— a lager from Anheuser-Busch

published Oct 9 ’14

Packaging
Distinctively Budweiser, but with its own brand of cool, Black Crown stands out on the store shelf because it is not flashy.  The six pack images are subtle with the look of a sweaty glass full of cold beer.  As expected from the name, black is the main packaging color.  It’s topped off with the King of Beers crown on its twist off cap.  As silly as it seems, it was the dark, almost ‘film noir’ look of the bottle and the packaging that made me want to try Black Crown.

To steal a phrase from that old commercial, “This is not your father’s Budweiser”.  Having a Bud says so many things to me, but none of them are ‘cool’.  To me, a Bud means drinking beer in a garage, or at a county fair, or at your old uncle’s house.  You know, the uncle who still wears suspenders with his plaid shirt and clashing plaid shorts; the uncle no one really talks about unless its his turn to have Thanksgiving.  That uncle.  Nothing wrong with those things (except maybe your uncle), but they’re not ‘cool’.  Black Crown breaks that image — the overall look says Corvette Stingray instead of Chevy pickup.  Jazz is cool, a late night in the city is cool, Black Crown is cool.

From the Brewer
Part of the one of the largest world wide brewers, Budweiser Black Crown is an Anheuser-Busch property that falls under the Budweiser family of beers.  Its website links through Budweiser.com and has a very after-hours, dark jazz feel to it.

Now websites do not add to or take from the flavor of a beer.  But when I say I want to drink a beer that’s an experience, not just a beer, this is what I mean.  The Black Crown website is simple and uncluttered.  It has some scrolling pix boldly declaring why this is an excellent brew.  Scroll down a bit further and there are a few videos that you can watch about the beer.  And I have not watched the videos, but each snapshot of the videos shows a place I’d like to experience.  Winning at cards, playing the guitar with a beer bottle — all my kind of fun.

From the Anheuser-Busch main site you can read a fact sheet that describes Black Crown as a Golden Amber Lager with a caramel malt and hops blend finished on Beechwood chips.  Black Crown’s alcohol content is 6%, putting it just above the average beer.

Color
Utilizing both the long version and the pocket sized BeerColor.com scales, Black Crown is a solid seven in degrees Lovibond which makes it a Deep Gold beer.

Taste
Black Crown has a gentle aroma.  I can smell a whisper of yeast and hints of honey.  The flavor starts just slightly bitter but genuinely refreshing.  The middle has a sweet note.  The flavor here is definitely a rich honey, but subtle, not over-bearing.  It ends back to bitter again, but also combines with the honey.  This combination of bitter and honey sweetness lingers and calls you back for more.

This is a complex brew; it is not simple by any means.  But it is not overly bold either.  I’d enjoy this beer with a buttery beef stew or even a creamy risotto or pasta dish, like an alfredo.

Without a doubt, I am calling Black Crown a winner.

Final Facts
Name:  Budweiser Black Crown
Packaging:  Slick, cool, dark
Type:  Golden Amber Lager
Alcohol by Volume:  6%
Color:  7 degL – Deep Gold
Taste:  Slightly bitter with subtle honey sweetness
Price:  $6.99 six pack
12 oz bottle: $1.17
Final rating: 5 out of 5 Caps

Try Black Crown – you’ll reach for more.