American Beer compared to others

Anhaga · Post by **Anhaga** » 2004-05-29 03:46am

Why is mass produced American lager generally much, much worse than it's European counterparts? But what of the Americans? Coors, Miller and budweiser are watery and tasteless- is it because of the whole megacorporation aspect of the brewing companies over there? I don't see why- Heineken is the world's best selling lager IIRC and it tastes pretty good. And stuff like Kronnenbourg, Amstel, Budweiser (the REAL Budweiser) or Pilsner Urquell are really good too. I won't include Tiger beer from Singapore although it is arguably the world's best lager- its a much smaller company than the American or European brands.

I heard someone say that this dates from Prohibition which basically wiped out all the small breweries and left the market clear for the big corporate entities which marketed to the common denominator resulting in tasteless, characterless beer.

Having said that, English lager is pretty awful too (Carling anyone?) but I'll excuse the English by saying that Ale is their native form of beer and they brew that very well.

Enlighten me please!

Howedar · Post by **Howedar** » 2004-05-29 08:54pm

One of the problems is simply that they can. I very much doubt any American megabrew would pass Germany's pure beer regulations.

LapsedPacifist · Post by **LapsedPacifist** » 2004-05-29 09:30pm

Because the American beerdrinking masses are ignorant and fed a constant stream of marketing claiming that macros don't suck.

I've been looking into homebrewing (mmmmmm. 5 gallons at once) and I saw the most puzzling americanism...

I was visiting a site that was selling a pretty nice homebrewing kit: glass carboys wort chillers, the works. On that page, with the kit, users had the opportunity to post comments/questions. Three out of 20 of those questions were "How do I make Bud?"

LP

PS. Try Deschutte's Mirror Pond.

RedImperator · Post by **RedImperator** » 2004-05-29 09:34pm

Budweiser tastes like they ran it through the clydesdales once before they bottled it. As far as the big breweries go, Miller is probably the best, but there are a number of smaller brands, domestic and imported, which are much better, and that's not counting the microbrews (which are hit and miss, in my opinion).

YT300000 · Post by **YT300000** » 2004-05-29 09:50pm

Here's a quote from the Red Green show: (they were playing the Word Game, where one person gives hints, and the other needs to guess the word). The word is water.

Red: Okay, this is easy, it's what people drink.
Gord: Oh, maple syrup and honey?
Red: ... normal people.
Gord: Oh. Beer.
Red: This is tasteless.
Gord: Oh. American beer.

admiral_danielsben · Post by **admiral_danielsben** » 2004-05-29 10:29pm

RedImperator wrote:Budweiser tastes like they ran it through the clydesdales once before they bottled it. As far as the big breweries go, Miller is probably the best, but there are a number of smaller brands, domestic and imported, which are much better, and that's not counting the microbrews (which are hit and miss, in my opinion).

ALL beer tastes like it's been run through the Clydesdales once. At least to me. Although at least the European beers don't look like it. I mean, Bud Lite looks like it. And i imagine the British have it worse: they drink beer warm.

I honestly don't understand how come people drink alcohol. I mean... getting drunk might feel good, but the stuff is crud. Vodka seems more fit as fuel than as a drink - and 100-proof whiskey means 50% ethanol, after all. Beer tastes like.. well, i said it, already. Wine is better, but it just tastes like... fermented grape juice. Except Champagne, which tasted like fermented grape low-fizz soda. I guess it's good if you like fermented grape juice. I don't.

Maybe it's psychology. Folks desire it because their parents don't let them have it; therefore, they want it. My parents let me taste wine and i found out that it tasted like fermented grape juice. So, i didn't want it.

Or, perhaps it's on account of tastes. Just like there are some people who like collard greens, i guess some people like alcohol. Or maybe folks like the buzz so much they'll drink anything for it.

I'm not a prohibitionist. I just don't think alcohol tastes good.

RedImperator · Post by **RedImperator** » 2004-05-29 10:32pm

Sometimes I drink for the taste. Beer and wine fall into that category. It's been years since I've gotten drunk off beer--I don't like feeling like I have to piss all night, and a wine hangover is just horrible. And sometimes I drink to get drunk--that's when vodka and tequilla come in.

At any rate, I can understand how some people don't like the taste of alcohol. It takes some getting used to. For the record, I can barely swallow collared greens.

Post by **Dalton** » 2004-05-29 10:34pm

admiral_danielsben wrote:I honestly don't understand how come people drink alcohol.

