The Beer Thread

[Shane Costello]

IMO beer needs to be divided into two broad categories. The mass produced "vin ordinare" stuff like Heineken and Carllsberg, which by pure necessity you sometimes have to resort to, and the better stuff, such as Gernan Weissbier that's actually brewed in Germany.

Here in Dublin there's too excellent brewpubs with a wide range of top quality brews. Both of them do wicked red ale, although I find the weissbiers leave me a little cold.

The best German weissbier available hereabouts is Erdinger. There's a Belgian beer called Hoegaarden that I'm also partial too. There's a few good microbreweries in Ireland too. Sacriligeous as it may be, I'm not at all partial to Guiness.

Originally posted by Bill Hoyt:

[/B]The best light beer? Guiness. But nobody seems to know it hasn't many calories.[/B]

Are you sure about this Bill? I've read that Guinness has a lot more calories than Lager, and some of the beer guts around here would suggest this is true.

 

[Guest]

Are you sure about this Bill? I've read that Guinness has a lot more calories than Lager, and some of the beer guts around here would suggest this is true.

Shane,

In the wonderful world of beer marketing, there is no clear calorie cut-off for "light." It just has to have less alcohol and fewer calories than its counterpart. So, the range of calories (per 100 ml beer) is about 28 to 83. (Yes, 83.) And the overlap between the so-called lights and real beers is high. Guinness weighs in at 43. Contrast that with some of the so-called lights:

Michelob Light : 39
Piels Naturally Light : 40
Wurtzburg Hofbrau Light: 43

So, for the 4 calories over Mich Light, I'd choose Guinness any day. The flavor is far better.

Cheers,

 

[HILLD]

Money no object my own personal favourites would be Munich's finest...Spaten Pilsner...The ORIGINAL czechoslovakian Budweiser and that black temptress...Guinness, but as anyone in the UK would tell you.
When the beer calls.......accept no substitutes....8 Ace for £1.49!
Loopy juice for the discerning tattoed teenager.

 

[Guest]

I AM CANADIAN
Yeah, that's right, I drink Molson Canadian beer because that's where I live, and because Canadian beer has a higher alcohol content that the puny weakling beer that the American's have. You guys down in the states are getting ripped off because you have to buy more beer to get just as drunk.

Wow! How long has it been since you've been to the states? I know A-B & Coors & others are still peddling their swill, but, man, the microbrew revolution has been here for two decades already. Where have you been?

When you come down, you've got to stay away from the typical bars where A-B has a stranglehold. Hit the brew pubs. There you'll find all the Americans that grew tired of the swill. As I said before, my local pub has about 30 taps running. Only 4 of those carry the same brew week after week. All the others rotate constantly. There are about 100 tap handles on the wall, each one representing one of the types they bring in regularly. Scattered throughout the pub are chalkboards listing each keg that's "on" and the date it was tapped.

Cheers,

 

[Jon_in_london]

I dont like lagers unless I want to get trashed and do it quickly- cider is even better for this.

If I want to slowly enjoy a beer Ill have a dark, rich ale or bitter made sans chemicals and CO2 like London Pride. Or if I want to drink the whole day Ill drink a lighter session bitter like greene king IPA. Made traditionally and matured in oak casks not in a giant refrigerated steel vat in a factory.

Lager is detestable, and its all I had to drink for around 10 years!! ughhh..

 

[garys_2k]

Bell's out of Kalamazoo, Michigan. Have a winter beer that'll knock your socks off, and a taste that is out of this world! YUM!

 

[Supercharts]

I order Pilsner Urquell if it is available. I also enjoy a good stout (Guiness preferably). Heineken or Samuel Adams will do. I will not sink so low as to drink Buttweiser.

But the worst beer I ever had was back in college. The local convenience store sold a beer called Fort Schuyler for $1.10 a 6 pack, $4/case. In the mid-seventies, when I had little money, it was the cheapest available. It tasted like someone poured orange juice into the beer. Yeesh!

