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Your Beer of Choice? (22 Viewers)

mike32 said:
A fellow baseball dad a few years ago was a beer distributor and he said he spent some time with Adolph Coors. Mr. Coors commented that almost anyone could brew an IPA or “craft” beer that required less consistency. He said the most difficult thing to do was to get a Coors Light Bud Light etc. to taste the same in Los Angeles as it does in Miami or New York or wherever year after year. Ironically beer snobs hate the macro light beers but I guess they offer very little hiding places in terms of errors and it takes great skill to pull off brewing them properly on a large scale.
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This is 100% correct. When I was a brew pub brewer they had a person come out and do an “off flavors” course where they would spike beer with compounds mimicking off flavors and teach us to identify them. The instructors came from the Seibel Institute in Chicago and they used Bud Light as the base beer. When I asked why, the instruction said it was the most consistently clean and well made beer from coast to coast. This meant they should expect the beer purchased in Seattle to taste exactly like beer in Miami that are from different breweries.

Light beer is very hard to make because it reveals all your flaws. Now I dont think Bud Light tastes good but I respect the brewers. The easiest beers in the world to make are ales where you just throw a shit ton of malt and hops in the kettle.
 
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ReallyGoodUsername said:
Hard to argue the most popular and easiest style of beer is 10x over represented. :)

I've had dozens of different beers of all types before I had my first IPA but it, and many of the other IPAs after it, were hands down the first beers I ever really really liked. I'm sure there's some people who jumped on the band wagon but it's hard to argue it's the reason it's so popular.

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I’m not arguing people don’t actually like IPAs but I am quite certain the popularity is largely based on how they were marketed and is a relative recent (last 10+ years) phenomenon. There was definitely a macho factor baked into the marketing with one brewery trying to out hop the other with double triple quadruple and other made up “styles”. I always found that phony and off putting.

My biggest problem with proliferation of over hopped high alcohol beers is that they are counter productive to the Anglo/German/American traditional beer culture of drinking and socializing. Strong beers were historically considered “once in a while beers” not all day beers. Now they invented “session IPAs” which by definition of the style can’t be an IPA. They are pale ales but companies understand now they need to include the “IPA” name to market the beer now. This is proof enough that the “IPA” craze is as much if not mostly marketing BS.

As for the complexity of the style, IPA is a relatively crude beer and simple to make. It’s a British style single infusion top fermented beer. The only different between a pale ale and an IPA is more malt and hops. That’s it.

Now take a Pilsner style like many German and Czech beers and the complexity in taste and processes are several notches above. You are talking step infusion mash and fermentation over longer times and often varied temps. Then look at any of the various Belgian styles which are so complex as to make them basically un reproducible outside where they originated.
 
2 from Fieldworks

One on right is a hazy ipa called Green Rest other is a west coast ipa and don’t remember it’s name

B2DEF31D-D371-40C7-B5D4-2F4B978D8866.jpeg
 
Devine Bovine Milk Stout at Peoria Artisan Brewery. The first dark beer I’ve had from there that I like, and the first beer I’ve had that holds a candle to - and IMO beats - Left Hand Milk Stout. Cheers!

B3080849-68F9-482B-97CA-7BAE4A90F164.jpeg
 
MacGrad said:
I'm surprised -- as a proud Englishman, I would have expected you to be drinking a nice pint of Fuller's. :D
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I had to google Fullers as I’ve never heard of them. Looks like they’re from the south coast of England. Then I saw the words “craft beer” on their site and thought “nope”. :vomit: I can’t get into the whole craft beer thing. There’s a brewery in Scotland called Brew Dog and everyone is going crazy over them. They’ve got a pub in Glasgow. I tried 4 different pints each one was worse than the last (I couldn’t even finish one it was that bad). Give me a cold pint of mass produced, nothing fancy, gets you drunk lager any day.
 
