US: Anheuser-Busch InBev tests beer styles "consumers have shown interest in"

Anheuser-Busch InBev is planning to release three new limited-edition beers this October based on styles "consumers have shown interest in". 

The three beers will be sold as part of a sampler pack, following a summer-long testing project. The initiative, known as "Project 12", has seen brewmasters at Budweiser's 12 sites across the US produce lagers using "all-natural ingredients". 

The 12 brews have been narrowed down to six and will be tested among consumers at Budweiser sites throughout next month. Each beer is named after the ZIP code where it was brewed. 

“We asked our Budweiser brewmasters to each submit a beer idea in styles that consumers have shown interest in,” said Rob McCarthy, Budweiser's VP. 

One of the beers - Budweiser Small Batch 23185 (Virginia) - is described as a "light-amber all-malt bourbon cask lager aged on bourbon staves and vanilla beans and with an abv of 5.5%". 

Another - Budweiser Small Batch 80524 (Colorado) - is "a deep-gold, filtered wheat beer with 5.2% abv using lemon peel, orange peel and coriander". 

Jane Killebrew-Galeski, director of brewing, quality and innovation for Anheuser-Busch, said: "Our objective is to allow our brewmasters to show some creativity, but the beers must fit the hallmarks the Budweiser brand is respected for, such as quality and consistency, and have a very crisp and clean taste.”

An A-B InBev spokesperson confirmed the three-beer sampler pack would be on sale "late October". 

Last week just-drinks revealed that Carlsberg is launching a "craft-style lager" in Sweden, as a result of its brewers producing "experimental brews" in their spare time.