Tap Handle #65: Anheuser-Busch - Faust Golden Lager

This is simply an awesome tap, the detail is fantastic, inspired by the original Faust label in 1885. The new Faust had a limited run and not many of these taps were made.

In 1995, Anheuser-Busch decided to bring back some old recipes for a limited run...they called this American Originals. The first was called Black and Tan, and the tap featured a lion fighting a bear. The second was Faust. Faust was first brewed in 1885 by Adolphus Busch for his good friend Tony Faust to serve at Faust's renowned St. Louis Oyster House and Restaurant. Initially only sold in Faust's restaurant,  it proved to be so popular that it was later (in 1893, which can be seen on the base of the tap) made on a much wider basis. During Prohibition, A-B ceased beer production, and when it was repealed, Faust was not brought back, as Prohibition and The Great Depression took their toll and only the cheapest beers were made from that point on. There is a Faust Brewing in Germany, and another in Texas, that should not be confused with A-B's Faust beer.

The new Faust was described as an all-malt lager using only the richest, two-row dry-malted barley and a blend of Bohemian and Washington State hops. The beer has been retired due to poor sales and reviews. Weighted average on ratebeer.com is 1.3 out of 5. That score would be bad enough to put the new Faust in ratebeer.com's 50 worst beers of all-time, but there are simply not enough reviews to qualify. At any rate it is highly unlikely that the new Faust recipe resembled the popular original in any way.