BonScot said:
I had to google Fullers as I’ve never heard of them. Looks like they’re from the south coast of England. Then I saw the words “craft beer” on their site and thought “nope”. :vomit: I can’t get into the whole craft beer thing. There’s a brewery in Scotland called Brew Dog and everyone is going crazy over them. They’ve got a pub in Glasgow. I tried 4 different pints each one was worse than the last (I couldn’t even finish one it was that bad). Give me a cold pint of mass produced, nothing fancy, gets you drunk lager any day.
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I wouldn’t describe Fullers as “craft beer” as they have been around since the 1800’s. They are a traditional British brewery and somewhat common in the US...at least near me. I had a six pack of their porter a few months ago. Maybe someone there is trying some new marketing.

“Craft Beer” is an American invention originally describing the beer renaissance that started here in the late 80’s and really kicked off in the early 90’s. It was a great time for beer in the US. Most of the beer styles Europeans were accustomed to were made in the US but did not survive after prohibition. What came out of that time was weak prohibition type “lagers”. Basically Bud, Miller, etc. In the early 90’s you started to see “micro” breweries popping up making all the old styles and some, like Sierra Nevada, with an American twist (using American hops). The diversity and variety was great even though we had 1/100th of the breweries we do now. I loved that time.

What you have had in the US for the last 10+ years is something else. It’s basically an arms race of who can make the strongest, hoppiest, beer. They take a traditional style, 90% of the time its IPA, and just add more stuff. That or some “new” hop. Then they maybe add other exotic ingredients. There is little interest in mastering the classics. It’s all about something “new” which is never really new or that creative.

Brewdogs is into this and had a TV show in the US. I hope your brewing traditions survive in Scotland and all of the UK. As I said earlier, in the late 90’s I was a brewer for a small brewpub. We made on a regular basis, pale ale, mild, bitters, nut brown ale, old ales, porters, Scotch ale, Scottish ale, Irish Red, Irish Stout, Oatmeal Stout, milk stout, Imperial Stout, wheat beers, wit ale, Kolsch, Alt, American pale ale, a requisite “light ale” and wheat based fruit beer...and a few times a year..an IPA.

We had 10 taps and all were filled with a different variety. Go to an American “craft brewery” today with 10 taps and 7 will be some sort of manufactured version of IPA.
 
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@BonScot and any other UKers. I tried a Carlin (think that’s what it is). I would describe it as a lighter Guinness.

The person who “smuggled” in said it was like the Bud of the UK.

Is this correct? And do you know what “type” of beer it is?
 
Old State said:
I wouldn’t describe Fullers as “craft beer” as they have been around since the 1800’s. They are a traditional British brewery and somewhat common in the US...at least near me. I had a six pack of their porter a few months ago. Maybe someone there is trying some new marketing.

“Craft Beer” is an American invention originally describing the beer renaissance that started here in the late 80’s and really kicked off in the early 90’s. It was a great time for beer in the US. Most of the beer styles Europeans were accustomed to were made in the US but did not service after prohibition. What came out of that time was weak prohibition type “lagers”. Basically Bud, Miller, etc. In the early 90’s you started to see “micro” breweries popping up making all the old styles and some, like Sierra Nevada, with an American twist (using American hops). The diversity and variety was great even though we had 1/100th of the breweries we do now. I loved that time.

What you have had in the US for the last 10+ years is something else. It’s basically an arms race of who can make the strongest, hoppiest, beer. They take a traditional style, 90% of the time its IPA, and just add more stuff. That or some “new” hop. Then they maybe add other exotic ingredients. There is little interest in mastering the classics. It’s all about something “new” which is never really new or that creative.

Brewdogs is into this and had a TV show in the US. I hope your brewing traditions survive in Scotland and all of the UK. As I said earlier, in the late 90’s I was a brewer for a small brewpub. We made on a regular basis, pale ale, mild, bitters, nut brown ale, old ales, porters, Scotch ale, Scottish ale, Irish Red, Irish Stout, Oatmeal Stout, milk stout, Imperial Stout, wheat beers, wit ale, Kolsch, Alt, American pale ale, a requisite “light ale” and wheat based fruit beer...and a few times a year..an IPA.

