Budweiser?

[Scotsman69]

Taste is important...

But it's after one am here. Need to sleep. Night.

You drink strictly for taste?

 

[doowdniw]

The more hoppy it is, the more happy I am.

 

[quietlylooking]

With so many really good beers in the US, it is a shame that the ones that are most represented across the Atlantic are the truly tasteless ones.

 

[ms_ann_thrope]

A beer is a beer is a beer. Everything else is new age snobbery.

 

[quietlylooking]

A beer is a beer is a beer. Everything else is new age snobbery.

I respectfully disagree. There is so much wonderful variety in beer! Come join me for a pint sometime.

 

[SexyLitForAll]

Can you give a general area to where you live without being uncomfortable? I would love to live in a place like that. We have a few micro breweries but most are not allowed to sell their product off premises. Alabama is backwards about alcohol, as well as other things.

In central Virginia. We have 6 or so in Richmond, another 6 or so in outlying areas, and we seem to ad another every few months. A few years ago, our State Legislature, in one of its few moments of zen, permitted breweries to do on-site retail beer sales (bars) at their brew sites. The micro-brew business immediately took off, as a result.

 

[1sickbastard]

With so many really good beers in the US, it is a shame that the ones that are most represented across the Atlantic are the truly tasteless ones.

I could say the same about Europe. Amstel Light anyone?

Okay, cheap shot, but it had to be said.
Why? Because the US doesn't have a lock on producing cheap, mass-market consumables. We just happen to be better at it than most.
But just because a beer is from Europe doesn't automatically mean it's better.

 

[Dream59]

In central Virginia. We have 6 or so in Richmond, another 6 or so in outlying areas, and we seem to ad another every few months. A few years ago, our State Legislature, in one of its few moments of zen, permitted breweries to do on-site retail beer sales (bars) at their brew sites. The micro-brew business immediately took off, as a result.

Ours can sell their brew on site but can not bottle it for sell, so people can not drink it at home. We have a few very good ones, but some seem to try to copy well established micro breweries, instead of being themselves. Our Legislature is so stupid that until a year or so ago it was legal to make a certain amount of home brew, but it was illegal to sell the ingredients. That is like saying it is ok to own a car but illegal to drive it.

 

[Dream59]

I could say the same about Europe. Amstel Light anyone?

Okay, cheap shot, but it had to be said.
Why? Because the US doesn't have a lock on producing cheap, mass-market consumables. We just happen to be better at it than most.
But just because a beer is from Europe doesn't automatically mean it's better.

Having been to Europe I can attest to that. Most of them though have a stronger flavor than major American brands but that does not mean better. I prefer imports because they usually have more flavor, but the comparison is mostly valid only to beers made by the big companies. They serve the mass market and therefore try to appeal to everyone. The easiest way to do that is to be more flavor neutral i.e. closer to water. It is a shame that these are the beers most commonly exported. It gives the impression that none of the beer made in America have flavor.

 

[thør]

A beer is a beer is a beer. Everything else is new age snobbery.

Give me Oly pop.......

 

[quietlylooking]

I could say the same about Europe. Amstel Light anyone?

Okay, cheap shot, but it had to be said.
Why? Because the US doesn't have a lock on producing cheap, mass-market consumables. We just happen to be better at it than most.
But just because a beer is from Europe doesn't automatically mean it's better.[/QUOTE

True...the selection of European beers available in most US markets it not representative of the diversity or quality of beers over there (and it tends to sit on the shelf too long). Once in a while, however, there is something interesting, and I think there is more of a demand for unusual and higher-end European beers over here than for craft American brews over there.

 

[1sickbastard]

True...the selection of European beers available in most US markets it not representative of the diversity or quality of beers over there (and it tends to sit on the shelf too long). Once in a while, however, there is something interesting, and I think there is more of a demand for unusual and higher-end European beers over here than for craft American brews over there.

I've been through various parts of Europe, one or twice, and I've done a fair bit of travel in the US.

The mass-produced, mass market beers do tend to similar taste profile, pretty much everywhere.
The craft-brewed beers, aka micro-brews stack up pretty well against each other, regardless of point of origin. Europe has a much longer and much richer history of brewing as well as far more geographic & cultural diversity.
The nations on the European peninsula never went through the self-imposed insanity of Prohibition, which really did kill a multitude of breweries (as well as wineries & distilleries).
And there is one other thing to consider. It may sound silly, but here it is:
New York City and Madrid, Spain sit on approximately the same line of latitude.
So what?
So the climate has pretty big impact on what one is able to produce as well as what is pleasing to drink. While transportation costs and refrigeration have leveled this somewhat, the kinds of hops & malts that was available to a small brewery in the 30's to the 60's was limited, which impacts the taste. The strains of yeast used to ferment the wort are directly affected as well, which also has an impact.
Then there's the drinkablility factor tied directly into the climate. It's summer in Texas. If I've been out sweating my ass off, the daytime temps in the 90's or triple digits, I'm not thinking about heavy, full body beers, I'm thinking about pilsners and the lighter the better.
Now, think about the number of truly outstanding beers that come from Mediterranean Europe; Spain, southern France, Italy, Greece, Bulgaria. Then remember that MOST of the USoA runs along the same lines of latitude as the Med.

And all that is aside from the tendencies of mass-market production.

