Budweiser Is Brewing George Washington's Personal Beer Recipe And Selling It This Summer
CNBC- Budweiser has gone to the history books for its latest lager. A new beer the massive brewer is rolling out this month, Freedom Reserve Red Lager, is inspired by a hand-written recipe found in George Washington’s military journal kept during the French and Indian War in 1757. Meant to celebrate U.S. veterans and American history, the red lager is made by Budweiser brewers who are also “proud veterans,” the company says. Proceeds benefit Folds of Honor, a non-profit group that provides educational scholarships to military families.
Budweiser’s 5.4% alcohol beer based on Washington’s recipe will not be hop-heavy, but will have “a rich caramel malt taste and a smooth finish with a hint of molasses,” the company says in a news release announcing the beer. The beer will begin showing up at retail this month and will be available through September or while supplies last.
So apparently this story came out a few weeks ago, but I was still in the Newborn Baby Fog when it dropped, so I get a pass for missing it. Actually I am still in the Newborn Baby Fog, so LAY OFF OF ME! Sorry, that was rude, I’m just really tired. I noticed this morning while driving that I didn’t even know what the special menu item was at Taco Bell, which is proof that I have no watched nearly enough good TV lately.
Anyway, I have to tip my cap to Budweiser for doing it again. I thought renaming your beer America for the entire summer was the most American thing you can do and instead they went ahead and brewed George Washington’s personal beer recipe. If you listen closely, you can almost hear this song playing as I write this.
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Obviously I love this move by Budweiser for a bunch of reasons. I’m a pretty basic beer guy. My go-to has always been a nice cold Bud Light, even before I won the #BudLightBusters challenge (nbd). But with all the new fancy craft beers out there, sometimes I like to mix it up to seem different and mysterious. The thing is I don’t like a lot of those fancy beers. I know the Beer Hardo Stoolies will stick their distinguished noses up and quietly unfollow me on Twitter because of it. That’s fine, I don’t care. However, I do like the idea of having a different beer that is unique and different during the summertime and that’s why I’m making the Freedom Reserve my fancy beer of the summer. Sure it doesn’t have 500 different types of hops in it or you have to climb to the top of a mountain to get it. But it’s a limited run beer, which always gets my juices flowing. I love the unique stubby bottle look. And oh yeah, it’s the brainchild of your favorite Founding Father’s favorite Founding Father. If you hate on a bottle of Freedom Reserve, you are hating on straight up freedom. Look at the actual recipe of this brew.
Take a large Sifter full of Bran Hops to your Taste — Boil these 3 hours. Then strain out 30 Gall. into a Cooler put in 3 Gallons Molasses while the Beer is scalding hot or rather drain the molasses into the Cooler. Strain the Beer on it while boiling hot let this stand til it is little more than Blood warm. Then put in a quart of Yeast if the weather is very cold cover it over with a Blanket. Let it work in the Cooler 24 hours then put it into the Cask. leave the Bung open til it is almost done working — Bottle it that day Week it was Brewed.
General George Washington was not only a great military mind but an artist with the quill pen, illegible handwriting be damned. “Let this stand til it is little more than Blood warm”? Incredible. Putting molasses in your recipe is about as old school and manly as it gets. And even though it probably isn’t necessary with today’s climate control technology, every bottle of Freedom Reserve better be covered in a blanket for at least 10 seconds just because George Washington said so. That’s a 5 Balls recipe if I’ve ever seen one.
I feel like George Washington has kinda lost a little bit of cachet over the years. Sam Adams became cool thanks to the beer company with his name. The biggest play in the universe was based on Alexander Hamilton’s life. And Abraham Lincoln may have had the biggest fashion reveal of the year with these fire slippers.
People don’t realize this now, but the George Washington vs. Abraham Lincoln debate was the original MJ vs. LeBron debate. Washington helped give birth to this great nation, actually fought in the big war of his time, and was never assassinated. Lincoln had the nickname advantage on Washington with “The Great Emancipator” and “Honest Abe”, steered the country through its roughest times, and had height as well as reach advantage on GW. Washington’s coin is worth more while Lincoln has the paper money advantage. Those slippers gave Abe a brief leg up in swagger, but I think this beer will even things up heading into the summer. Thanks to both of those great men, I will be able to drink a nice, tall stubby medium-sized bottle of Freedom Reserve while BBQ’ing in my backyard with some fresh bunting on my porch courtesy of my wife.
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God bless America. God bless Budweiser. God bless you, Barstool reader. And God bless the people that will be helped out by this beer.