We had 10 taps and all were filled with a different variety. Go to an American “craft brewery” today with 10 taps and 7 will be some sort of manufactured version of IPA.
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It’s much the same here now. Craft beers are cropping up everywhere and most taste like line cleaner. They’re very much like the emperor’s new clothes in that nobody wants to state the obvious that they’re actually not that good. And you’ve hit the nail on the head. It’s all about how hoppy they can make it.
Anyway rant over...
 
MacGrad said:
I'm surprised -- as a proud Englishman, I would have expected you to be drinking a nice pint of Fuller's. :D
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This is really starting to stick now eh @BonScot :ROFL: :ROFLMAO:

From your IP address google maps came up with this for your home address.
Screenshot_20190421_213520.jpg


Back to the beer, I'm not really a beer drinker, but I am partial to nice German Weiss beer.
Screenshot_20190421_213908.jpg
 
phaze12 said:
@BonScot and any other UKers. I tried a Carlin (think that’s what it is). I would describe it as a lighter Guinness.

The person who “smuggled” in said it was like the Bud of the UK.

Is this correct? And do you know what “type” of beer it is?
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Was it Carling Black Label? It’s an English lager. Nothing fancy. Tennents is the Scottish equivalent.
If it’s something similar to Guinness then it must have been a different beer.

Tennents and Carling are the opposite of fancy craft beers. Cheap and cheerful. Probably the same as Bud or Miller in the US.

2F47DEEC-057C-4118-B8A1-A8E1AD1D40B1.jpeg
 
Thanks. It was Carling.

That’s what he said, like Bud. Wasn’t black label tho.
It was probably the consistency that reminded me of Guinness.

I actually liked it quite a bit. Then again I drink coors light. Tastes like chit but doesn’t give me hang over when I drink a 12 pack. So what do I know
 
phaze12 said:
Thanks. It was Carling.

That’s what he said, like Bud. Wasn’t black label tho.
It was probably the consistency that reminded me of Guinness.

I actually liked it quite a bit. Then again I drink coors light. Tastes like chit but doesn’t give me hang over when I drink a 12 pack. So what do I know
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It’s funny how the local run-of-the-mill beer becomes exotic when it’s exported. I remember being in Manila and seeing Tennents being treated like something exotic selling for £8 a can.
It’s the same with Bud over here. It’s seen as being exotic because it turns up in movies or tv shows now and again :ROFL: :ROFLMAO:

Don’t think it’s anything like Guinness though. If you can order a case of tennents you should give it a go. Belhaven Best or Deuchers IPA is nice if you fancy something a bit different.
 
There is nothing like Guinness. It’s one if the great beers of the world and a taste that many have failed to replicate when trying. They introduce double strength wort that has been soured with lactobacillus then pasteurized at 3% per volume of the total wort. I can and have drank massive amounts of the stuff.
 
I love Guinness. Best beer bar none. I can drink it all night long. Used to shock bar tenders that I could. I also love the misinformation about it. A lot of people don’t realize that it has the least amount of alcohol out of almost any beer on tap. (Not counting “non” alcoholic beers.)
Now mind you I have never had it in Ireland, which many say it tastes completely different.
 
phaze12 said:
I love Guinness. Best beer bar none. I can drink it all night long. Used to shock bar tenders that I could. I also love the misinformation about it. A lot of people don’t realize that it has the least amount of alcohol out of almost any beer on tap. (Not counting “non” alcoholic beers.)
Now mind you I have never had it in Ireland, which many say it tastes completely different.
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It’s the greatest “session” beer ever. Draft Guinness is around 4.5% and low in calories to boot. The style is officially known a “dry Irish stout”. It can be downed in mass quantities
Guinness has a slightly different recipe for different markets but that usually is reserved for their bottle extra stout which is much stronger in alcohol and taste.
I think the draft is basically the same but people like to imagine it’s differently. It’s probably just a freshness thing
phaze12 said:
Also don’t get me started on the “blonde” Guinness :vomit:
Or the bottled Guinness either.
Tap is the best but will drink the can.
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Haven’t tried it. From what I know it’s made just for the US market and they are now making it MD.
 