Because it is a depressant and makes people feel better after a long day of bullshit.

I am reminded of a Monty Python gag...

"American beer is like love in a canoe."
"Oh yeah? How so?" (or something to that effect)
"It's fucking close to water."

And my alcohol of choice is Rum.

J · Post by J » 2004-05-29 10:52pm

Why? The same reason Molson Canadian and Labatt Blue taste like crap, they don't need to make them any better. They are the beers that everyone knows about and they, for all effective purposes sell themselves. It's like McDonold's, the quality is mediocre at best but the people buy it up by the ton.

Anhaga · Post by **Anhaga** » 2004-05-30 05:31am

admiral_danielsben wrote: ALL beer tastes like it's been run through the Clydesdales once. At least to me. Although at least the European beers don't look like it. I mean, Bud Lite looks like it. And i imagine the British have it worse: they drink beer warm.

Well ales are supposed to be drunk at warmer temperatures than lagers. The trouble is that the Brits sometimes forget this and don't chill the lager enough. However, I must say that I've hardly ever encountered this problem.

Dahak · Post by **Dahak** » 2004-05-30 05:53am

Beer tastes like shit

But I've been told by friends that compared to our beer, American beer indeed tastes like water, which was standing next to a real beer for five minutes before selling it.

KhyronTheBackstabber · Post by **KhyronTheBackstabber** » 2004-05-30 05:55am

I don't give a shit what anyone says....I love my Coors Light.

Sir Sirius · Post by **Sir Sirius** » 2004-05-30 05:57am

I drink for three reasons.

Taste, the taste of a cold beer after a sauna is just divine. I drink 1 or 2 bottles a week like this. Brands vary widely, I like to experiment.
On the rare occasion I go to a restaurant to eat I like drink a little wine as I eat. Maybe half a dozen times a year. Labels and types of wine I drink vary.
Some times at parties and other such occasions I drink to actualy get drunk... getting drunk is just occasionaly fun, can't really explain why. This I do maybe once or twice a year (Yesterday for the first time in more then a year). As above what I drink veries, I like to experiment.

As for why American beer tastes like pisswater, the idea might be to get people to drink faster. Mild tasting beers are easier to quaff down then stronger flavoured ones.

Anhaga · Post by **Anhaga** » 2004-05-30 08:40am

Sir Sirius wrote:As for why American beer tastes like pisswater, the idea might be to get people to drink faster. Mild tasting beers are easier to quaff down then stronger flavoured ones.

Well www.beerchurch.com describes American beer as "Lawnmower beer" giving as their reasoning that you can gulp it down like water after mowing the lawn. I still think ti tastes too light though. My Uni's student union bars are selling Miller lite for some reason- it doesn't taste of anything.

My favourite lager is still Tiger from Singapore.

Lord Pounder · Post by **Lord Pounder** » 2004-05-30 08:45am

I think the main problem is that your guys aren't drinking the right beer. Guinness is the ultimate beer, proper beer they way it's suposed to be, if you want carbonated water thats your problem.

CmdrWilkens · Post by **CmdrWilkens** » 2004-05-30 08:58am

American Beer in the mass market is the way it is beacause that's what the majority of its market wants. I think the "lawnmower" analogy is perfect. There are an awful lot of Americans (sometimes myself and always my dad) who drink just to drink. They want something that isn't too complex or exciting, they want something to give 'em a light buzz that goes well with Bar-B-Que and onion rings. That's what American mass market beer is for, and it does the job just fine. That isn't to say that there aren't widely availale good beers, ones that combine some taste and texture with quantity. For instance I'm a huge fan of Yeungling's Porter and Lager both of which I love and are far more tasty than any of your mass markets, but that's me and sometimes I like extra taste and ometimtes I just want a quick drink to go with a lab of steak.

Sir Sirius · Post by **Sir Sirius** » 2004-05-30 09:04am

Anhaga wrote:Well www.beerchurch.com describes American beer as "Lawnmower beer" giving as their reasoning that you can gulp it down like water after mowing the lawn. I still think ti tastes too light though. My Uni's student union bars are selling Miller lite for some reason- it doesn't taste of anything.

I agree, beer should have some taste to it. However I don't like added carbon dioxide, too much CO2 is the most common problem with Finnish beers.

Anhaga wrote:My favourite lager is still Tiger from Singapore.

