Bud Dry, introduced by Anheuser-Busch in 1989, was the first dry-brewed beer made in
America. It had a lighter body and a less-sweet taste. Bud Dry was double-cold filtered
and was considered a "hybrid beer" by the company, being a cross between a light beer
and a full-bodied regular beer, however, it still had the alcohol content (5%) one would
expect in a regular beer. The calorie level was only 130, falling between Bud Light (110)
and Budweiser (145). Even with its unique taste and unusual style, coupled with a massive
ad campaign in the late 1980s and early 1990s, Bud Dry never caught the public's fancy.
Some other brewers, anticipating a large dry beer demand, even brought out their own dry
beers (Olympia Dry and Michelob Dry, as examples). For the last eighteen or so years,
Bud Dry received absolutely no advertising attention, and its availability (usually in 12
packs of 12 oz. cans) was spotty. I found Bud Dry to be a very good, albeit unusual,
beer. It was obviously produced according to Anheuser-Busch's fanatical quality control
standards, but in later years was positioned in the value-priced pricing segment (usually
about $7.00 per 12-pack). In July, 2010 I received e-mail confirmation from the brewery
that the beer had been quietly discontinued. So, along with Bud Lite Ice, Red Wolf,
Anheuser World Select, and Michelob Malt, it goes down in history as one of the few
failed Anheuser-Busch beer offerings. We bid farewell to this 21-year-old product. It
will not be missed by many.
America. It had a lighter body and a less-sweet taste. Bud Dry was double-cold filtered
and was considered a "hybrid beer" by the company, being a cross between a light beer
and a full-bodied regular beer, however, it still had the alcohol content (5%) one would
expect in a regular beer. The calorie level was only 130, falling between Bud Light (110)
and Budweiser (145). Even with its unique taste and unusual style, coupled with a massive
ad campaign in the late 1980s and early 1990s, Bud Dry never caught the public's fancy.
Some other brewers, anticipating a large dry beer demand, even brought out their own dry
beers (Olympia Dry and Michelob Dry, as examples). For the last eighteen or so years,
Bud Dry received absolutely no advertising attention, and its availability (usually in 12
packs of 12 oz. cans) was spotty. I found Bud Dry to be a very good, albeit unusual,
beer. It was obviously produced according to Anheuser-Busch's fanatical quality control
standards, but in later years was positioned in the value-priced pricing segment (usually
about $7.00 per 12-pack). In July, 2010 I received e-mail confirmation from the brewery
that the beer had been quietly discontinued. So, along with Bud Lite Ice, Red Wolf,
Anheuser World Select, and Michelob Malt, it goes down in history as one of the few
failed Anheuser-Busch beer offerings. We bid farewell to this 21-year-old product. It
will not be missed by many.
I ended up on this site to see if I could still get Bud Dry, which I haven't had for years. You answer my question. I loved it!
ReplyDeleteWhat year was Michelobe dry discontinued?
ReplyDeleteBring back bud dry!!
ReplyDeletePlease
DeleteBring back Bud Dry.
DeleteBring back red wolf, please
ReplyDeleteI found this page in an effort to discover whether Bud Dry was still available. In the early and mid '90s, after considerable research, I concluded that Bud Dry and Michelob Dry complemented fajitas, smoked brisket, and well-made burgers better on my palate than any other beers. I'm sad to learn it's gone, but grateful for the confirmation that I don't need to wonder any more.
ReplyDeleteIt was my favorite Beer
ReplyDelete