Re-reading Unca Cecil’s reply to a question about chicken hearts in Budweiser got me thinking about…beer. Admittedly, this is not a hard thing to do. What I was wondering though, was about the recipes used by major brewers like Miller, Bud, Stroh’s and so on.
For example Anheuser-Busch has a Budweiser brand as well as a Busch brand. Well, are these two beers any different, or are they one and the same, with only the labels changed? I imagine the price is different according to brand names that they sink more cash into for advertising, but wouldn’t it be a further bottom line measure to make one brew and re-package it under numerous names?
I have been told that the Joseph Huber Company used to do just that back in the 40’s and 50’s–one brew, tons of labels. So, is Genuine Draft really any different from Miller High Life?
Dunno what they put in them beers, and I really can’t taste the difference, myself.
There is a “Straight Dope Classic” about the difference between Tab and Diet Coke which addresses the advertising strategy of putting the ‘same wine in a different bottle.’
Dude, spend a little more and go micro… 
Out here in Hong Kong, a friend once noticed that only a single digit difference occured in the bar codes on cans of San Miguel (the locally-brewed version of which is a common mid-brand beer) and Knight (a bargain bucket cheapy that boasts no obvious manufacturer).
They both taste pretty awful in a similar way, IMO, so we assume Knight is the overspill from San Mig sold much cheaper.
PS San Mig brewed elsewhere is much better
The grain bills for Bud and Busch are quite different, actually. The taste profiles differ markedly. The big difference, and the one that stands out the most, is that Bud uses rice as a filler grain, and Busch uses a mixture of rice and corn. To really taste what corn does to a beer, drink Burgie or Shaeffer.
Genuine Draft and High Life also have differing grain bills, but the grains are the same, so there isn’t much difference in the flavor profile.
I “went micro” for quite a few years actually, but I decided that, for the most part, I don’t want a full course meal in a bottle. I just want a beer. A bottle of Bud satisfys, and a case costs about eleven bucks. The micro brewery stuff I was into was about eight bucks a six.