Pilsner Urquell is like mother's milk. If it was readily available and moderate in price I'd been even more of a drunk that I am currently. It's just a fine, smooth beer from the oldest brewery in Europe. This is why the Chech Republic joined NATO and Slovakia has a lousey economy.
The worst beer I've ever had was Naragansette Lager. Like Shemp I drank a rotten beer because it was cheap back in the late 60's and early 70's. I think they used the water from Boston Harbor or the Merrimack River to make it.
Anyone remember Bert & Harry Piel?

 

[roger]

Budweiser is truly the worst beer in the world (along with plenty of lesser known American brands which could be even worse). I wonder if Bud has much of an overseas market. I'd be surprised to see them making money in say, Europe. But not much surprises me as I get older!

Heck, you can find Budweiser being sold in the tea shops dotting the trekking paths all through Nepal. I assume it sells, though I don't recall seeing anyone order one.

 

[shemp]

Pilsner Urquell is like mother's milk. If it was readily available and moderate in price I'd been even more of a drunk that I am currently. It's just a fine, smooth beer from the oldest brewery in Europe. This is why the Chech Republic joined NATO and Slovakia has a lousey economy.
The worst beer I've ever had was Naragansette Lager. Like Shemp I drank a rotten beer because it was cheap back in the late 60's and early 70's. I think they used the water from Boston Harbor or the Merrimack River to make it.
Anyone remember Bert & Harry Piel?

Pilsner Urquell is an excellent beer with a meal. Would you drink Guiness with fish or chicken? No, I thought not.

Narragansett was garbage. It was available where I went to school (University of New Hampshire) but it was actually a bit more expensive than Fort Schuyler. They actually DO use Merrimack River water to make Budweiser in Merrimack, NH. That is one of the two reasons I don't drink it, the other being that it tastes like urine.

Ah, Piel's Real Draft. I think this was the sludge from the bottom of the Budweiser vats. Do you remember the TV ads they ran about 20 years ago showing a bunch of fat guys and losers in a bar drinking Piels, with the slogan "A Real Drinking Man's Beer!"?

Another one I drank in college was Pickwick Ale. I also downed a lot of Pabst Blue Ribbon, which actually was probably the best of the bad beers.

On our campus, a lot of guys drank Busch because it was heavily advertised. This is watered-down Budweiser. But our dorm once won a video game system for drinking the most Busch. This was back in '75, and it was just a Pong game, but you would put a plastic sheet over the TV screen and could pretend you were playing tennis or hockey. Back then, we thought this was pretty cool.

 

[DaChew]

There is no best beer. There is no worst beer. There are some pretty damn bad ones though.

The best beer depends on the situation. Like wine, it depends on what your eating, the time of season, and most importantly your tastes.

An important note: Most mass produced beers don't comply with the German Beer purity law of 1516, which you may find here.

http://hbd.org/brewery/library/ReinHeit.html

Both Budweiser and Miller only state that their beer contains "choice grains". That typically means rice and corn and other grains other than barley. Weisse beers also don't comply as they include wheat.

Fortunately, over the last 20 or so years microbrewerys have sprouted up in the U.S. that make inarguably some of the finest beer in the world.

That said, my own preferences are the following (in no particular order):

Britain: Guinness, Bass Ale, Samuel Smiths Oatmeal Stout, Mckewans Scottish Ale.

Germany: Haacker-Schore (sp?) Oktoberfest, Spaten Optimator.

Belgium: Corsendonk (sp?), Chimay.

Japan: Soporo (sp?) (had to mention because in Japan they have beer vending machines right on the street.)

Mexico: Negra Modello, Bohemia Modello, Dos Equis

Canada: Molson Golden, Labatts Velvet Cream Porter Ale, Labatts XXX, Upper Canada Dark.

U.S.: Bells Porter, Big Buck Red Stag, Budweiser, Pete's Wicked Ale and as a homebrewer I have to say that I do brew one heck of a nut brown ale.

I've left out a ton of stuff like specialty beers and mead but usually I just go by the motto: There is no best beer. Just different styles for different situations and moods.

 

[Mark]

I've left out a ton of stuff like specialty beers and mead but usually I just go by the motto: There is no best beer. Just different styles for different situations and moods.

I agree, except that I can't imagine the situation where I would find Budweiser to be appropriate. Maybe my own suicide.

BTW, I have to say, for a mass produced beer, I think Killian's Red is actually quite good. Not as good as The Big Bear Mountain Brewery's "Red Ant Hill Ale", but good nonetheless.