Youp, Tiger Beer is good, I first tasted it couple of years ago when I bought an insulated Tiger Beer backpac with 24 33 cl cans in it during a trip to Sweden. But have you tried Grolsch Premium Lager, my all time favourite lager?

CrimsonRaine · Post by **CrimsonRaine** » 2004-05-30 09:08am

RedImperator wrote:At any rate, I can understand how some people don't like the taste of alcohol. It takes some getting used to. For the record, I can barely swallow collared greens.

Like coffee, I know alcohol is an acquired taste that even I haven't learned to love yet. That's why I indulge in the super-sugared rums (which hangovers are a day to remember).

'Raine

2000AD · Post by **2000AD** » 2004-05-30 09:15am

IMO american beer is just like any other beer - awful. A number of people have said things like "it's an aquired taste" or "You need to drink a lot of it before you start to like it.". Why the fuck do i want to drink a lot of something that tastes like crap?
Just give me a vodka and coke and i'm happy.

Rye · Post by **Rye** » 2004-05-30 09:30am

The best beer i've ever tasted would be an indian one called Cobra. Still tasted awful though. All alcohol is divided up into:

Tastes like shit:

Beer
Wine
Port
Gin
Etc

and:

Tastes like fire

Whiskey
Absinthe
Etc

Though I've heard good things about mead, but I've not tried that yet. Personally, I prefer tastes like fire stuff, barring absinthe.

I also hate coffee on it's own, if it's a tiny bit overpowered by chocolate, I don't mind so much.

Dahak · Post by **Dahak** » 2004-05-30 09:44am

Rye wrote:The best beer i've ever tasted would be an indian one called Cobra. Still tasted awful though. All alcohol is divided up into:

Tastes like shit:
Beer

Wine

Port

Gin

Etc

I disagree.
Nothing better than a full, heavy red wine.

And Port is quite yummy, too

Anhaga · Post by **Anhaga** » 2004-05-30 11:49am

Sir Sirius wrote:I agree, beer should have some taste to it. However I don't like added carbon dioxide, too much CO2 is the most common problem with Finnish beers.
Youp, Tiger Beer is good, I first tasted it couple of years ago when I bought an insulated Tiger Beer backpac with 24 33 cl cans in it during a trip to Sweden. But have you tried Grolsch Premium Lager, my all time favourite lager?

Grolsch is one of the lagers I usually drink in pubs as Tiger thends to be a bit too expensive for me unless I'm back in Singapore. When I'm in the UK and drinking lager it'll usually be Grolsch or Kronnenbourg.

Lord Pounder wrote:I think the main problem is that your guys aren't drinking the right beer. Guinness is the ultimate beer, proper beer they way it's suposed to be, if you want carbonated water thats your problem.

I like a stout now and then and Guiness tastes decent but there's a pub near my place which does Guest Ales every week- from time to time they have stouts from small breweries that knock Guiness out of the water.

And I still prefer Newcastle Brown or Abbots Ale to Guiness.

Anhaga · Post by **Anhaga** » 2004-05-30 11:54am

Rye wrote:Tastes like shit...Gin

Though I've heard good things about mead, but I've not tried that yet.

Gin can be really nice. You just have to do it properly. Gin and Tonic with a slice of lemon AND a slice of lime squeezed in. My all time favourite drink.

From what I've heard mead can taste a bit sickly-sweet.

Rye · Post by **Rye** » 2004-05-30 11:59am

Anhaga wrote:
Rye wrote:Tastes like shit...Gin

Though I've heard good things about mead, but I've not tried that yet.
Gin can be really nice. You just have to do it properly. Gin and Tonic with a slice of lemon AND a slice of lime squeezed in. My all time favourite drink.

Well I think it tastes like shit in any manner of drinking.

From what I've heard mead can taste a bit sickly-sweet.

That I could deal with.

Glocksman · Post by **Glocksman** » 2004-05-30 12:02pm

For instance I'm a huge fan of Yeungling's Porter and Lager both of which I love and are far more tasty than any of your mass markets, but that's me and sometimes I like extra taste and ometimtes I just want a quick drink to go with a lab of steak.

Yuengling's is pretty decent for the price. It beats the shit out of Budweiser or Coors.

Too bad it's only a regional beer and not available in my area.

Michelob and Sam Adams are my preferred domestic beers.

As far as imports go, Young's Double Chocolate Stout and Dirty Dick's Ale are my preferred darks. For lagers, Grolsch, Sapporo, and Pilsner Urquell are decent.