Front Range Fresh Harvest Hop Ale

Front Range Fresh Harvest Hop Ale

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Brewed by Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc.

St. Louis, MO, United States

Style:  American Pale Ale

? % Alcohol by Volume

Availability of this beer is unknown

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On the surface, it may seem an odd business strategy, but Anheuser-Busch has developed a brew it has no intention of selling. Front Range Fresh Harvest Hop Ale, which uses a fresh hop brewing process, will only be available as part of the company’s complimentary sampling program at the end of its brewery tours at its facilities in Fairfield, Calif.; Fort Collins, Colo.; Jacksonville, Fla.; and St. Louis. The brew honors its Fort Collins, Colo., origins through its name, which pays tribute to the Front Range region of that state. The brand started out as an experimental batch at Anheuser-Busch’s brewery in that city and features an intense hop aroma and a slightly bitter taste balanced by maltiness. Generally in brewing, hops are kilned almost immediately after harvesting to extend the timeframe over which they can make a good beer. In a fresh hop process, brewmasters skip the kilning process, adding freshly harvested hops to the maturation tank, which results in a more intense hop aroma. Anheuser-Busch used domestic noble hops of the Saaz variety from its Elk Mountain Hop Farm, as well as two-row and caramel malts for this brew. “Because we’re encouraged to experiment with different beer flavors, we often develop small batches from time to time as part of our new product creation,” said Florian Kuplent, one of the company’s brewers. “We had such a great reaction when people tried this batch, we decided to share it on a broader scale. While we didn’t make huge quantities of this beer — and now can’t since the hops harvest ended in the fall — we think our tour center visitors will appreciate trying the Front Range beer and getting a feel for the type of brews they might see from Anheuser-Busch in the future.” Rather than release this beer immediately following its production, Anheuser-Busch opted to age it to enhance the flavor. Front Range Fresh Harvest Hop Ale is served on draught and will remain on the tour center taps until the supply runs dry. Anheuser-Busch estimates it has enough of the brew on hand for about two months of sampling. Based in St. Louis, Anheuser-Busch is the leading American brewer holding 50 percent of the U.S. beer market. The company is American-owned and brews the world’s largest-selling beers, Budweiser and Bud Light. Anheuser-Busch also holds a 50 percent share in Grupo Modelo, Mexico’s leading brewer, and a 27 percent share in Tsingtao, the No. 1 brewer in China. Anheuser-Busch ranked first in the U.S. beverage industry in FORTUNE magazine’s 2005 “America’s Most Admired Companies” and in the top 30 on FORTUNE’s 2005 “Global Most Admired Companies” list. The company is one of the largest theme park operators in the United States, is a major manufacturer of aluminum cans and is the world’s largest recycler of aluminum beverage containers. For more information, visit www.anheuser-busch.com.