(St. Louis, MO) – Anheuser-Busch received label approval for the first of what will appears to be the first in a new series of beers. The label for Anheuser-Busch Brewmaster’s Small Batch No. 0538 is non-descript other than it will be available in 12 oz. bottles and the ABV is 5%. The actual ABV may differ by the time that the beer is actually released.

Anheuser-Busch sparked a frenzy when it launched the ‘craft beer’-like Budweiser American Ale in 2008. At the time, Beervana’s Jeff Alworth wrote, “I love that Bud has made a serious beer. It looks to me like a trojan horse that millions of Americans may unwittingly invite into their refrigerators. And once dry-hopped ales get in there, they may never leave.”

That is what the debate comes down to…some argue that the big breweries’ attempts to enter the ‘better beer’ category will hurt it while others think that those attempts could increase adoption (the gateway effect) and, at the very least, raise awareness of the category.

Do you welcome Anheuser-Busch’s efforts in the better beer category?