Cette bud n'est pas pour vous
June 12, 2008 4:59 PM Subscribe
Good riddance. Budweiser could only be improved by being bought by someone, ANYone who is even passingly familiar with good (or at least adequate) beer.
posted by stenseng at 5:03 PM on June 12, 2008
posted by stenseng at 5:03 PM on June 12, 2008
I recall visiting Sea World/Busch Gardens San Diego a few years back, where they kept little plaques over the men's urinals that helpfully reminded us that Anheuser-Busch is an American-owned brewing company, unlike Miller(?) which is owned by a South-African(?) company.
So, yeah, hurf durf xenophobia drinkers, etc.
posted by Avenger at 5:05 PM on June 12, 2008
So, yeah, hurf durf xenophobia drinkers, etc.
posted by Avenger at 5:05 PM on June 12, 2008
Budweiser is an excellent beer when you need to drink a case yourself, and sometimes dammit you need to drink a case yourself.
posted by Science! at 5:05 PM on June 12, 2008 [2 favorites]
posted by Science! at 5:05 PM on June 12, 2008 [2 favorites]
They can have that swill for all I care.
posted by Liquidwolf at 5:06 PM on June 12, 2008
posted by Liquidwolf at 5:06 PM on June 12, 2008
Well, the beer couldn't get any worse...
posted by MaryDellamorte at 5:08 PM on June 12, 2008
posted by MaryDellamorte at 5:08 PM on June 12, 2008
As long as we still have Duff that is all that matters.
posted by well_balanced at 5:09 PM on June 12, 2008
posted by well_balanced at 5:09 PM on June 12, 2008
Since bottled water was invented Budweiser is redundant.
posted by Floydd at 5:12 PM on June 12, 2008 [2 favorites]
posted by Floydd at 5:12 PM on June 12, 2008 [2 favorites]
I haven't had Bud in years and years, so I can't even remember what it tastes like. Here in Japan, the cheap/popular beer like Kirin and Asahi are pretty similar, I think. Bud in Japan is somewhat pricey, being an import and all.
posted by zardoz at 5:13 PM on June 12, 2008
posted by zardoz at 5:13 PM on June 12, 2008
I've been drinking Pabst before it was cool, this don't effect me. Some one pass me an Old Style, I've got a dead soldier here.
posted by nola at 5:13 PM on June 12, 2008
posted by nola at 5:13 PM on June 12, 2008
Put that Budweiser back in the Clydesdale.
posted by Faint of Butt at 5:14 PM on June 12, 2008 [2 favorites]
posted by Faint of Butt at 5:14 PM on June 12, 2008 [2 favorites]
It would be sweet if they were being bought by Budvar.
posted by mullingitover at 5:28 PM on June 12, 2008 [4 favorites]
posted by mullingitover at 5:28 PM on June 12, 2008 [4 favorites]
Here in Japan, the cheap/popular beer like Kirin and Asahi are pretty similar, I think.
Asahi Extra Dry, which I get pretty much every time I go to Wagamama tastes almost exactly like Narragansett, my favorite Cheap Local Beer. There is very little I love more than the various Cheap Local Beers of America.
(Maybe naked girls. Maybe.)
posted by beaucoupkevin at 5:28 PM on June 12, 2008
Asahi Extra Dry, which I get pretty much every time I go to Wagamama tastes almost exactly like Narragansett, my favorite Cheap Local Beer. There is very little I love more than the various Cheap Local Beers of America.
(Maybe naked girls. Maybe.)
posted by beaucoupkevin at 5:28 PM on June 12, 2008
An InBev spokesperson commenting in Brussels today said "InBev has been making top quality beer for over sixty years and we'd like to try something completely different. Budweiser is an obvious choice."
OK - I made that up but...
posted by speug at 5:30 PM on June 12, 2008 [1 favorite]
OK - I made that up but...
posted by speug at 5:30 PM on June 12, 2008 [1 favorite]
This can only be a good thing. When there is no beer, I'll drink Bud.
posted by hwestiii at 5:30 PM on June 12, 2008
posted by hwestiii at 5:30 PM on June 12, 2008
I like a cold Bud on a hot day. They have a vaguely beer-like taste that's quenching.
BTW, if you think Sierra Nevada is what a good pale ale should taste like, you are a pretentious twit who should switch to wine or single-malt scotch or something. It's not just about the hops!
posted by BitterOldPunk at 5:31 PM on June 12, 2008 [2 favorites]
BTW, if you think Sierra Nevada is what a good pale ale should taste like, you are a pretentious twit who should switch to wine or single-malt scotch or something. It's not just about the hops!
posted by BitterOldPunk at 5:31 PM on June 12, 2008 [2 favorites]
1. Do they have Guinness?
Yes. DONE.
No. Goto 2.
2. Do they have vodka and fruit juice?
No. Goto 4.
Yes. Goto 3.
3. Do I care if she thinks I'm fruity?
Yes. Goto 4.
No. DONE.
4. Do they have any Shinerboch?
Yes. DONE.
No. LEAVE.
Well they have something that's like Shiner. LEAVE.
Well they have Budweiser. SET THE BAR ON FIRE, THEN LEAVE.
END
This has gotten me through life thus far. I really hope recent developments do not cause me to reprogram my drinking habits. I like hating Bud.
posted by ZachsMind at 5:32 PM on June 12, 2008 [5 favorites]
Yes. DONE.
No. Goto 2.
2. Do they have vodka and fruit juice?
No. Goto 4.
Yes. Goto 3.
3. Do I care if she thinks I'm fruity?
Yes. Goto 4.
No. DONE.
4. Do they have any Shinerboch?
Yes. DONE.
No. LEAVE.
Well they have something that's like Shiner. LEAVE.
Well they have Budweiser. SET THE BAR ON FIRE, THEN LEAVE.
END
This has gotten me through life thus far. I really hope recent developments do not cause me to reprogram my drinking habits. I like hating Bud.
posted by ZachsMind at 5:32 PM on June 12, 2008 [5 favorites]
So what's the complaint, they'll up the piss content fro 99% to 100%?
Hell, that would probably only improve it.
posted by lekvar at 5:33 PM on June 12, 2008
Hell, that would probably only improve it.
posted by lekvar at 5:33 PM on June 12, 2008
oh. and for the record, the last Budweiser I had was about twenty years ago.
posted by ZachsMind at 5:39 PM on June 12, 2008
posted by ZachsMind at 5:39 PM on June 12, 2008
Is the Bud that is sold in Canada different from the recipe in the US? To me it's not bad, not great, pretty on-par with Molson Canadian, really. Honest question.
posted by Space Coyote at 5:39 PM on June 12, 2008
posted by Space Coyote at 5:39 PM on June 12, 2008
Meh. It already happened in Canada and our beer didn't suck to begin with. As long as people keep buying Budweiser, they'll keep making it.
hurf durf xenophobia drinker indeed.
posted by GuyZero at 5:40 PM on June 12, 2008
hurf durf xenophobia drinker indeed.
posted by GuyZero at 5:40 PM on June 12, 2008
If you buy Canadian Bud at the Brewers' Retail, sorry, "The Beer Store" then it was brewed in Canada under license. Well, for Ontario at least. YKmMV for other provinces.
posted by GuyZero at 5:41 PM on June 12, 2008
posted by GuyZero at 5:41 PM on June 12, 2008
This Bud's for EU?
posted by Sangermaine at 5:43 PM on June 12, 2008 [11 favorites]
posted by Sangermaine at 5:43 PM on June 12, 2008 [11 favorites]
At least it's another beer brewer that's making the offer. It could be worse - a brand conglomerate like Unilever, Proctor & Gamble, Nestle, or Kraft. That said - Bud sucks anyways.
posted by junesix at 5:44 PM on June 12, 2008
posted by junesix at 5:44 PM on June 12, 2008
Apart from Stella Artois, most of those InBev beers are pretty good
posted by ZippityBuddha at 5:54 PM on June 12, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by ZippityBuddha at 5:54 PM on June 12, 2008 [1 favorite]
My brother is a hardcore fan of the Busch brands, to the point that hey got a job with them and even has a tattoo of their logo. He would always make fun of the somewhat locally made Miller because it was owned by South-Americans.