Henry Weinhard's Red Ale is worth a taste, too.

 

[shemp]

There is no best beer. There is no worst beer. There are some pretty damn bad ones though.

The best beer depends on the situation. Like wine, it depends on what your eating, the time of season, and most importantly your tastes.

An important note: Most mass produced beers don't comply with the German Beer purity law of 1516, which you may find here.

http://hbd.org/brewery/library/ReinHeit.html

Both Budweiser and Miller only state that their beer contains "choice grains". That typically means rice and corn and other grains other than barley. Weisse beers also don't comply as they include wheat.

Fortunately, over the last 20 or so years microbrewerys have sprouted up in the U.S. that make inarguably some of the finest beer in the world.

That said, my own preferences are the following (in no particular order):

Britain: Guinness, Bass Ale, Samuel Smiths Oatmeal Stout, Mckewans Scottish Ale.

Germany: Haacker-Schore (sp?) Oktoberfest, Spaten Optimator.

Belgium: Corsendonk (sp?), Chimay.

Japan: Soporo (sp?) (had to mention because in Japan they have beer vending machines right on the street.)

Mexico: Negra Modello, Bohemia Modello, Dos Equis

Canada: Molson Golden, Labatts Velvet Cream Porter Ale, Labatts XXX, Upper Canada Dark.

U.S.: Bells Porter, Big Buck Red Stag, Budweiser, Pete's Wicked Ale and as a homebrewer I have to say that I do brew one heck of a nut brown ale.

I've left out a ton of stuff like specialty beers and mead but usually I just go by the motto: There is no best beer. Just different styles for different situations and moods.

I got some Chimay for Giftmas. Ummmmm! I drank it all in one night.

Bass Ale, Negra Modelo, Dos Equis and Sapporo are all good too. Tecate is good with mexican food, but Corona is the Buttweiser of Mexico. I like to frequent a little Korean restaurant that does great sushi, and just down a few cans of Sapporo with a big sushi platter.

Locally, we have something called Nutfield Ale, which is pretty good. Try it if you can find it.

I must take exception with one of your assessments. I can't stand any beer from Canada. Maybe it's because Molson owned the hated Montreal Canadiens, or maybe because they used to sell watered-down Labatt's at Fenway Park.

 

[Diezel]

I AM CANADIAN
Yeah, that's right, I drink Molson Canadian beer because that's where I live, and because Canadian beer has a higher alcohol content that the puny weakling beer that the American's have. You guys down in the states are getting ripped off because you have to buy more beer to get just as drunk.

Man, I just love busting this myth to Canadians! I still amazes me this Urban Legend is still running around.

Fact - Canadian beer sold in Canada and the US is identical. Canadian beer is does not contain more alcohol in Canada. Canadian beer does not contain more alcohol than domestic US beers.

Oh, and for you European types, Guiness sold there and here is also the exact same formula and the same alcohol content. I've posted all the proof here before. I will do so again, but for some reason, the sites I am trying to pull it from is locked up. I will post all the facts when I can get them.

 

[Diezel]

I still can't get to the page that has the quotes from the Molson executive stating that they do not brew two different types of beer, one for Canada and one for the US. The only difference between the Canadian version and the US version is the label.

But I did find a good site that explains most of the confusion. The US, having to be different as always, rates are beer by weight. The rest of the world does it by volume. So, when you make the conversion, the seemingly low content in US beer raises to the same as the rest of the world.

Budweiser, for example, is 5% abv, which is pretty high for most massed consumed beers (much higher than Guiness, for example.)

Check it out here: http://www.csulb.edu/~parayner/Alcohol.html

 

[Michael Redman]

I knew something was missing around here . . .

 

[DaChew]

I can't stand any beer from Canada. Maybe it's because Molson owned the hated Montreal Canadiens,

I'm sorry, I just can't work up any hatred for any of the original six teams even the Blackhawks and I'm from Detroit for crying out loud.

Tecate is good with mexican food, but Corona is the Buttweiser of Mexico.