 

[DesEsseintes]

And there is one other thing to consider. It may sound silly, but here it is:
New York City and Madrid, Spain sit on approximately the same line of latitude.
So what?
So the climate has pretty big impact on what one is able to produce as well as what is pleasing to drink. While transportation costs and refrigeration have leveled this somewhat, the kinds of hops & malts that was available to a small brewery in the 30's to the 60's was limited, which impacts the taste. The strains of yeast used to ferment the wort are directly affected as well, which also has an impact.
Then there's the drinkablility factor tied directly into the climate. It's summer in Texas. If I've been out sweating my ass off, the daytime temps in the 90's or triple digits, I'm not thinking about heavy, full body beers, I'm thinking about pilsners and the lighter the better.
Now, think about the number of truly outstanding beers that come from Mediterranean Europe; Spain, southern France, Italy, Greece, Bulgaria. Then remember that MOST of the USoA runs along the same lines of latitude as the Med.

And all that is aside from the tendencies of mass-market production.

Several good points here, especially about the lack of Prohibition. But on climate, I think you partially underestimate the effect of the Gulf Stream in warming Europe's climate. Latitude is enormously mitigated by it. Lerwick in Shetland, for example, is within one degree of latitude of Anchorage, Alaska - but the record low temperature is -8.9C (Anchorage's is -39C). At my town's latitude, Canada would be producing ice-wine. Instead we have award winning vineyards and a huge range of proper beer.

 

[pointless]

A beer is a beer is a beer. Everything else is new age snobbery.

yeah, i don't drink and even i know this post is stupid.

 

[chillywilly2]

Know what yankee beer and having sex in a canoe have in common?










They are both fucking close to water.

 

[Porkwarrior]

Last summer I did find a way to make Bud palatable.

Chilled glass, ice cold Bud, with a double shot of Campari.
My new favourite afternoon cocktail.

 

[pointless]

i also know that even milwaukee's best tastes good ice fucking cold and that stuff is horrible.

 

[1sickbastard]

Several good points here, especially about the lack of Prohibition. But on climate, I think you partially underestimate the effect of the Gulf Stream in warming Europe's climate. Latitude is enormously mitigated by it. Lerwick in Shetland, for example, is within one degree of latitude of Anchorage, Alaska - but the record low temperature is -8.9C (Anchorage's is -39C). At my town's latitude, Canada would be producing ice-wine. Instead we have award winning vineyards and a huge range of proper beer.

I think you may underestimate the impact the source of the Gulf Stream, i.e. the Gulf of Mexico, has on the US.
Note, I am NOT disputing your points about the effect of the GS in warming the climate of northern Europe. However the whole of Europe, particularly north of the Pyrannies, Alps & Carpathians is, on average, cooler and wetter than most of the lower 48 states in the US. Room temperature in Munich is not the same as room temperature in Frankfort.

That being said, I do admit I'm probably attaching far too much importance to climatic differences, particularly in this day and age when even small breweries are able (in most cases required) to tightly control brewing conditions.

I think the point I was trying to make is that, in decades past, the effects of climate on the raw ingredients, particularly the yeasts, played a significant role in shaping the flavor profiles, thus the expectations of the consumers.

 

[tactful]

What the hell, Scotland ran out of scotch or something, what in the hell is a Scot doing, drinking beer? It must be global warming, now this is serious shit.

 

[colddiesel]

You're in my head. I was just going to post Bud is not quite as bad as Fosters. Bloody horsepiss.
.

A few years ago - not long after the Velvet Revolution I visited Prague in the Czech republic. A local, having drunk one or two very good local beers claimed that everything, absolutely everything was better since the fall of Communism.

"Everthing," queried one sceptic, that's hard to believe. "Yes, everthing," asserted the local stalwart, but after a moments reflection he corrected himself ; "Almost everything - unfortunately Budweiser from the US took over one of the local breweries and their beer is now horses piss.

A patriotic Australian stood up "They shoulda' imported some Fosters."

The local shook his head in deep meloncholy, "Sadly my friend , they could not persuade the horses to drink it."


Budweiser and Fosters are very similar in that they have large quantities of liquid sugar added to them. The purpose of this is that they were designed to wean young people from Coke to Beer. Fosters in fact contains almost as much sugar as coke. Neither is drinkable unless icy cold and both have been successful in their marketing objective. Mr Foster was in fact not an Australian but an American Brewer imported by Carlton Breweries to Melbourne early in the last century with the precise brief of making a liquid which would sell well in a very hot climate. Whatever you think of the product, it sold and sold and sold.

 

[Scotsman69]

Educate yourself laddie.

All the evidence suggests that we were drinking ale long before distilling alcohol was invented.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beer_in_Scotland

What the hell, Scotland ran out of scotch or something, what in the hell is a Scot doing, drinking beer? It must be global warming, now this is serious shit.

 

[Dream59]

This is a very interesting thread. I think beer is just as much a cultural icon as wine. For those calling people beer snobs, it is certainly no worse than the wine snobs. This topic has some very valid points about how and why American beers are viewed in a certain way in Europe. The Europeans do not know they are getting, for the most part, our worse beers as far as flavor is concerned. I really do not like light beers. I have not had one that much taste at all and Bud Light has as much taste as a glass of bottled water. At least this thread is not bitching about Liberals and conservatives.

 

[1sickbastard]

At least this thread is not bitching about Liberals and conservatives.

Excellent point.

I blame Obama.

 

[Fata Morgana]

I blame Thatcher.

I have Stella. All is well.

 

[thør]

I blame Thatcher.

I have Stella. All is well.

I have Bar Fly for this evening:

http://msbc2014.us.cloudlogin.co/images/barFly.jpg