If this goes through, I shall point at him and laugh.
posted by drezdn at 5:55 PM on June 12, 2008
If this goes through, I shall point at him and laugh.
posted by drezdn at 5:55 PM on June 12, 2008
Budweiser is an excellent beer when you need to drink a case yourself, and sometimes dammit you need to drink a case yourself.
Yuengling
Gennessee Cream Ale
Pabst
Hollandia (a specific favorite of a friend group, because we knew a store in Manhattan that sold 6 packs of pints for about $4.)
are some examples of places to start for cheapness, quantity, and drinkability. Yuengling is a tasty brew. Genny Cream and Pabst are cheap-tasting but much less offensive than Budweiser. Hollandia tastes like the spring water the can advertised it was made with; we used it for industrial use and back-up beer for BYOB parties.
Oh, shit. They're Belgians? This is awkward.
Not really. InBev is the Belgian version of Busch/Miller/Coors. They're mostly hawking Stella and Beck's. They do have a few decent offerings, such as Hoegaarden (mediocre for its style though) and Leffe (tasty), but nothing that's really top-of-the-line.
posted by TheOnlyCoolTim at 5:56 PM on June 12, 2008
Yuengling
Gennessee Cream Ale
Pabst
Hollandia (a specific favorite of a friend group, because we knew a store in Manhattan that sold 6 packs of pints for about $4.)
are some examples of places to start for cheapness, quantity, and drinkability. Yuengling is a tasty brew. Genny Cream and Pabst are cheap-tasting but much less offensive than Budweiser. Hollandia tastes like the spring water the can advertised it was made with; we used it for industrial use and back-up beer for BYOB parties.
Oh, shit. They're Belgians? This is awkward.
Not really. InBev is the Belgian version of Busch/Miller/Coors. They're mostly hawking Stella and Beck's. They do have a few decent offerings, such as Hoegaarden (mediocre for its style though) and Leffe (tasty), but nothing that's really top-of-the-line.
posted by TheOnlyCoolTim at 5:56 PM on June 12, 2008
Oh, shit. They're Belgians? This is awkward.
Don't worry, InBev is run by Brazilians.
posted by mullacc at 5:56 PM on June 12, 2008
Don't worry, InBev is run by Brazilians.
posted by mullacc at 5:56 PM on June 12, 2008
"Save Budweiser!"
I thought this was going to be like that 70's t-shirt slogan, "Conserve Water, Drink Beer".
Y'know - "Save Budweiser, Drink Anything Else". Or something like that.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 6:00 PM on June 12, 2008
I thought this was going to be like that 70's t-shirt slogan, "Conserve Water, Drink Beer".
Y'know - "Save Budweiser, Drink Anything Else". Or something like that.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 6:00 PM on June 12, 2008
I have Bud Light Light on tap.
beaucoupkevin, I have a conflicted opinion of Gansett. I mean sure "hooray local beers" (or what used to be local beers) because I go to URI and Narragansett is just down the street, and many times I have the beer and it tastes fine, but quite often I'll drink the stuff and it tastes like a handful of pennies. Y'know, that really metalic smell/taste? Nothing goes better with a pizza than beer that tastes like you've bleed heavily into it. Blech.
posted by CitrusFreak12 at 6:02 PM on June 12, 2008
beaucoupkevin, I have a conflicted opinion of Gansett. I mean sure "hooray local beers" (or what used to be local beers) because I go to URI and Narragansett is just down the street, and many times I have the beer and it tastes fine, but quite often I'll drink the stuff and it tastes like a handful of pennies. Y'know, that really metalic smell/taste? Nothing goes better with a pizza than beer that tastes like you've bleed heavily into it. Blech.
posted by CitrusFreak12 at 6:02 PM on June 12, 2008
To me it's not bad, not great, pretty on-par with Molson Canadian, really. Honest question.
See, there's your problem, Space Coyote. You erred in thinking "not bad" and "on-par with Molson Canadian" were equivalent measures.
The problem with Canadian Bud, to me, is that it isn't watery enough. This is US Bud's greatest attribute. It has a kind of water-substitute magic in certain kinds of settings. Golfing on a laidback public course in rural Vermont on a hot blue July day and your friend's old college buddy has stuffed the big pocket of his bag with cans of Bud packed in ice-filled Ziplocs that keep the stuff so cold it practically forms a skim of ice when you crack it? That's a perfect beer, and to date the only condition under which I really, really enjoy Budweiser. You can drink like one every other hole and still see straight enough to putt on 18.
Bud Light, incidentally, is a sort of trash-culture black hole which sucks all life from the atmosphere around it, and the fact that an acquaintance in an upscale Houston pub will bring you one when you politely let him grab you "a beer" (to cite a personal example) is as sure a sign as any of a civilization's terminal decline.
posted by gompa at 6:03 PM on June 12, 2008 [1 favorite]
See, there's your problem, Space Coyote. You erred in thinking "not bad" and "on-par with Molson Canadian" were equivalent measures.
The problem with Canadian Bud, to me, is that it isn't watery enough. This is US Bud's greatest attribute. It has a kind of water-substitute magic in certain kinds of settings. Golfing on a laidback public course in rural Vermont on a hot blue July day and your friend's old college buddy has stuffed the big pocket of his bag with cans of Bud packed in ice-filled Ziplocs that keep the stuff so cold it practically forms a skim of ice when you crack it? That's a perfect beer, and to date the only condition under which I really, really enjoy Budweiser. You can drink like one every other hole and still see straight enough to putt on 18.
Bud Light, incidentally, is a sort of trash-culture black hole which sucks all life from the atmosphere around it, and the fact that an acquaintance in an upscale Houston pub will bring you one when you politely let him grab you "a beer" (to cite a personal example) is as sure a sign as any of a civilization's terminal decline.
posted by gompa at 6:03 PM on June 12, 2008 [1 favorite]
so many good comments here.
If the deal goes maybe budwiser will actually become a drinkable pilsner. see czechvar.
As a St. Louis resident I know not one person that will voluntarily go for a bud. Even though we got the headquarters it's very much a stag/high life town. However living just a half mile from the brewery, I would hope InBev would keep this facility. We need it over here. The AB population is a huge help to local business in the area that without them, would have no chance of staying open to serve lunch and such. It helps to keep my neighborhood from being too ghetto/desolate. Despite the rank stench of brewing beer in the St. Louis humidity.
posted by noriyori at 6:03 PM on June 12, 2008
If the deal goes maybe budwiser will actually become a drinkable pilsner. see czechvar.
