Red Baron Lime
This looks like a slightly hazy version of its big-name competitor, and like the Bud Light Lime, pours with a thick white collar of foam that dies quickly and almost completely. The nose is likewise all about the lime, but more akin to fresh fruit rather than sweet soda, with a whisper of grainy malt. The flavour, too, is drier and more cereal-like, but also seems to present the lime in a more subdued, almost understated fashion, close to what I expect would be the effect of squeezing a wedge of lime into a bottle of regular Red Baron. The finish is not only dry, but also faintly tart and even the tiniest bit hoppy.
Score for lime: 4/10 Score for beer: 5/10
Bud Light Lime
The colour is certainly that of a light beer, sort of a pale gold, but the aroma leaves no doubt about the sweet lime factor, reminding me more than a bit of the Lime Rickey sodas I used to drink as a kid. The taste is likewise sweet but less sugary than the nose, still very much lime-forward with only a mild maltiness and a near-complete absence of any hop character. In fact, about the only thing in this brew that evokes for me the notion of beer is the faint, biscuity malt apparent in its off-dry finish.
Score for lime: 6/10 Score for beer: 3/10
The winner
Not definite, but as someone who prefers beer to lime soda, I'll give a nod to Red Baron Lime.
