Review: Carl's Jr. - Budweiser Beer Cheese Bacon Burger

Carl's Jr.'s Budweiser Beer Cheese Bacon Burger features a warm cheddar cheese sauce mixed with the taste of Budweiser lager. The cheese sauce is joined by a choice from a number of charbroiled beef patties, thick-cut Applewood-smoked bacon, lettuce, tomato, caramelized onions, and Swiss cheese.

I went for the double patty version (with two grass-fed beef patties), which goes for $7.19 in my area (a single is $5.99) but I received this one courtesy of Carl's Jr.

For the most part, the burger is very familiar to many other bacon cheeseburgers the chain has offered before save for the beer cheese. Fortunately, the beer cheese stands out enough with the beer adding an aged cheddar-type of sharpness to what would other be just a creamy, generically cheesy sauce. It had a decently thick consistency to it and I would have liked to see more of it. The melted Swiss cheese buoyed it up with an extra creaminess.

I'm not sure if Carl's Jr. / Hardee's has secretly tweaked their bacon recently but it was very smoky, perhaps overly so, like a combination of actual smoking and liquid smoke. It didn't manage much in the crispy department.

The double beef patties made for a very meaty burger. They had a nice texture to them and were moist. I tried one half with just one beef patty and found it the more balanced of the two.

The lettuce and tomato were fresh and suitably crisp, while the onions added the expected caramelized sweetness.

It looks like Carl's Jr. has moved away from their Fresh-Baked Buns, which is a pity as they were excellent although over-sized compared to their regular beef patties. The replacement bun was good enough with a brioche-like quality. It's definitely smaller with a more uniform, higher density as well as a more chewy but still soft texture.

All-in-all, I liked Carl's Jr. Budweiser Beer Cheese Bacon Burger a good deal. The beer cheese gave a nice richness and extra cheesy quality to a solid but otherwise standard bacon cheeseburger base.

Nutritional Info - Carl's Jr. / Hardee's All-Natural Budweiser Beer Cheese Bacon Burger - Double Patty (403g)
Calories - 940 (from Fat - 490)
Fat - 55g (Saturated Fat - 24g)
Sodium - 1800mg
Carbs - 52g (Sugar - 12g)
Protein - 60g