There’s something about crazed crowds in multiple-story shopping malls and the idea of seeing all of your extended family members at once that just screams IT’S TIME TO DRINK. Sure, the crunch of leaves, the frost on windows, and the small thrill of seeing your breath in the chilly air is dandy enough, but the holidays are really just an excuse to get boozed up inappropriately while it’s still, well, vaguely appropriate.

So it’s fitting that Budweiser has stepped up it’s efforts to get us even more buzzed over the season — with a brand spankin’ new line of beer with a higher ABV than the average Bud.

Drinkers (and fellow friends with tiny bladders), rejoice: “Black Crown” will boast a 6% ABV. To put things in perspective, regular Budweiser has a 5% ABV, while Bud Light stands at a measly 4.2% ABV. More bang for your chug!

And the mystical origins of Black Crown are interesting enough. According to Budweiser Brand VP Rob McCarthy, the formula was modeled after a limited-edition beer made earlier this year at the Los Angeles brewery. The beer was named one of the victors of Project 12, where brewmasters at 12 AB InBev breweries created their own small-batch of “tribute” beers — each with a distinct style. Sounds like some weird beer-version of The Hunger Games, but we’ll take it. All is fair in booze and war.

But will Black Crown steal the throne when it comes to pleasing the tastebuds? We’ll just have to wait until early next year, when this “golden amber lager” with a “distinctively smooth and beechwood [finish]” will be released to the public — perhaps in time (we hope) for the Super Bowl.

via HuffPo and AdAge

Jennifer LaiTwitterFacebook

At the ripe age of three, Jennifer Lai sampled dishes as diverse as foie gras, jellyfish, and chicken feet. She was born Canadian, hails from Los Angeles, and lived in Berkeley and Chicago before moving to New York, where she now resides and writes. She spends at least one night a week compulsively roasting vegetables and re-watching episodes of Good Eats -- sometimes at the same time.