As a St. Louis resident I know not one person that will voluntarily go for a bud. Even though we got the headquarters it's very much a stag/high life town. However living just a half mile from the brewery, I would hope InBev would keep this facility. We need it over here. The AB population is a huge help to local business in the area that without them, would have no chance of staying open to serve lunch and such. It helps to keep my neighborhood from being too ghetto/desolate. Despite the rank stench of brewing beer in the St. Louis humidity.
posted by noriyori at 6:03 PM on June 12, 2008
4. Do they have any Shinerboch?
Did I miss the press release when they changed the name? Or is this a different brew than what comes from that little brewery in Shiner, Texas? Or is this how you differentiate Shiner Bock from that Anheuser-Busch abomination ZiegenBock?
posted by birdherder at 6:04 PM on June 12, 2008
Did I miss the press release when they changed the name? Or is this a different brew than what comes from that little brewery in Shiner, Texas? Or is this how you differentiate Shiner Bock from that Anheuser-Busch abomination ZiegenBock?
posted by birdherder at 6:04 PM on June 12, 2008
Bud Light, incidentally, is a sort of trash-culture black hole which sucks all life from the atmosphere around it, and the fact that an acquaintance in an upscale Houston pub
See, there are classy-upscale drinking establishments and overpriced-hype-upscale drinking establishments, and you can tell by whether or not they make an effort to have at least a few decent beers even if they're not a beer bar.
Also, everyone should try a nice Kölsch sometime. It's the interesting experience of drinking a beer that's like a Bud Light but good.
posted by TheOnlyCoolTim at 6:08 PM on June 12, 2008
See, there are classy-upscale drinking establishments and overpriced-hype-upscale drinking establishments, and you can tell by whether or not they make an effort to have at least a few decent beers even if they're not a beer bar.
Also, everyone should try a nice Kölsch sometime. It's the interesting experience of drinking a beer that's like a Bud Light but good.
posted by TheOnlyCoolTim at 6:08 PM on June 12, 2008
Perhaps a nice buyout will allow them to actually brew beer?
posted by MrLint at 6:12 PM on June 12, 2008
posted by MrLint at 6:12 PM on June 12, 2008
if i'm going to drink something like that, give me a pbr or a stroh's - but right now, one of my local stores has fuller's london pride on sale for 3.99$ for 4 packs of 16.9 oz cans
now THAT rules
posted by pyramid termite at 6:17 PM on June 12, 2008
now THAT rules
posted by pyramid termite at 6:17 PM on June 12, 2008
everyone should try a nice Kölsch sometime.
Best served for breakfast!
posted by me & my monkey at 6:33 PM on June 12, 2008
Best served for breakfast!
posted by me & my monkey at 6:33 PM on June 12, 2008
At least St. Louis will still have its *good* brewery, Schlafly!
posted by notsnot at 6:39 PM on June 12, 2008
posted by notsnot at 6:39 PM on June 12, 2008
Nn comments later and no-one's gone for the classless
only you can save it!
(Everybody now)
WHY WOULD WE WANT TO?
posted by mwhybark at 6:43 PM on June 12, 2008
only you can save it!
(Everybody now)
WHY WOULD WE WANT TO?
posted by mwhybark at 6:43 PM on June 12, 2008
I wonder what this will do to the STL economy. Back when I lived there, AB was pretty much all they had left.
posted by Afroblanco at 6:47 PM on June 12, 2008
posted by Afroblanco at 6:47 PM on June 12, 2008
Aha!! Finally, I can put my apathy to good use.
posted by brain cloud at 6:47 PM on June 12, 2008
posted by brain cloud at 6:47 PM on June 12, 2008
Yeah.. using Molson as your standard for beer is kind of like using White Castle as your standard for a proper hamburger.
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 6:56 PM on June 12, 2008
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 6:56 PM on June 12, 2008
Q: How is American beer like sex in a canoe?
A: Because its fucking close to water.
Now that we’ve gotten past that, Budweiser isn’t all that bad... but it’s not exactly a delight for the pallet... and neither is Stella Artois. But both stand up OK to commercial American micro-brews that go too far in the other direction without really thinking about where they’re going, and end up harsh and over-hopped. I love a nice Guinness because its hoppy and mellow at the same time.
Back in the day, when big American cities all had a slew of independent breweries and I was in school, I had a summer job for two years in a row at the National Bohemian brewery in Baltimore. The beer on site was just about the best I ever had. And it was equally good at bars within a couple of blocks of the brewery, but it went downhill from there.
It was a great job because I got payed union scale, but the best thing was the employee break room. It had coke machines that had cold soda for 25 cents a pop, but there were three open beer coolers and the beer was free. One was just below room temperature and the other two got progressively colder.
posted by Huplescat at 6:59 PM on June 12, 2008
A: Because its fucking close to water.
Now that we’ve gotten past that, Budweiser isn’t all that bad... but it’s not exactly a delight for the pallet... and neither is Stella Artois. But both stand up OK to commercial American micro-brews that go too far in the other direction without really thinking about where they’re going, and end up harsh and over-hopped. I love a nice Guinness because its hoppy and mellow at the same time.
Back in the day, when big American cities all had a slew of independent breweries and I was in school, I had a summer job for two years in a row at the National Bohemian brewery in Baltimore. The beer on site was just about the best I ever had. And it was equally good at bars within a couple of blocks of the brewery, but it went downhill from there.
It was a great job because I got payed union scale, but the best thing was the employee break room. It had coke machines that had cold soda for 25 cents a pop, but there were three open beer coolers and the beer was free. One was just below room temperature and the other two got progressively colder.
posted by Huplescat at 6:59 PM on June 12, 2008
AB has been distributing InBev's big brews for a while now (Bass, Beck's, Stella Artois) and with the dollar tanking, why give a percentage when you could just buy out the distributor.
posted by Gucky at 7:01 PM on June 12, 2008
posted by Gucky at 7:01 PM on June 12, 2008
Yeah see, Bud ain't a "good" beer and if you fuck up and drink twelve of them you'll have a miserable sugar headache in the morning, but an icy bar bottle of bud and a shot of warm, cheapish, bourbon whiskey and a cigarette or two is a singular pleasure. I'm super fancy about drinks too, it's just there's a time and a place, I don't know why that isn't common knowledge.
Oh wait, yes I do, y'all are studio gangsters.
posted by Divine_Wino at 7:03 PM on June 12, 2008 [2 favorites]
Oh wait, yes I do, y'all are studio gangsters.
posted by Divine_Wino at 7:03 PM on June 12, 2008 [2 favorites]
Miller didn't improve when the south africans bought it, I'm pretty sure Bud is gonna suck just as hard 10 years from now.
posted by jenkinsEar at 7:08 PM on June 12, 2008
posted by jenkinsEar at 7:08 PM on June 12, 2008
Wait, so if Budweiser is purchased by this European company it will still be available for sale and consumption in the United States? If so, I'm disappointed. When I saw Save Budweiser I thought there may be a chance we could be rid of it for good.
posted by Rarebit Fiend at 7:08 PM on June 12, 2008
posted by Rarebit Fiend at 7:08 PM on June 12, 2008
Bud is one of the better mainstream US lagers (rice tasting much better than corn - sorry Miller) but they all suck by comparison with real beer. Who cares who owns such stuff?
posted by caddis at 7:17 PM on June 12, 2008
posted by caddis at 7:17 PM on June 12, 2008
Hey! does anyone remember this:
(cue music) From the land of sky blue wa a ters, Hamms, the beer refreshing, Hamms the beer refreshing, Hammmmmmmms.
