privateer Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 Two bottles of red watching the NFL playoffs with my nephew (He wasn't feeling well enough to drink!) and I have now moved onto the white wine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bickster Posted January 12, 2009 Moderator Share Posted January 12, 2009 to my shame 'm drinking a can of carling Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Zen Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 Truly, shame on you Bicks. I'm not a lot better, I suppose. Last night, I had three bottles of local Oslo brewed lager Ringnes (owned by Carlsberg, of course). And though it does have a certain amount of taste unlike Carling it's quite shit if I'm being honest. I guess I've become so used to it, as it's nearly all they serve in terms of lager in pubs in this city, it has a certain affectionate value. On second thoughts, maybe I just don't like lager all that much anymore? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leviramsey Posted January 12, 2009 VT Supporter Share Posted January 12, 2009 CHEAP LAGER FTW!!!!!! Miller High Life is probably the best of the American-style lagers... that it's among the cheapest (paid $1.84 including 5 cent deposit and got a nice wink from the lesbian cashier at the packie) makes it even better. That it's probably had the best American beer adverts of the past 20 years is still more icing on the cake. But Errol Morris's campaign from the mid-to-late 90s is probably still my favorite ad campaign EVAR Who cares what's in a hot dog? When diverse cast-aside elements coming together to form something great... well, that's the American way. Nope, you do not ask of the hot dog. The hot dog asks of you: "What are you made of? What spice do you add To the national knockwurst? What flavor do you contribute To the High Life?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leviramsey Posted January 12, 2009 VT Supporter Share Posted January 12, 2009 From the Alstrom Brothers B-: Golden hued beer, bright, with a patchy white foam head comprised of mixed bubble sizes. Large bubbled slow carbonation. Lacing has some stick, with a moderate level of head retention. Ultra-clean nose on this one, faint grain and an even fainter freshly husked corn aroma. Even, medium bodied brew. Fizzy carbonation. Crisp. Smooth, with a creamy carbonation feel on the palate. Mild steely character in the flavor, some watery malty / creamed corn sweetness that sticks to the palate. Touch of malt husks, corn grits, with a drying edge. Corn flavor gets more pronounced as the beer warms and casts a blandness across the palate. Hop character is nearly non-existent with this tasting. Finishes with some residual dextriny sweetness and corn. Not overly clean, but it passes. Drink ice cold for maximum enjoyment, but mostly so those corn flavors stay where they should. B: Appearance: Great head retention, I was quite surprised and impressed at the same time. Good clinging action and the pale yellow golden hue donned a perfect clarity. Smell: Sharp cooked corn aroma, mild grain husk as well. Clean other than that. Taste & Mouthfeel: Solid crispness in a light body. Grainy with a hay like character, mild hop bitterness and a faintness of corn in the back. Clean on the palate with a grand smoothness that makes you want to take another sip. Drinkability: Easy to drink with mild flavors and a good wash of crispness. A tasty American Lager. Went excellent with the lamb and steak tips I grilled. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leviramsey Posted January 12, 2009 VT Supporter Share Posted January 12, 2009 I can second the drink quickly while it's cold aspect... as such I always try to drink all 40 oz within an hour of opening... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Zen Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 CHEAP LAGER FTW!!!!!! Well, trust the American... Honest question, what's with your compatriots and their Bud Light and all that weak shite? If anyone thought Carling was awful, give Bud Light a go. No, really don't, you'll regret it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leviramsey Posted January 12, 2009 VT Supporter Share Posted January 12, 2009 I can proudly say that I've never had Bud Light. Outside of Michelob Amber Bock and the various Redhooks (that brewery is 25% owned by Anheuser Busch in return for AB allowing their distributors to carry Redhook), I don't drink AB products. Indeed, the only American light lagers I've had with any regularity are Miller Lite (which isn't that bad... but I can definitely say that of the none/one/two/three US brewing behemoths, I prefer Miller) and Sam Adams Light (which isn't really a light beer... it has more calories than Bud or MHL!). However, the style is acceptable, IMO, as a "lawnmower beer"... it's hot out so you don't want something with too much body, you don't want to drive your Deere into the street, so something without much alcohol is a plus, but you'll still get buzzed enough eventually to not care about the [lack of] taste. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
