Missouri Beer Drinkers Cast Winning Votes For Local Craft Brew From Anheuser-Busch - Mule Kick Oatmeal Stout

The brewmasters were picked, the suggestions were given and the beers were whittled down to a select few -- and now it's your time to vote for "Missouri's New Specialty Beer!" Beginning Sept. 25, Missouri residents can take part in Anheuser-Busch's newest local specialty beers program by logging onto www.originalbeers.com to cast their vote for one of three new specialty brews that best suits their own individual tastes.

Missouri's three beer candidates are Mule Kick Oatmeal Stout, Confluence Amber Wheat and Pilot House Imperial Pils (descriptions are below). Each of the names and beers were developed, crafted and brewed by a small team of local employees at the St. Louis brewery. Beginning Jan. 8, 2007, the winning beer, "Missouri's New Specialty Beer," will be available across the state of Missouri and in other select local markets as a draught-only brew.

"We were asked to get creative and brew something different that would appeal to the tastes of Missouri's specialty beer drinkers," said Mark Fabrizio, assistant brewmaster, Specialty Brewing Group, Anheuser-Busch. "The result is the collection of a stout, a pilsner and a wheat, all of which we hope will showcase the talents of our brewing team and appeal to the tastes of Missouri's specialty beer drinkers. We're excited to see how people vote, and we're looking forward to tapping the first keg of the winning beer for the people of Missouri."

Adults in Missouri will be able to visit www.originalbeers.com beginning Sept. 25 to vote on the following three beers created at the local St. Louis Anheuser-Busch brewery:

• Mule Kick Oatmeal Stout -- a medium-bodied, oatmeal stout with flavor notes of caramel and chocolate and a double-heeled "kick" of roasted coffee and oatmeal. This chestnut-colored quaff is a true salute to Missouri's official mascot -- the mule. Contains 5.9% alcohol by volume.
• Confluence Amber Wheat -- wheat and caramel malts are specially blended to create this unique amber wheat; a somewhat traditional, unfiltered American wheat beer that offers a nice combination of roasted caramel and malted wheat flavors along with its amber hue. Like Missouri's rivers that flow together to create a confluence, this beer's ingredients are blended and brewed with the same principle in mind. Contains 5.4% alcohol by volume.
• Pilot House Imperial Pils -- a rich-flavored, higher-alcohol imperial pilsner that utilizes a dry-hopping technique to balance the natural sweetness of malt with the commanding bitterness of hops. Pilot House is brewed in tribute to the great riverboats of Missouri's past. Contains 6.5% alcohol by volume.

Created with the beer enthusiast in mind, adults 21 and over can log onto www.originalbeers.com to find detailed information on each of the three beer candidates. From tap marker designs to specific recipe details, including the types of hops and malts used to create each brew, the Web site offers voters extensive detail. Voters also are provided with background on the Specialty Brewing Group and can leave comments regarding their favorite beer of choice. Those who participate can vote as often as they choose until Nov. 1, when voting will be tallied and the winning beer will be brewed for a statewide launch on Jan. 8, 2007.

The local specialty beer program was originally launched at Anheuser-Busch's Merrimack, N.H., and Columbus, Ohio, breweries in March of this year, when both breweries created their own unique beers and asked local beer lovers to elect their favorite via an online voting campaign. Demon's Hop Yard IPA was selected in New England and Burnin' Helles (pronounced HELL-ESS) was selected by Ohio residents. Both brews have been available since June 26 and have been extremely well received by beer drinkers and retailers alike.

Based in St. Louis, Anheuser-Busch is the leading American brewer, holding a 48.8% share of U.S. beer sales. The company brews the world's largest-selling beers, Budweiser and Bud Light. Anheuser-Busch also owns a 50% share in Grupo Modelo, Mexico's leading brewer, and a 27% share in Tsingtao, the No. 1 brewer in China. Anheuser-Busch ranked No. 1 among beverage companies in FORTUNE Magazine's Most Admired U.S. and Global Companies lists in 2006. Anheuser-Busch is one of the largest theme park operators in the United States, is a major manufacturer of aluminum cans and is America's top recycler of aluminum cans.