Oh yeah, I loves me some old jingles. But seriously, what difference does it make? This is the USA, everything is out-sourced. American (?) flags are made in China. So the fuck what? Plus Stella? now that is fucking in a canoe.
However, I do favor Bud for a red beer after a hard night.
posted by Belle O'Cosity at 7:24 PM on June 12, 2008
(cue music) From the land of sky blue wa a ters, Hamms, the beer refreshing, Hamms the beer refreshing, Hammmmmmmms.
Oh yeah, I loves me some old jingles. But seriously, what difference does it make? This is the USA, everything is out-sourced. American (?) flags are made in China. So the fuck what? Plus Stella? now that is fucking in a canoe.
However, I do favor Bud for a red beer after a hard night.
posted by Belle O'Cosity at 7:24 PM on June 12, 2008
Hey, I am German and I drink budweiser. It can't be so bad after all. Off cause it can't compete with the original Budweiser.
posted by yoyo_nyc at 7:50 PM on June 12, 2008
posted by yoyo_nyc at 7:50 PM on June 12, 2008
Bud tastes like any generic beer brewed by the brewing giants.
Sweet easy to drink, non confrontational and piss weak.
Here in Australia we have the imported brands (note imported brand, nor product) that is brewed "under license" and they all taste exactly the same, yet cost as if they were imported.
Heineken
Becks
Ashahi
Carlsberg
Tuborg
Stella
Even my Beloved Cascade (Which was a genuinely nice beer) has changed to have the same Euro-piss taste.
Still, I suppose it's good for the shareholders, and that's what really matters.
posted by mattoxic at 8:09 PM on June 12, 2008
Sweet easy to drink, non confrontational and piss weak.
Here in Australia we have the imported brands (note imported brand, nor product) that is brewed "under license" and they all taste exactly the same, yet cost as if they were imported.
Heineken
Becks
Ashahi
Carlsberg
Tuborg
Stella
Even my Beloved Cascade (Which was a genuinely nice beer) has changed to have the same Euro-piss taste.
Still, I suppose it's good for the shareholders, and that's what really matters.
posted by mattoxic at 8:09 PM on June 12, 2008
This is proof that I actually drank a Budweiser once. I almost choked after reading this on the bottle:
"This is the famous Budweiser beer. We know of no brand produced by any other brewer which costs so much to brew and age. "
Wait a minute...isn't this the beer brewed using rice? (Yes, it says so right on the label, and no, this doesn't make it cheap sake).
There are people who drink beer who don't really like real beer. They are really just looking for something refreshing like cold water but want something with slightly more flavor and don't like the sugar water alternatives. These people like beers like Budweiser. Fine.
But if you do like the taste of real beer, then all you can think of when drinking Budweiser is how far it is from what it pretends to be.
posted by eye of newt at 8:09 PM on June 12, 2008 [1 favorite]
"This is the famous Budweiser beer. We know of no brand produced by any other brewer which costs so much to brew and age. "
Wait a minute...isn't this the beer brewed using rice? (Yes, it says so right on the label, and no, this doesn't make it cheap sake).
There are people who drink beer who don't really like real beer. They are really just looking for something refreshing like cold water but want something with slightly more flavor and don't like the sugar water alternatives. These people like beers like Budweiser. Fine.
But if you do like the taste of real beer, then all you can think of when drinking Budweiser is how far it is from what it pretends to be.
posted by eye of newt at 8:09 PM on June 12, 2008 [1 favorite]
I had a summer job for two years in a row at the National Bohemian brewery in Baltimore. The beer on site was just about the best I ever had.
Did you just say that Natty Boh is the best beer you've ever had?
posted by empath at 8:19 PM on June 12, 2008
Did you just say that Natty Boh is the best beer you've ever had?
posted by empath at 8:19 PM on June 12, 2008
My two cents as a Beer Drinker:
Budweiser is an Acceptable Cheap Beer (but give me Pabst instead any day). As noted above, it's amusing that they admit to using adjuncts right there on the can. I can live with that kind of honesty. (The part about its expense is a hoot. Maybe if they include Super Bowl ads.)
Bud Light is shit in a bottle. Completely grasty (yes, that's gross + nasty). I'd rather drink Coors Light, and that's saying something. Coors at least has the common decency to be almost completely tasteless.
posted by neckro23 at 8:34 PM on June 12, 2008
Budweiser is an Acceptable Cheap Beer (but give me Pabst instead any day). As noted above, it's amusing that they admit to using adjuncts right there on the can. I can live with that kind of honesty. (The part about its expense is a hoot. Maybe if they include Super Bowl ads.)
Bud Light is shit in a bottle. Completely grasty (yes, that's gross + nasty). I'd rather drink Coors Light, and that's saying something. Coors at least has the common decency to be almost completely tasteless.
posted by neckro23 at 8:34 PM on June 12, 2008
Like I care - pseudo-Bud's a name thief anyway. (Budweiser/Budvar/Czechvar has been linked three times in this thread; I'm not linking to it again.)
posted by bettafish at 8:35 PM on June 12, 2008
posted by bettafish at 8:35 PM on June 12, 2008
Did you just say that Natty Boh is the best beer you've ever had?
No.
posted by Huplescat at 8:57 PM on June 12, 2008
No.
posted by Huplescat at 8:57 PM on June 12, 2008
Even my Beloved Cascade (Which was a genuinely nice beer) has changed to have the same Euro-piss taste. - Yeah I remember when Cascade changed - it was not long after it was bought by CUB right? I used to really like Cascade but now I never bother with it.
posted by awfurby at 9:19 PM on June 12, 2008
posted by awfurby at 9:19 PM on June 12, 2008
Is the Bud that is sold in Canada different from the recipe in the US? To me it's not bad, not great, pretty on-par with Molson Canadian, really. Honest question.
It's a perfectly potable cheap session beer; pay no attention to the class-marker one-upmanship here.
Though with PBR $21 at the neighborhood bar, Old Style cans $6.99 the 12-pack at the corner store, and the underrated Rittenhouse cask-strength rye having just gone up to $15 but still criminally under-priced, I doubt I'll be drinking any Bud anytime soon.
Also, at the liquor store tonight I saw a poster advertising some sort of new Schlitz made to "the original 1960s formula." In a bottle.
1. That counts as cheap around these parts.
posted by enn at 9:39 PM on June 12, 2008
It's a perfectly potable cheap session beer; pay no attention to the class-marker one-upmanship here.
Though with PBR $21 at the neighborhood bar, Old Style cans $6.99 the 12-pack at the corner store, and the underrated Rittenhouse cask-strength rye having just gone up to $15 but still criminally under-priced, I doubt I'll be drinking any Bud anytime soon.
Also, at the liquor store tonight I saw a poster advertising some sort of new Schlitz made to "the original 1960s formula." In a bottle.
1. That counts as cheap around these parts.
posted by enn at 9:39 PM on June 12, 2008
It's a perfectly potable cheap session beer; pay no attention to the class-marker one-upmanship here.