The Guinness brewed in Ireland does taste better. So much so that it’s no longer made in the UK. We just import it from across the sea. There’s different types of bottled Guinness which was originally made for export to he Caribbean, India and other parts of the British empire. They used preservatives so that it would survive the journey and not go off. Similar to IPA which as well all know was designed for shipping to India....
 
BonScot said:
The Guinness brewed in Ireland does taste better. So much so that it’s no longer made in the UK. We just import it from across the sea. There’s different types of bottled Guinness which was originally made for export to he Caribbean, India and other parts of the British empire. They used preservatives so that it would survive the journey and not go off. Similar to IPA which as well all know was designed for shipping to India....
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I knew I read something where people at Guinness said the draught is the same recipe everywhere. This is what I found in a quick search....
https://food-hacks.wonderhowto.com/...eland-more-surprising-guinness-facts-0160783/
Freshness does seems to be the culprit. Guinness draught is one of the few beers pasteurized even for kegs. That’s to preserve freshness. They just opened a brewery in Maryland but do not produce Stout there. I have had Guinness on tap in my basement for a few years and all the kegs say “made in Ireland”. Guinness often tastes very different in the US. A high volume Irish pub with clean lines often will have drastically better tasting Guinness than another place.

Bottled Guinness is a different story. Michael Jackson, the famous English beer writer used to say the recipe made for Belgium was the best. They released an “Antwerp” edition in the US recently which I assumed was this.
 
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Old State said:
I knew I read something where people at Guinness said the draught is the same recipe everywhere. This is what I found in a quick search....
https://food-hacks.wonderhowto.com/...eland-more-surprising-guinness-facts-0160783/
Freshness does seems to be the culprit. Guinness draught is one of the few beers pasteurized even for kegs. That’s to preserve freshness. They just opened a brewery in Maryland but do not produce Stout there. I have had Guinness on tap in my basement for a few years and all the kegs say “made in Ireland”. Guinness often tastes very different in the US. A high volume Irish pub with clean lines often will have drastically better tasting Guinness than another place.

Bottled Guinness is a different story. Michael Jackson, the famous English beer writer used to say the recipe made for Belgium was the best. They released an “Antwerp” edition in the US recently which I assumed was this.
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My gran was Irish and used to always have a few bottles of Guinness Foreign Export in the kitchen cupboard. She used to drink a bottle a day because “Guinness is good for you”. She lived until she was 93 so maybe there’s something in it...
 
Used to drink one of these almost every weekend after I found them at Wegmans about 8 years ago. They stopped exporting to the US for a while in the late 90’s and early 2000’s. First I’ve had in a few months (Friday night)

6D89C5B4-C893-4A03-8211-C0091A13D318.jpeg


I learned about this beer as a high school teenager watching the Beer Hunter on the Discovery Channel.
First episode was on this style. I later bought all of his books and first samples a Rodenbach at a Belgian restaurant in Philly around 1997. One of the best and most unique beers in the world. I highly recommend the beer and the watching this series on YouTube....even though it’s old.
 
BonScot said:
Hope they gave you a lifetime supply :LOL: :laugh:
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I wish, but Thirsty Dog Brewery gave me 11 cases in exchange for a picking up the freight charge on a special order for them. I had enough margin on the material to cover it so it worked out for us both. :D
 
Old State said:
Used to drink one of these almost every weekend after I found them at Wegmans about 8 years ago. They stopped exporting to the US for a while in the late 90’s and early 2000’s. First I’ve had in a few months (Friday night)

View attachment 279044

I learned about this beer as a high school teenager watching the Beer Hunter on the Discovery Channel.
First episode was on this style. I later bought all of his books and first samples a Rodenbach at a Belgian restaurant in Philly around 1997. One of the best and most unique beers in the world. I highly recommend the beer and the watching this series on YouTube....even though it’s old.
Click to expand...
Tell me there’s a Russian roulette scene involving 5 nice beers and a total stinker :LOL: :laugh:

Did you ever get Beamish stout over there? There was a black and a red. The black was ok but the red was different class.

851ABFBF-DD65-4217-9CE7-806995F9CBD6.jpeg
 

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