. It was 3.5% AVB and brewed in the states. It was a nice refreshing summer beer that went down easily. Some time in the late eighties/early nineties they switched to UK brewing and upped the AVB. It became a completely different beer and not to my taste.
American bud is 5% for the last 20 years at least
I remember the draught US Bud in the 80s being 5%
Never known UK beers to be stronger than the originals due to our alcohol duty favouring lower ABVs.
Brother I literally searched for this with you like last week as i was re-looking into the two Budweiser Instead i found you washing your car with it. LOL Great video mate. Cheers.
The US Bud used to brewed at Mortlake at the former Watney's brewery but since that plant closed I think its moved to Magor near Newport? The brewery was built there to take advantage of the water from the Severn Tunnel, which is why I always visit the toilet on trains going through there as that beer needs the extra flavour
I am on a train home after a night in the beer, after reading this comment the lady next to me is wondering why I am giggling uncontrollably
hahahahaha classic
A beer review for the ages ! I always learn so much from you.
Really like these side by side reviews you’ve been doing recently Simon.
A true tale, in 2012 I suffered kidney failure after a severe infection, for 3 years I was on Kidney Dialysis and was on a rigid fluid intake restriction, but we could have a drink whilst on the machine and the beer we were allowed was Bud, not being a fan I asked why? I was told that it wasn't brewed like our beer and it lacked any of the goodness found in proper beer the doctors words not mine. After my transplant I swore I'd never the rubbish again. I do remember it being 5% abv though. Another UK Beer casualty no doubt.
I doubt the US brewed Budweiser was any good to begin with
have to say it isn't that British water is not so good for brewing, it is that these beers were developed with the water available which is obviously different to UK water, and water in the UK is different in different locations anyway and local brews are developed with what they have, having said that the comparison reviews are interesting
@@noggintube know exactly what you mean, some work far better with local water than others do, one thing springs to mind is all the breweries (mostly now gone) In the Burton on Trent area and some of the beers that are now brewed elsewhere and are nowhere near as good
@@noggintube Absolutely agree with Simon about these two 'beers' , but I also agree with you that the UK makes some , many even , excellent ales and stouts . Our brewing masters understand their local waters and have had time , decades maybe centuries , to develop their beers .
I live north of bristol and my water comes from the Sharpness canal .... I know , WTF is going on ! Well i has been a while since I last made a brew , but I found after experimenting that lager was definitely a no no here , which suits me fine ! I found that a trad ale , say Six X or Doombar style , had a chance , but stout was the business . From the bottom of a bottle of Original Guinness I used to get my stout yeast . Then I would use proper malt grains and crack the chocolate malt (burnt coke of malt ) and some wheat malt ( provides more head ) and boil away . it would give Guinness a challenge to be honest .
Did you know Dublin , named by the Vikings long ago , means black pool in Norse ? That is because of the dark water in the river tainted by the peat bogs ..... Sharpness canal ..... see what I mean ! Lol . ATB
“Not the worst aromas in the world”
“I’ve tasted worse”
High praise!
Czech Budvar is state owned, it's a national brewery, they are not driven by profit, but old principles.
I watched programme about them and they are pedantic about maintaining the recepie and brewing methods.
As we know now, corporate capitalism is a race to the bottom when it comes to quality.
Although I did buy the American Budweiser a few weeks ago cheaply and I actually enjoyed it.
Watch out for the hangover with budvar, the head aches are very really. Used to drink this a lot when i lived in belgium.
Even the mop bucket will spit that out 😂. Great review once again 👍🏻
Bumped into your channel a few videos ago 👍🏻 In the 90s budweiser was my weapon of choice in the pubs and clubs great when your a young 20 year old drinker ,
Did try the budvar but was not for 20 year old me , trying the budweiser a few years ago and it tastes like a lot of other famous beers "washing-up liquid " think it's time a gave the budvar another go 🍺🍻cheers
I love the Czech bud had a few boxes of it from Costco very nice.
Are they being consumed chilled or at room temperature?
Budvar has been my favourite tipple since I was a lad of 16 years old.