Nonsense - it's potable in the sense that you may drink it in normal amounts without undue toxicity, but there are many beers equal in price which you may drink as a session beer with, in my experience, fewer hangover/ill effects and superior taste. I named some above.
posted by TheOnlyCoolTim at 9:45 PM on June 12, 2008
Nonsense - it's potable in the sense that you may drink it in normal amounts without undue toxicity, but there are many beers equal in price which you may drink as a session beer with, in my experience, fewer hangover/ill effects and superior taste. I named some above.
posted by TheOnlyCoolTim at 9:45 PM on June 12, 2008
Any company that needs to spend 600 million dollars a year in order to convince me that their sugar water is different than brand x's sugar water is probably not going to get my business. (In this case we're talking about sugar water plus yeast plus time.) This is especially true if their product is more expensive than the 15 other brands it's indistinguishable from.
Seriously, I've heard people say Miller Lite is crap or Busch Lite is crap or Bud Lite is crap but then claim that Coors Light (etc) is the only beer they drink. They're the same freaking beer! Try to make a beer a s cheaply as possible with no discernible hops or any potentially unique flavors and you have a bland American Pilsener. If you took all these "Lite" beers and did a blind taste test, the testers accuracy in identifying their "favorite" beer would be no better than random probability.
Pilseners get pretty bad almost as soon as you leave the Czech republic. Almost every region in the world has their own bland example of an American style pilsener. I used to frequent a local beer bar with some 300 beers available. Almost every night, you'd overhear somebody asking for the local lager they grew up with. It could be Polar from Venezuela, or Sol from Mexico or Rolling Rock or whatever. They would get defensive when the bar didn't carry their beer and recommended any one of the other 9999 beers that taste just like it. There's a reason why most beer bars don't carry these beers, it's because there's very little variation. Any perceived difference is pretty much due to nostalgia and brand loyalty.
Finally, I'm pissed that in America it's some how considered girly, unamerican or pretentious to was to drink beer that tastes like beer. I ended up at a biker bar in central Florida a few weeks ago that only had Michelob Ultra on tap. Shouldn't bikers be drinking IPAs, or Belgian Tripels, or Doppelbochs or something thats big and bold and will get you trashed?
Rant over.
posted by Telf at 9:48 PM on June 12, 2008 [1 favorite]
Seriously, I've heard people say Miller Lite is crap or Busch Lite is crap or Bud Lite is crap but then claim that Coors Light (etc) is the only beer they drink. They're the same freaking beer! Try to make a beer a s cheaply as possible with no discernible hops or any potentially unique flavors and you have a bland American Pilsener. If you took all these "Lite" beers and did a blind taste test, the testers accuracy in identifying their "favorite" beer would be no better than random probability.
Pilseners get pretty bad almost as soon as you leave the Czech republic. Almost every region in the world has their own bland example of an American style pilsener. I used to frequent a local beer bar with some 300 beers available. Almost every night, you'd overhear somebody asking for the local lager they grew up with. It could be Polar from Venezuela, or Sol from Mexico or Rolling Rock or whatever. They would get defensive when the bar didn't carry their beer and recommended any one of the other 9999 beers that taste just like it. There's a reason why most beer bars don't carry these beers, it's because there's very little variation. Any perceived difference is pretty much due to nostalgia and brand loyalty.
Finally, I'm pissed that in America it's some how considered girly, unamerican or pretentious to was to drink beer that tastes like beer. I ended up at a biker bar in central Florida a few weeks ago that only had Michelob Ultra on tap. Shouldn't bikers be drinking IPAs, or Belgian Tripels, or Doppelbochs or something thats big and bold and will get you trashed?
Rant over.
posted by Telf at 9:48 PM on June 12, 2008 [1 favorite]
The Reinheitsgebot is semi-bullshit - they didn't even know about yeast when it was enacted, and excellent beers may be made by serious brewers that do not abide by it, such as wheat, rye, flavored lambic, and sundry other exotic types such as Fraoch which is hopped with heather and tastes like a flower shop in a delicious way.
posted by TheOnlyCoolTim at 9:51 PM on June 12, 2008 [3 favorites]
posted by TheOnlyCoolTim at 9:51 PM on June 12, 2008 [3 favorites]
Sorry, that should read:
Finally, I'm pissed that in America it's some how considered girly, unamerican or pretentious to want to drink beer that tastes like beer.
posted by Telf at 9:51 PM on June 12, 2008
Finally, I'm pissed that in America it's some how considered girly, unamerican or pretentious to want to drink beer that tastes like beer.
posted by Telf at 9:51 PM on June 12, 2008
The Reinheitsgebot is a law to prevent tax evasion TheOnlyCoolTim. Since beer was made with barley they decided to tax the hell out of barley. The brewers than turned to other sources of starch for their fermentable sugars. Budweiser has followed that proud tradition by using the cheapest starch they can find.
posted by Kid Charlemagne at 10:07 PM on June 12, 2008
posted by Kid Charlemagne at 10:07 PM on June 12, 2008
Bud's cheap beer, you can't really drink it expecting a lot. Out of all the cheap beers, I prefer my natty ice...can't really beat it for its cheapness and its efficiency in getting you tipsy. It's strange that on the internet there are a lot of people quick to look down on Bud/Miller or cheap beer, but in real life you see a high proportion of Bud/Miller drinkers and their light versions... Especially at BBQ's..At least in South Florida.
posted by spacesbetween at 10:07 PM on June 12, 2008
posted by spacesbetween at 10:07 PM on June 12, 2008
Shouldn't bikers be drinking IPAs, or Belgian Tripels, or Doppelbochs or something thats big and bold and will get you trashed?
You know Telf, I read this and though, after all the rides I've been on that sounds a lot like what people were drinking. Then I realized we were riding Treks and Cannondales and not Harleys.
posted by Kid Charlemagne at 10:10 PM on June 12, 2008
You know Telf, I read this and though, after all the rides I've been on that sounds a lot like what people were drinking. Then I realized we were riding Treks and Cannondales and not Harleys.
posted by Kid Charlemagne at 10:10 PM on June 12, 2008
To be honest BirdHerder I'm usually already drunk when a Shiner is placed in front of me, so I may have misspelled it. It's never my first choice, but it's a damn fine brew.
I can tell when it's not Shiner though. That's what I mean. Never too drunk for fake Shiner.
sneaks off to the kitchen for a Smirnoff Black Ice w/grenadine
posted by ZachsMind at 10:13 PM on June 12, 2008
I can tell when it's not Shiner though. That's what I mean. Never too drunk for fake Shiner.
sneaks off to the kitchen for a Smirnoff Black Ice w/grenadine
posted by ZachsMind at 10:13 PM on June 12, 2008
HupleScat: "Budweiser isn’t all that bad..."
OFF WITH HIS HEAD!
posted by ZachsMind at 10:16 PM on June 12, 2008
OFF WITH HIS HEAD!
posted by ZachsMind at 10:16 PM on June 12, 2008
I remember my sister's fiance made a HUGE blunder bringing Budweiser to the family picnic. All those ILWU Port of Oakland dockworkers drinking union-made Miller and this rube had the nerve to bring a 12 pack of scab beer. My father gave him a rubbing.
Who would have thought your choice of watery yak piss could be political?
posted by MiltonRandKalman at 10:20 PM on June 12, 2008 [1 favorite]
Who would have thought your choice of watery yak piss could be political?
posted by MiltonRandKalman at 10:20 PM on June 12, 2008 [1 favorite]
The Reinheitsgebot is a law to prevent tax evasion TheOnlyCoolTim.