I like Tecate also because I'm more likely to be able to get it than any of the Modellos. I ALWAYS run into the same problem with Mexican beers (and I blame the Corona folks for this). You can't order a Mexican beer without someone trying to jam a wedge of lemon into it. If you have to do that to make the beer taste good then I don't want it.

I agree, except that I can't imagine the situation where I would find Budweiser to be appropriate. Maybe my own suicide.

Well maybe, but remember: Nobody makes more beer than Budweiser. If you're looking for something that is absolutely going to be exactly the same every time (not many microbrewers can say that) without any character getting in the way, Budweiser is it. Budweiser is brewed so as to offend as few people as possible so as to sell the millions of liters a year that they sell and it tastes that way. That's the only reason it's on my list.
Still, on a hot day, if I have a choice between Budweiser and the various sugar waters from Coke and Pepsi, I'm taking the Bud.


Diezel

Oh, and for you European types, Guiness sold there and here is also the exact same formula and the same alcohol content. I've posted all the proof here before.

Can you dispel another myth? I'd heard that Guinness stopped shipping by plane because the higher altitude caused the beer to taste different once they got it here. Then I've heard that Guinness switched from ship to plane because the constant rocking changed the taste. All of it sounds like crap to me. On the other hand it would be cool if Guinness had their own fleet of submarines.

 

[Diezel]

Diezel

Can you dispel another myth? I'd heard that Guinness stopped shipping by plane because the higher altitude caused the beer to taste different once they got it here. Then I've heard that Guinness switched from ship to plane because the constant rocking changed the taste. All of it sounds like crap to me. On the other hand it would be cool if Guinness had their own fleet of submarines.

I'll try to find that info, but if memory serves me right, the Guiness in America is brewed in a brewery in New York, but it is brewed to the exact same forumla as its European counter parts. So there would be no shipping over here in the first place.

BTW, have you seen the Michigan Meeting thread? You should come out tonight and drink a few of the thread namesakes with us.

Oh, and I will be drinking what seems to be the nasty beer in most people's minds - Budweiser.

 

[Diezel]

One quote from the Guinees website FAQ:

Is it true that you get a much better pint in Ireland?

These days an Irish and US pint of GUINNESS® draught are pretty much the same. The water will be different of course because we always use pure, fresh water from local natural sources. In blind tests though, (with a bunch of highly cynical journalists!), none of our sample could tell the difference. In fact, the only real difference you should be able to spot is the pub that you're drinking in.

Found here: http://www.guinness.com/guinness/en_US/knowing/pearls/faqs/0,6415,12687267_126325,00.html

 

[Diezel]

Ok, from the Molson website (to clear up the alcohol content myth):

Molson Canadian

Lager, 5.0% alc. /vol.
Molson Canadian truly exemplifies the pride of young Canadians and is Canada's #1 selling beer. Starting with pure crystal clear water, Canadian grown malted barley and the finest hops, Molson Canadian is slowly fermented to produce a smooth, refreshing beer with a genuine taste. Clean and clear, crisp and cold Molson Canadian is a classic lager.

Like I said before, Budweiser is 5.0% by volume also. BTW, some of your microbrews are around 9% and a local brewery puts out a 14% beer.

 

[DaChew]

Canadian Canadian beer vs. U.S. Canadian beer

I have done highly scientific double blind testing of exactly this issue in the back of my work van when I was employed by one of the local Detroit area school districts.

A person who I will call Canadian John because his name was John and he, in fact, is Canadian. Insisted that not only the alcohol content was different between Canadian Molson Golden and U.S. Molson Golden but also the taste was different.
One of our college summer help kids was immediately dispatched to Windsor to secure authentic Canadian Molson Golden complete with sissy-fied half French labels. A six of U.S. Molson Golden was secured from our favorite deli.

Canadian John was allowed to cleanse his palate between tastes with either pretzel rods or pork rinds, both were his choice. The beer was dispensed into identical numbered paper cups by Shriner Len (same criteria used) and brought to us so that neither I nor Canadian John could know which beer was which.

Canadian John chose the "better" tasting of the two (the one he thought was the Canadian one) as the American brand slightly more than half the time. We only did a few trials because the guys just couldn't contain themselves because he was consitently wrong right from the get-go. Besides, once he realized he was performing poorly, Canadian John started downing the trial samples as fast as we could bring them.