You need to do one with heineken. The 330ml cans brewed in Holland v 440ml cans brewed in UK
Another fantastic video from my favourite RUclips channel. 🍻 Buddy
This is going to be a very one-sided contest!
One is American piss (that's even been watered down in the UK) and one is a good beer.
American one is made in Saint Loos
Last drank the American stuff about thirty years ago, and I remember a nice 'woody' taste in the background, from the beechwood fermentation. I take it that's not there now since the 'hop across the pond' production wise?
If you can simon pick up budvar dark from home bargains. It's £1,59 a bottle in Leeds and I've been loving it for the past few weeks.
I don't know if its drunk the same way across the US, but I used to spend a lot of time in Texas, and bud there was drunk bastard cold in a frozen glass, and funnily enough it enhanced all of the things you picked out as being good from the American Bud. It all works really well in the heat of Texas, but in the context UK I agree entirely with what you found x
This is a brilliant review absolutely loved it
I used to like Michelob and Miller lite US beers but you can’t get either in the UK anymore. It also looks like they have withdrawn Samuel Adams as well as I haven’t seen that for a while either.
Budweiser Budvar is branded as "Czechvar" here in the US and in some other countries because Anheuser-Busch nabbed the trademarks first. I've had it and like it Quite a Lot More than I do the Anheuser-Busch swill.
Love your channel Simon.. BUT to be fair, following your stella / san miguel UK brewed Slop comparison I think a bottle of USA brewed Budweiser V UK bud is needed !!!!!
These side by side reviews are very good Simon. Maybe add a snack for each one too.
About 10 years ago someone left a bottle of US Budweiser at our house.
I put it in the fridge and opened it one Friday evening, I tasted it then tasted it again. I then poured it down the sink horrible.
It’s the only beer I’ve ever had a drink of and poured the rest away.
What a joke.
Love these these new reviews on two similar beers.
Ian
Racist!
Miller is far far worse pure sin masquerading as a beer. Even the sweet sickly smell is horrendous before you even think about drinking it. Worst beer I ever tried was Flame from new zealand.
I had 5% Carlsberg in turkey last year was absolutely mind blowing compared to the shitty stuff we have in the uk
Carlsberg is nectar in Denmark, they have improved the uk version
Cool side by side
One note on tasting. You mentioned a British water in the “American” budweiser. I assure you that InBev has a world class water treatment facility in every brewery they build. They are kings of science and efficiency, for better or for worse. I think your recognition of British water was simply your previous knowledge of the beer putting ideas in your head. Beer is hard that way
Good video. Hope you got everything sorted with the council about the "fly tipping" nonsense.
Simon I seem to remember you pouring a bottle of Budweiser on your car a few years back!!
That was a RACB classic 🤣
I have to post my thought just before I'll be going to watch your video till the end: I, a Czech, but specially a Moravian who grew up drinking wine, I tell you that Budvar is the best beer in the world. Thus a wine degustator said.
I was recently in Ceske Budejovice, not for the Budweiser, but a microbrewery that also served some of the best czech food i ever had
Their beers ranged from light lagers to a heavy and dark stouts(almost 10%)
Incredible character to every beer
I can recommend visiting the city to try out ALL the breweries
Budweiser an acceptable beer, but never liked the corporate trademark shenanigans. But absolutely love a budvar. One of my favs 👍
Your whole description of American bud is the exact reason I like it so much. (I am not a proper beer drinker) I like the session piss water lol. Amstel/madri is about as “beery” as I can handle.
I think you're essentially preaching to the converted here, mate! Small correction - Budvar is actually called 'Czechvar' in North America.
As far as I can tell Budweiser (US) is so popular for two reasons:
1 - Anheuser Busch have a multi-million dollar marketing budget that far outstrips anything the brewers of Budvar can compete with.
2 - A large majority of North Americans don't do 'good' beer: case in point - the top selling beers in the US are Bud, Bud Light, Coors Light, Miller Lite and in Canada it's pretty much the same with the addition of Molson Canadian and Labatt Blue.
Keep fighting the good fight!
Cheers.
I thought there were more bigger breweries than that....what a crap choice of beers!
Loving the review and the Neil from the Young Ones tribute
where is the budvar brewed, czech or uk ?