Nowadays, though, I see it used as a claim to "purity." While some beers which violate it do so out of the race-to-the-bottom profit motive, such as Budweiser's use of rice, many excellent beers also violate it as part of acceptable and interesting (and even pre-Reinheitsgebot) stylistic choices such as, to pick the first name that came to mind, the Hop Rod Rye.
I'm actually curious as to this: does anyone know of any brewer concerned with quality (by which I do not mean lowest common denominator consistency, which Budweiser is concerned with) who has used rice?
posted by TheOnlyCoolTim at 10:25 PM on June 12, 2008
Nowadays, though, I see it used as a claim to "purity." While some beers which violate it do so out of the race-to-the-bottom profit motive, such as Budweiser's use of rice, many excellent beers also violate it as part of acceptable and interesting (and even pre-Reinheitsgebot) stylistic choices such as, to pick the first name that came to mind, the Hop Rod Rye.
I'm actually curious as to this: does anyone know of any brewer concerned with quality (by which I do not mean lowest common denominator consistency, which Budweiser is concerned with) who has used rice?
posted by TheOnlyCoolTim at 10:25 PM on June 12, 2008
AB has been distributing InBev's big brews for a while now (Bass, Beck's, Stella Artois) and with the dollar tanking, why give a percentage when you could just buy out the distributor.
That's just what I was thinking. The Bud, Stella, Hoegaarden, Leffe, Heineken, Amstel, and Stella come off the same truck at my bar.
From the land of sky blue wa a ters, Hamms, the beer refreshing, Hamms the beer refreshing, Hammmmmmmms.
Had my first Hamms out in Oregon two weeks ago. It's no Schaefer, but it goes down alright. While out there, it was nice to get Rouge on tap, Deschutes makes some good beer, and BridgePort knocked my socks off.
If you took all these "Lite" beers and did a blind taste test, the testers accuracy in identifying their "favorite" beer would be no better than random probability.
Don't be so sure about that: a couple of years ago at a party I subjected three DC bike messengers to a blind taste test between Schlitz, Schaefer, and Black Label. All three were 100% accurate. You can taste the terrior in these beers you call crap.
posted by peeedro at 10:27 PM on June 12, 2008 [1 favorite]
That's just what I was thinking. The Bud, Stella, Hoegaarden, Leffe, Heineken, Amstel, and Stella come off the same truck at my bar.
From the land of sky blue wa a ters, Hamms, the beer refreshing, Hamms the beer refreshing, Hammmmmmmms.
Had my first Hamms out in Oregon two weeks ago. It's no Schaefer, but it goes down alright. While out there, it was nice to get Rouge on tap, Deschutes makes some good beer, and BridgePort knocked my socks off.
If you took all these "Lite" beers and did a blind taste test, the testers accuracy in identifying their "favorite" beer would be no better than random probability.
Don't be so sure about that: a couple of years ago at a party I subjected three DC bike messengers to a blind taste test between Schlitz, Schaefer, and Black Label. All three were 100% accurate. You can taste the terrior in these beers you call crap.
posted by peeedro at 10:27 PM on June 12, 2008 [1 favorite]
Regarding Telf talking about bikers that don't know real beer, on more than one occasion a scary looking biker dude who didn't know about Guinness became my new bestest bud by the end of the night.
"Hey man I'm sorry I didn't know. Tell you whut. Don't hurt me for flirting with your girl, and I'll introduce you to the best thing you will ever put in your mouth."
...I shit you not. ...I'm still standing here, ain't I? I still got my teeth.
Guinness is the best beer. It is liquid bread. It is manna from heaven. It is the milk from the teats of Mother Nature herself. Guinness breaks through ALL cultural barriers, and has saved my scrawny ass at least once.
Fuck Bud.
posted by ZachsMind at 10:28 PM on June 12, 2008
"Hey man I'm sorry I didn't know. Tell you whut. Don't hurt me for flirting with your girl, and I'll introduce you to the best thing you will ever put in your mouth."
...I shit you not. ...I'm still standing here, ain't I? I still got my teeth.
Guinness is the best beer. It is liquid bread. It is manna from heaven. It is the milk from the teats of Mother Nature herself. Guinness breaks through ALL cultural barriers, and has saved my scrawny ass at least once.
Fuck Bud.
posted by ZachsMind at 10:28 PM on June 12, 2008
If you drink while you're posting
or post while your drinking,
you run the risk of summoning the steves.
*mystically crosses fingers and drinks some turpentine croatian wormwood concotion.
posted by isopraxis at 10:58 PM on June 12, 2008
or post while your drinking,
you run the risk of summoning the steves.
*mystically crosses fingers and drinks some turpentine croatian wormwood concotion.
posted by isopraxis at 10:58 PM on June 12, 2008
I'm hardcore. The risks I run involve summoning darker spirits such as bevets.
I subjected three DC bike messengers to a blind taste test between Schlitz, Schaefer, and Black Label. All three were 100% accurate.
This is probably truth. I understand there are people who can discern by taste which Busch brewery a Budweiser was produced at. Doesn't mean I don't think Budweiser from wherever isn't crap, but this fact is still true to the best of my knowledge.
posted by TheOnlyCoolTim at 11:17 PM on June 12, 2008
I subjected three DC bike messengers to a blind taste test between Schlitz, Schaefer, and Black Label. All three were 100% accurate.
This is probably truth. I understand there are people who can discern by taste which Busch brewery a Budweiser was produced at. Doesn't mean I don't think Budweiser from wherever isn't crap, but this fact is still true to the best of my knowledge.
posted by TheOnlyCoolTim at 11:17 PM on June 12, 2008
Guinness is the best beer. It is liquid bread. It is manna from heaven. It is the milk from the teats of Mother Nature herself. Guinness breaks through ALL cultural barriers, and has saved my scrawny ass at least once.
Except that Guinness isn't beer. It's stout.
posted by mattoxic at 11:27 PM on June 12, 2008
Except that Guinness isn't beer. It's stout.
posted by mattoxic at 11:27 PM on June 12, 2008
"Miller didn't improve when the south africans bought it, I'm pretty sure Bud is gonna suck just as hard 10 years from now."
That's because SAB (which bought Miller and changed it's name to SABMiller) which dominates the South African beer market (90% of all beer sold is an SAB brand) is just the South African equivalent of Budweiser - producing watery amber coloured swill with a big marketing campaign.
posted by PenDevil at 11:56 PM on June 12, 2008
That's because SAB (which bought Miller and changed it's name to SABMiller) which dominates the South African beer market (90% of all beer sold is an SAB brand) is just the South African equivalent of Budweiser - producing watery amber coloured swill with a big marketing campaign.
posted by PenDevil at 11:56 PM on June 12, 2008
METAFILTER PROTIP: Check that someone hasn't made your exact comment before you make the same joke, down to spelling and punctuation.
posted by TheOnlyCoolTim at 12:31 AM on June 13, 2008
posted by TheOnlyCoolTim at 12:31 AM on June 13, 2008
or avoid making the same joke Drudge made in his main headline several hours before the FPP
posted by Shakeer at 12:58 AM on June 13, 2008
posted by Shakeer at 12:58 AM on June 13, 2008
Except that Guinness isn't beer. It's stout.
