Anheuser-Busch Tequiza Review

Anheuser- Busch is the world's largest and best- known brewery, featuring a large number of alcoholic malt- beverage products. A-B has decided to test the waters by venturing outside of its traditional malt- beverage comfort zone and now offers many different products. One of them is Tequiza, a fruit- flavored malt beverage introduced in 1999.

Beer Commentary:

Tequiza is an innovative product. It's the first ever American- made malt beverage that uses blue agave nectar as one of the ingredients. Along with this nectar, it combines light lager beer, real lime flavoring, and a small amount of Mexican tequila. The result is a sweet beverage that tastes more like a cooler than a beer.

When I first poured myself a glass of Tequiza, the first thing that stood out was the aroma. It reminded me of a glass of Seven- Up, with a small amount of vodka added, and some cereal grains. The color of this product is light golden, with crystal clear clarity. The alcohol level is 4.9 percent by volume, and a 12 oz. serving contains 170 calories, which is a little higher than regular beer.

The taste of Tequiza is sweet, with the flavor of lime dominating every sip. This isn't a product that I would likely buy again, because it just doesn't taste enough like beer, and it doesn't measure up to the taste of a lime- flavored cooler, either. Still, I can see how some individuals could really get hooked on this product. Specifically, I think it will appeal most to those who really don't like the flavor of beer in the first place, and to those who prefer the taste of sweet alcoholic beverages as opposed to dry. It's sweet flavor makes it very easy to drink, like a glass of kool- aid with a little alcohol and malt flavor added.

Bottom Line Viewpoint:

I give the brewers at Anheuser- Busch credit for originality. There's no other product in the beer isle quite like this. But I think I will stick with my traditional malt, hops, yeast, and water. If I want the taste of fruit and tequila, I will order a margarita.