Czech Republic
@@PointNemo9it’s Czechia
@@louisbeerreviews8964 That's the short name, full name is Czech Republic (Česká republika).
I loved this beer, felt there was hints of vanilla. Nice labelling too.
Si will you do a comparison of budvar against my personal favourite Czech beer pilsner urqwell and see how they stand up against each other
I visited the Budvar brewery two weeks ago. Very nice experience.
I only recently learned that there are two different Budweiser beers. I always just thought the american version was the only one.
I very much like the Budvar version. Good tasting, yet easy drinkable, yes very round as well.
I like that it's only produced one place on earth. Keeps the taste consistent. The same way Guinness is only produced in Dublin.
Budvar is beautiful, brown bottles would be nicer in a 660ml. Budweiser is a waste of water.
As Half Man Half Biscuit sang in their CAMRA MAN number ...'You can can really taste the hops'! :)
Off topic I know but after your recent review on the Krombacher Pils I just thought to add this. I was bought a bottle of this from Morrisons today. I had a look at it standing on the shelf in the kitchen, I thought the bottle looked a bit thin, had a look and it turned out that it is only 500ml. Haven't seen those before, and hope this isn't going to be the norm, if so what next? Not going to end up like Rheinbacher pils.
"..the smaller the bubble..." it's sort of the same with naturally brewed sparkling wines and carbonated wine drinks.
Budvar is a great beer, goes down so well
Nice comparison Simon. Not trying to defend Budweiser as I truly dislike their product, but I once heard a talk by a brewmaster who said A-B actually brews an exceptionally well-crafted product with the precision that craft beers coundn't match (not that they try), it's just that the product is a light, mild, relatively low ABV, adjunct lager catering, unfortunately, to the tastes of the masses. For those of us who appreciate authentic lagers and real ales, that's just not very good. I thought it was an interesting point. Cheers
"Any beer who must say I AM THE KING is no true king" -Tywin Lannister
Hello, Simon, You should have done your homework before making this video comparison, Budweiser isn't named after a family, it means "of Budweis" a town in southern Bohemia in the Czech Republic. Budweiser Budvar was founded in Budweis in 1895, the brewery has been state owned since 1948, although brewing in the town of Budweis actually dates back to 1265. The brewing water is drawn from an artesian well. The American Budweiser dates back further than the Budvar version, it was founded by Adolphus Busch in 1876 when he and a friend created a "Bohemian" style lager after a trip to Budweis. The American Budweiser is brewed in St Louis, Missouri.
Simon never does his research. Just makes things up and spreads the rubbish. Needs to be more like Craft Beer Channel. Spend less time drinking and more time recording quality content than pushing out a higher quantity of lackluster content.
@@Shadz01Sick burn
@@Shadz01 haha It's hilarious that Simon actually "liked" this comment. But I know he just blindly likes every comment he sees without reading most.
US Budweiser is brewed in several places in the USA and around the world including UK. Using local water.
Adolphus Busch immigrated from Germany and partnered with Eberheart Anheuser and formed the Anheuser- Busch Company in St.Louis Mo. And Budweiser beer was born.
I'll take Budvar over Buttwiper any day. The Budvar Dark is a fantastic beer. 🦆
had the black budvar from Home Bargs the other week - delish
My ancestors died for that beer! 🇺🇸 How dare you. You're a disgrace.
Nicely done but does anyone not know that they are two completely different beers with really only a name in common. Maybe some do not know and this will help educate them.
what kind of question is that... one s a fine beer made in the Czech Republic... the other is near frozen gnats urine...
I love budvar. I drank far too much yesterday!
I had a can of bud light the other week and , honestly, I can't fathom why anyone would buy it when any other brand (even Carling of Fosters) is in the same shop
Advertising
@@heiltd1286 yeah, exactly, but people have taste 'buds' (see what I did there) and should be able to tell when something tastes like diluted urine and costs much the same as something that tastes nice even if they're thick
Never worked out whether bud light drinkers hate beer or hate themselves?
@@Jerry-xx3qk Both I think. Either way they're not the most inspiring people.