And ice isn't water. It's a rock.
posted by popcassady at 1:12 AM on June 13, 2008
And ice isn't water. It's a rock.
posted by popcassady at 1:12 AM on June 13, 2008
This should be a hot topic of coversation at Friday the Firkenteenth. Not.
posted by fixedgear at 5:19 AM on June 13, 2008
posted by fixedgear at 5:19 AM on June 13, 2008
InBev sounds very NewSpeak-y to me. Do they fall under MiniBeer?
posted by COBRA! at 5:35 AM on June 13, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by COBRA! at 5:35 AM on June 13, 2008 [1 favorite]
InBev is only marginally Belgian. The CEO is a Brazilian who does not love beer. He has brought serious harm to some of the great beers of Belgium.
I couldn't care less about Bud. I date back to the last time Pabst was cool (!), and today generally won't bother if there isn't anything better than ordinary commercial beer (been spoiled, I have. Yup!)
posted by Goofyy at 5:39 AM on June 13, 2008
I couldn't care less about Bud. I date back to the last time Pabst was cool (!), and today generally won't bother if there isn't anything better than ordinary commercial beer (been spoiled, I have. Yup!)
posted by Goofyy at 5:39 AM on June 13, 2008
Everyone who says that Bud is a horrible beer, should crack open an ice cold can of Budweiser Chelada, a refreshing blend of Bud and clamato. MMmmm. Nothing says refreshment like a Bud washed down with some tomato and clam.
People say this stuff is a hangover cure, but really, after drinking a can, I'd rather have the headache.
posted by robocop is bleeding at 6:08 AM on June 13, 2008
People say this stuff is a hangover cure, but really, after drinking a can, I'd rather have the headache.
posted by robocop is bleeding at 6:08 AM on June 13, 2008
i like bud ok. but then i'm an alcoholic and i'll drink just about anything.
to be precise, recovering alcoholic & there's nothing about bud to entice me back into the life. but if i *were* to be enticed back into the life, bud would just be an arm's reach away.
posted by msconduct at 6:46 AM on June 13, 2008
to be precise, recovering alcoholic & there's nothing about bud to entice me back into the life. but if i *were* to be enticed back into the life, bud would just be an arm's reach away.
posted by msconduct at 6:46 AM on June 13, 2008
And the good news is that native protectionism is alive and well and coming from NASCAR sponsors.
posted by Brian B. at 6:58 AM on June 13, 2008
posted by Brian B. at 6:58 AM on June 13, 2008
'm actually curious as to this: does anyone know of any brewer concerned with quality (by which I do not mean lowest common denominator consistency, which Budweiser is concerned with) who has used rice?
Yes, actually, in Japan. There are a number of respectable breweries that brew beer from rice. One of the better known ones is Kiuchi Brewery. They make the Hitachino Nest Red Rice Ale from red rice. Nihonkai Yuhi Brewery and Tokachi Brewery make pretty acceptable lagers (if you like lager).
posted by pandanom at 7:15 AM on June 13, 2008
Yes, actually, in Japan. There are a number of respectable breweries that brew beer from rice. One of the better known ones is Kiuchi Brewery. They make the Hitachino Nest Red Rice Ale from red rice. Nihonkai Yuhi Brewery and Tokachi Brewery make pretty acceptable lagers (if you like lager).
posted by pandanom at 7:15 AM on June 13, 2008
I should add that the key distinction between those Japanese breweries' rice and the rice used for Bud is that the Japanese breweries use much higher quality rice. It's considered "table" rice as opposed to the inferior "brewer's" rice that goes into Bud.
Nihokai Yuki, for example, makes one using koshihikari, which is considered a very high quality eatin' rice.
posted by pandanom at 7:18 AM on June 13, 2008
Nihokai Yuki, for example, makes one using koshihikari, which is considered a very high quality eatin' rice.
posted by pandanom at 7:18 AM on June 13, 2008
It's a perfectly potable cheap session beer; pay no attention to the class-marker one-upmanship here.
It has nothing to do with class. Budweiser is objectively crap beer, in the same way that White Castle (why am I using this comparison again?) is objectively crap hamburgers. It doesn't mean that people don't like it, doesn't mean that they don't have their place. It does mean that they are particularly shitty examples of the genre.
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 7:34 AM on June 13, 2008 [3 favorites]
It has nothing to do with class. Budweiser is objectively crap beer, in the same way that White Castle (why am I using this comparison again?) is objectively crap hamburgers. It doesn't mean that people don't like it, doesn't mean that they don't have their place. It does mean that they are particularly shitty examples of the genre.
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 7:34 AM on June 13, 2008 [3 favorites]
More important, InBev would get a share of Tsingtao as part of the deal. Since thousands of smaller American breweries have already proven that the US can make good beer, I'd rather see InBev put some work into fixing the awful state of Chinese beer.
posted by pandanom at 7:43 AM on June 13, 2008
posted by pandanom at 7:43 AM on June 13, 2008
spacesbetween: It's strange that on the internet there are a lot of people quick to look down on Bud/Miller or cheap beer, but in real life you see a high proportion of Bud/Miller drinkers and their light versions
Most people don't really care that much about beer, so they don't explore beer beyond Bud/Miller/Coors and they don't talk about it online. People who talk about beer online skew towards the kind of people who explore lots of different styles of beer and have found that there is beer beyond Bud/Miller/Coors.
Also, in real life you won't find that many discussions over which Star Trek series was best.
posted by revgeorge at 7:58 AM on June 13, 2008
Most people don't really care that much about beer, so they don't explore beer beyond Bud/Miller/Coors and they don't talk about it online. People who talk about beer online skew towards the kind of people who explore lots of different styles of beer and have found that there is beer beyond Bud/Miller/Coors.
Also, in real life you won't find that many discussions over which Star Trek series was best.
posted by revgeorge at 7:58 AM on June 13, 2008
Typical, Americans talking lots about something they know very little of.
The name Budweiser comes from Ceske Budjovice, the Czech town where the famous Budvar is still brewed. Budweisser is a watery American imitation.
And the name of my first born was Stella.
posted by Arnolfini at 8:15 AM on June 13, 2008
The name Budweiser comes from Ceske Budjovice, the Czech town where the famous Budvar is still brewed. Budweisser is a watery American imitation.
And the name of my first born was Stella.
posted by Arnolfini at 8:15 AM on June 13, 2008
The Reinheitsgebot has wrecked the German beer industry. German beer is on life support, coasting along on reputation alone and losing traditional styles like crazy. There's virtually no experimentation or diversity in German beer anymore, and a good part of that is down to "Look ve haff ze PURITY uff ze REINHETSGEBOT!" instead of actually trying to brew great beer.
Compare the diversity of styles, techniques, and craft breweries in America, the UK, Belgium, just about any other country with a brewing tradition with Germany. Germany is way behind. At 32, I'm going to be in the last generation to think of "Germany" and "good beer" together (as opposed to "Germany" and "rotten Beck's") unless they get their shit together.
As for adjuncts, you can't brew a good traditional American lager without some corn. Obviously wheat is a requirement for a number of styles, and works well in a few you wouldn't expect. I don't know much about brewing with rice, but the comment about Japanese beer above has piqued my interest. I just don't believe that the ingredient list alone necessarily determines whether the beer will be good.
On the other hand, I do know that "we use industrial rice because it's the cheapest starch we can find at the moment" determines that the beer will be bad.