privateer Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 Miller Lite???!!! Miller Shite! Come on! That is not nice beer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phumfeinz Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 Glenfiddich 12 year. I could really go for some cold beer though. Grolsch is always good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Zen Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 I can proudly say that I've never had Bud Light(...)I don't drink AB products.. Top man. And to be fair, I agree Miller isn't awful for an American brew, nor is Sam Adams. I've only tried Miller once, though, in Belfast of all places. Stayed in the Holiday Inn, I think it was, and lacking a hotel bar all they could serve me was a bottle of Miller from the fridge. Talk about a let down, having to drink American lager in Ireland! Still, it was far from the worst lager I've tried. Not tried Miller Lite or Sam Adams Lite. But how Bud (I refuse to add weiser, as the original is pretty decent) has become so dominant on the global market, and in the US in particular, I really can't understand. It is truly awful - no taste whatsoever. Then again, look at the most popular lagers over here in Europe. I guess it's not just the yanks who have poor taste when I think about it. However, the style is acceptable, IMO, as a "lawnmower beer"... it's hot out so you don't want something with too much body, you don't want to drive your Deere into the street, so something without much alcohol is a plus, but you'll still get buzzed enough eventually to not care about the [lack of] taste. I can see that, but I say **** the heat and so what if you cut down a rose bed or two - there's never a bad time for a Guiness Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leviramsey Posted January 12, 2009 VT Supporter Share Posted January 12, 2009 But how Bud (I refuse to add weiser, as the original is pretty decent) has become so dominant on the global market, and in the US in particular, I really can't understand. It is truly awful - no taste whatsoever. Then again, look at the most popular lagers over here in Europe. I guess it's not just the yanks who have poor taste when I think about it. A combination of factors: * Prohibition basically killed American alcohol tastes for close to 50 years... it took decades for whisk[e]y and the other dark spirits to recover (since bathtub gin (which eventually created the demand for vodka) was a lot safer than moonshine). On the wine side, it allowed Gallo to become dominant. And it killed most of the breweries that were flourishing beforehand. This allowed the American adjunct/macro lager to become the dominant style as opposed to more authentic versions of Pilsners etc. * Schlitz, the dominant beer after Prohibition, had a couple of years of disastrous marketing (I'm pretty sure that (I can hear the Who fans reading this groaning...) was after that)... and let's face it, in the cheap lager category, it's generally more about marketing than substance. But probably most importantly: * Bud took quality control its apex, to the extent that a Bud brewed in New Hampshire was identical to a Bud brewed in California. Going to a regional brewery model while Miller, Schlitz, Pabst, etc. stuck to massive breweries in the middle of the USA helped. Distribution muscle also helped... AB has religiously tried to keep their market share at 50%, which allows their local distributors (who are provided with generous inducements to not carry anything but AB-approved product) to strongarm retailers into giving them the premium slots. I managed a package store (Massachusetts-ese for a liquor store) years ago, and about once a year or so, the local AB distributor's marketing team would come in and (with the approval of the owner, obviously) arrange the entire beer department according to the plan from St. Louis. In return for this, the store got a few bucks knocked off the price of every case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Zen Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 Thanks, Levi, an interesting read that. Corporate America are good at marketing and maintaining borderline monopoly, I'll give 'em that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leviramsey Posted January 12, 2009 VT Supporter Share Posted January 12, 2009 Clarifying the Prohibition point: when I say whiskey, I mean the domestic whiskeys... Scotch and Canadian Whiskies pretty much have Prohibition to thank for their US market share to this day. If you were poor, you drank moonshine (with the assorted insects and toxic components) If you were middle class, you drank bathtub gin If you were rich, you either smuggled rum off a Caribbean cruise or obtained Canadian or Scotch whisky from a bootlegger who got it in Canada (Irish whiskey's time would come decades later)... as such drinking Johnnie Walker or Crown Royal became a signal of wealth (and like cognac (and Cadillacs, really), the endurance of this association in the African-American community after white culture associated the more exotic vodka (and Mercedes/BMW...) with class and refinement, kept those spirits alive in the USA until hip-hop crossed them back over to the "mainstream"). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sit_Down_Potato_Head Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 Highland Park 25 yr old (50.7 abv). Yum yum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjmooney Posted January 12, 2009 VT Supporter Share Posted January 12, 2009 Tonight it'll be either Black Sheep or the guest beer if it's interesting. Tomorrow, Wednesday and Thursday it's back on the midweek wagon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sit_Down_Potato_Head Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 But how Bud (I refuse to add weiser, as the original is pretty decent) has become so dominant on the global market, and in the US in particular, I really can't understand. It is truly awful - no taste whatsoever. Then again, look at the most popular lagers over here in Europe. I guess it's not just the yanks who have poor taste when I think about it. A combination of factors: * Prohibition basically killed American alcohol tastes for close to 50 years... it took decades for whisk[e]y and the other dark spirits to recover (since bathtub gin (which eventually created the demand for vodka) was a lot safer than moonshine). On the wine side, it allowed Gallo to become dominant. And it killed most of the breweries that were flourishing beforehand. This allowed the American adjunct/macro lager to become the dominant style as opposed to more authentic versions of Pilsners etc. * Schlitz, the dominant beer after Prohibition, had a couple of years of disastrous marketing (I'm pretty sure that (I can hear the Who fans reading this groaning...) was after that)... and let's face it, in the cheap lager category, it's generally more about marketing than substance. But probably most importantly: * Bud took quality control its apex, to the extent that a Bud brewed in New Hampshire was identical to a Bud brewed in California. Going to a regional brewery model while Miller, Schlitz, Pabst, etc. stuck to massive breweries in the middle of the USA helped. Distribution muscle also helped... AB has religiously tried to keep their market share at 50%, which allows their local distributors (who are provided with generous inducements to not carry anything but AB-approved product) to strongarm retailers into giving them the premium slots. I managed a package store (Massachusetts-ese for a liquor store) years ago, and about once a year or so, the local AB distributor's marketing team would come in and (with the approval of the owner, obviously) arrange the entire beer department according to the plan from St. Louis. In return for this, the store got a few bucks knocked off the price of every case. I think the reason most US drinks can't compete with everyone else is that with the following exceptions, they all taste like piss. Miller - the only US beer I can tolerate. Bud/Coors all taste like fizzy water that've had a drop of beer put into them. Flavourless wee-wee. If you like beer, come to England, or go to Belgium. End of. No spirits make the exceptions list. Jack Daniels and the inventor of Southern Comfort ought to be ashamed of themselves. For goodness sake, even the Japanese can make a good malt these days. So really, wine is the only alcoholic tipple that I'd consider drinking from the US. On the plus side - the US' contribution to the world of cocktails is pretty much unsurpassed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr_Dogg Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 I was drinking some Sierra Nevada Bigfoot last night. 9.6% volume. :shock: I like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sit_Down_Potato_Head Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 Oh, and the biggest brewer of beer in the world isn't American. It's South African Breweries (SAB), who pretty much are the biggest player and have the market by the short and curlies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leviramsey Posted January 12, 2009 VT Supporter Share Posted January 12, 2009 Oh, and the biggest brewer of beer in the world isn't American. It's South African Breweries (SAB), who pretty much are the biggest player and have the market by the short and curlies. It was SABMiller... now it's the American/Belgian/Brazilian (alphabetically) Anheuser-Busch InBev, which owns the following major brands: Bud Bush Michelob half of Corona a quarter of Tsingtao Brahma Labatt's Bass Beck's Stella Boddington's Hoegaarden King Cobra Leffe Lowenbrau Rolling Rock Skol Spaten St. Pauli Girl Tennent's Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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