The so called "King of Beers" has become the Joke of a Beer in the US, big time. But before all that, I've never known anyone to actually like Budweiser. Many bars here served the popular and super cheap Bud Light, which is garbage as well. Be interesting to try a Budvar though. Cool video.
Love Budvar. US Bud is fizzy rice water.
Your comments about water is interesting. Until the 1980s we had Ansells brewery . The got water from a well. - very soft water. The same one used for HP Sauce. They brewed Ansells Mild. The brewery closed in the 1980s and brewing was transferred to Burton on Trent. Ansells mild didn’t reappear for sometime. It didn’t work with Burton’s hard water. Eventually they recommenced with specialty treated water.
To make the contrast to stand out even more, it's good to know, that even the Czech Budvar (at least the 10° version) is rather light, without any strong earthy, hoppy or bitter tones. (I had two bottles this week just to corroborate 🙂). How bland and watery must then the American beer be!
Love the T Shirt 👍
Can you do a budvar vs pilsner urquell???? The people need to know that PU is superior! Although the craft beer channel really screwed my argument recently.
All I know is it’s not even midday yet and now I want to start drinking beer
Man. Look at that bottle of bud. Everything in Canada is moving away from bottles and it breaks my heart
Oh this is awesome!! I only drink Budvar in UK so I was looking forward to your comparison!
First tasted Budweiser in the 70s , bought four cans and the first taste it was just fizzy water, gave the other three away and would never bother with it again, Miller , Coors, all rice fermented watery beer.
Love the hair 😊
Anheuser-Busch Budweiser is the only beer I've ever had where the UK version tasted better than the beer in its home country. UK Bud isn't fantastic but IME is drinkable. US Bud (drank in 2000, New Orleans pre Katrina) was practically undrinkable fizz (& my US then-wife confirmed this). Budweiser Budvar IME is a decent lager similar to Becks. 5 vs 8 sounds right.
Surely not the "fake" Luton brewed becks!
@@peterm7548 It's been a good while since I had either, maybe I should do a comparison! Mostly been drinking stouts & ales recently.
If I ever find myself in the stands watching the Indy 500 then I might go for the US version, for everything else, I think I'll pass.
Budweisser definitely has nothing on budvar, but it's not a bad choice if the only other option is carling etc.
brilliant keep them coming
Budvar's one of the best there is yum !
I think Budweiser Budvar should be suing US Budweiser for bringing their name into disrepute!
Joking aside, there is a place for inexpensive, clean crisp beers or "throat wet" as I refer to them. If you've been repairing fences all day on a ranch in hot, dusty Arizona then I imagine a couple of ice cold Buds would be perfect.
For us sitting in a bar, chatting with friends and savouring the flavour, then a well brewed beer with a complex flavour and aroma profile is infinitely preferable!
I'd like to hear from those people who actually prefer the american budweiser. I'm sure there are many, but I'm pretty sure they don't watch beer reviews on RUclips.
Actually there's a big site at Samlesbury just outside Preston close by, that produces Budweiser. So much for US authenticity. A clean but rather bland drink, I see lads in the pub with a bottle of bud in hand who would never touch a pint of real ale. I bought a bottle of Budweiser Budvar a while back, I think it was from Lidl, and as Simon says it is a more tasting and superior drink.
The kind of pubs frequented by 'lads( read idiots) with a bottle of bud in hand who'd never drink a real ale......' are the sort of places best avoided. In England we have the best beer in the world, why would anyone want to drink Bud? It's actually down to poor education. A truly educated person wouldn't drink Bud.
@@heiltd1286 Yes. You can't beat the anticipation of approaching a bar with 5/6 cask ales on hand. Deciding on whether to get dark or light cask ale, whether to go for ABV 4.3% or 5.5%. Ordering a drink then hearing the glorious sound of the hand pump as it thumps, as the ale pours into a pint glass, topped by a creamy head. Paying the bar person money, and taking a sip before they return with the change. Bottle bud drinkers will never experience what real ale cask drinkers do. I'm mindful of going to a local pub for a few jars this afternoon and watch the Test Match ! How English is that.
Hey, dude, let me give you a little advice... Czech beer is supposed to be served into COLD and WET glass if you don't want to kill it. Cheers!