More proof of tasteless American beers

[Solly]

Ah right. So we need to be careful we are comparing like-with-like then...

[Dinner]

Yes, that always helps when trying to compare two things.

[Solly]

This is the best beer I've ever had

http://www.badgerbrewery.com/beers/glory.asp

Had one pint of it at a Wetherspoon's beer festival a year ago and never forgotten its name. Can't imagine finding a better one that easily.

[Last Conformist]

Wasn't the 'States sposta be the haven of capitalist freedom? From Oerdin's description, the frikken Swedish state alcohol monopoly does a better job of letting brands compete on equal ground.

[GePap]

My favorite microbrewery is New Glarus in Wisconsin- great stuff. I have still not taken the Brooklyn Brewery tour...

[Solly]

Originally posted by Oerdin
Yes, that always helps when trying to compare two things.

Yes but we are comparing American mass produced lagers and Canadian mass produced lagers and other countries' mass produced stuff, etc.

Americans can't start saying "hey but our microbrews are better therefore our beer is better" because you're not comparing like-with-like.

And I very much doubt people here have trawled through several different continents sampling lots of small breweries fayre in order to see whose is best.

[Imran Siddiqui]

we are comparing American mass produced lagers and Canadian mass produced lagers

No we aren't! The Canadians would be the first ones to tell you that Molsen is crap beer.

[Dinner]

I like to drink beers from all over the world but I'm very fortunate to have several of the world's highest ranked breweries right in my own backyard.

AleSmith Barrel Aged Speedway Stout is certainly my favorite. Though Stone Brewing Company's Arrogant Bastard Ale is a close second. I also like Stone's Ruination IPA and their Imperial Russian Stout.

[Dinner]

Originally posted by Last Conformist
Wasn't the 'States sposta be the haven of capitalist freedom? From Oerdin's description, the frikken Swedish state alcohol monopoly does a better job of letting brands compete on equal ground.

You have to remember that in the 1930's the people who wrote these laws were the same one's who tried to outlaw alcohol. They tried to make it as hard as possible to get a hold of beer because in their fundimentalist Christian point of view alcohol was the Devil's juice.

The laws have been loosed a bit in recent decades to try to interject a bit of competetion but the monopolies still have effective control of distribution in many states. Some states are very progressive, a few are very regressive, but most are in the middle. Heck, did you know that in certain counties in some southern states it is still illegal to make or sell alcohol? It used to be illegal to transport alcohol in those places as well but some lush sued and won his right to buy liquor in other counties and then bring it home. A few southern states also make it illegal to buy alcohol from any where but state owned liquor stores which sell bottles at sky high prices. Luckily, I live in California were the monopolies never existed and where the beer flows freely.

[Solly]

Who does this ranking of breweries?

[Dinner]

Originally posted by Park Avenue
Yes but we are comparing American mass produced lagers and Canadian mass produced lagers and other countries' mass produced stuff, etc.

The title says "More proof of tasteless American beers". I don't see a single thing in that title which lists mass produced beers. Instead the guy tried to take one of the worst beers for sale on the market and claim it represents all American beers.

[Dinner]

Originally posted by Park Avenue
Who does this ranking of breweries?

There are a dozen or so international beer festivals in the world were most of the breweries go for their showdowns. The Judges, like the beers, come from all over the world but are mostly made up of beer brewers, industry journalists, and what not. Like in wine tasting all taste tests are blind and each judge writes their remarks never knowing which beer is which or where it came from.

The most international and well known of the beerfests is the World Cup of Beer who's location changes every year and which literally thousands and thousands of breweries from all over the world enter.

[chequita guevara]

Originally posted by Last Conformist
Having never drunk anything from those 'Mercan microbreweries, I can't comment on their quality, but, if true, why do your typical American nonetheless gulp down trash beer in sufficient quantities to make them major brands? Are they stupid? Masochistic?

No, when sufficiently cold, those watery beers are actually incredibly refreshing and much easier to chug. I far and away prefer beer with flavor, but when you're hot and sweaty and thirsty, a cheap, ice-cold, American pilsner really hits the spot.

[Solly]

Lager should be 5% ABV (alcohol by volume), bitter 4.5%.

[KrazyHorse]

Originally posted by Imran Siddiqui

we are comparing American mass produced lagers and Canadian mass produced lagers

No we aren't! The Canadians would be the first ones to tell you that Molsen is crap beer.

**** you.

Molson Export Ale is a very decent beer. It can't compete with the better microbrews or some of the Euro mass-market beers, but it most definitely destroys any mass-market American beer.