And it's fine to say "I like an ice cold Bud!" and all. But don't try to say it's a good beer. It ain't. It is what it is, and if you like it, great. But claiming it's objectively a good example of any style is just ignorant.
posted by rusty at 8:59 AM on June 13, 2008
Compare the diversity of styles, techniques, and craft breweries in America, the UK, Belgium, just about any other country with a brewing tradition with Germany. Germany is way behind. At 32, I'm going to be in the last generation to think of "Germany" and "good beer" together (as opposed to "Germany" and "rotten Beck's") unless they get their shit together.
As for adjuncts, you can't brew a good traditional American lager without some corn. Obviously wheat is a requirement for a number of styles, and works well in a few you wouldn't expect. I don't know much about brewing with rice, but the comment about Japanese beer above has piqued my interest. I just don't believe that the ingredient list alone necessarily determines whether the beer will be good.
On the other hand, I do know that "we use industrial rice because it's the cheapest starch we can find at the moment" determines that the beer will be bad.
And it's fine to say "I like an ice cold Bud!" and all. But don't try to say it's a good beer. It ain't. It is what it is, and if you like it, great. But claiming it's objectively a good example of any style is just ignorant.
posted by rusty at 8:59 AM on June 13, 2008
Everyone who says that Bud is a horrible beer, should crack open an ice cold can of Budweiser Chelada, a refreshing blend of Bud and clamato. MMmmm. Nothing says refreshment like a Bud washed down with some tomato and clam.
Don't be a sucker at the marketing game: buy the regular Bud and canned Camato and mix it yourself. You'll save some cash and end up with something that tastes better. I prefer PBR with some spicy bloody mary mix, especially if the glass is rimmed with cajun seasoning, but I think I am in the minority as a fan of cerveza preparada.
posted by peeedro at 9:08 AM on June 13, 2008
Don't be a sucker at the marketing game: buy the regular Bud and canned Camato and mix it yourself. You'll save some cash and end up with something that tastes better. I prefer PBR with some spicy bloody mary mix, especially if the glass is rimmed with cajun seasoning, but I think I am in the minority as a fan of cerveza preparada.
posted by peeedro at 9:08 AM on June 13, 2008
Budweiser isn't good beer, but Anheiser-Busch is the number one seller of beer in the world so it's unlikely that InBev is going to do anything to change that. Don't count on Budweiser becoming the new Budvar or whatever. It is what it is and it sells amazingly well.
It's fun to hate on them, but they do what they do very well. They are extremely consistent in their brewing and it's worth respecting them for that. Considering variations in crops (barley, rice, hops, etc) their beer comes out the same every time. That's some good science.
Of course, you won't find it in my fridge. I'm a beer snob too. Just saying, nothing's going to change. I'm actually surprised that AB could be bought. They seem so proud. It won't stop people from drinking it though.
posted by bDiddy at 10:56 AM on June 13, 2008
It's fun to hate on them, but they do what they do very well. They are extremely consistent in their brewing and it's worth respecting them for that. Considering variations in crops (barley, rice, hops, etc) their beer comes out the same every time. That's some good science.
Of course, you won't find it in my fridge. I'm a beer snob too. Just saying, nothing's going to change. I'm actually surprised that AB could be bought. They seem so proud. It won't stop people from drinking it though.
posted by bDiddy at 10:56 AM on June 13, 2008
As for adjuncts, you can't brew a good traditional American lager without some corn.
Actually, Bud uses rice, not corn. It is a more neutral flavor, but it makes a thin beer. Corn similarly makes a thin beer, but imparts more of an off flavor. Corn and rice? yuck. The Belgians though make great beer using adjuncts, although I doubt they use much corn or rice.
posted by caddis at 10:57 AM on June 13, 2008
Actually, Bud uses rice, not corn. It is a more neutral flavor, but it makes a thin beer. Corn similarly makes a thin beer, but imparts more of an off flavor. Corn and rice? yuck. The Belgians though make great beer using adjuncts, although I doubt they use much corn or rice.
posted by caddis at 10:57 AM on June 13, 2008
The Belgians though make great beer using adjuncts, although I doubt they use much corn or rice.
More than likely it would be sugar. Sugar is a good adjunct for getting alcohol without getting a heavy, thick, sweet beer.
posted by bDiddy at 11:01 AM on June 13, 2008
More than likely it would be sugar. Sugar is a good adjunct for getting alcohol without getting a heavy, thick, sweet beer.
posted by bDiddy at 11:01 AM on June 13, 2008
Many (most?) Belgian beers do use sugar, but some also use other ingredients such as fruit etc.
posted by caddis at 11:20 AM on June 13, 2008
posted by caddis at 11:20 AM on June 13, 2008
MatToxic: "Except that Guinness isn't beer. It's stout."
OFF WITH HIS HEAD!!
posted by ZachsMind at 12:03 PM on June 13, 2008
OFF WITH HIS HEAD!!
posted by ZachsMind at 12:03 PM on June 13, 2008
MsConduct: "i like bud ok. but then i'm an alcoholic and i'll drink just about anything. "
You mean, recovering alcoholics can't drink Bud? I thought Bud didn't count. I mean, there's near beer and then there's nah beer.
posted by ZachsMind at 12:09 PM on June 13, 2008
You mean, recovering alcoholics can't drink Bud? I thought Bud didn't count. I mean, there's near beer and then there's nah beer.
posted by ZachsMind at 12:09 PM on June 13, 2008
RevGeorge: "Also, in real life you won't find that many discussions over which Star Trek series was best."
One thing you can say about us Star Trek Geeks. If you see us arguing at a bar, none of us are drinking Bud. I mean maybe some of us keep a six pack of Bud cooling in the fridge for when non Star Trek friends come over, but usually if we're gonna bother going out to drink with friends, we'll buy an actual beer while doing it. Cuz we don't get out often. btw stng wuz best
posted by ZachsMind at 12:16 PM on June 13, 2008
One thing you can say about us Star Trek Geeks. If you see us arguing at a bar, none of us are drinking Bud. I mean maybe some of us keep a six pack of Bud cooling in the fridge for when non Star Trek friends come over, but usually if we're gonna bother going out to drink with friends, we'll buy an actual beer while doing it. Cuz we don't get out often. btw stng wuz best
posted by ZachsMind at 12:16 PM on June 13, 2008
Bear Whiz Beer -- it's in the water!
Seriously, though -- Budweiser. It was okay when I was a teenager. I never drink the stuff now. I had a friend who calls it "Butt Wiper."
posted by Guy_Inamonkeysuit at 12:46 PM on June 13, 2008
Seriously, though -- Budweiser. It was okay when I was a teenager. I never drink the stuff now. I had a friend who calls it "Butt Wiper."
posted by Guy_Inamonkeysuit at 12:46 PM on June 13, 2008
caddis: Sorry, I didn't mean to imply that Budweiser was a good traditional American lager. Or at least, anymore. I'm talking about the style that was brewed pre-Prohibition, which Budweiser almost certainly was, and is probably what made it such a behemoth. It's a really kick-ass good beer style, but it's virtually not brewed anymore by anyone. The corn (small amounts of corn, mind you!) gives it some extra foaminess and a sweetness from sugars that the yeast can't consume. It also lightens it and mellows some of the maltiness, which was a desirable trait of the style. When it was invented, it was competing with really heavy malty ales and a lot of German style beers, for the most part. Lagers fill the vital "drinkable while you're working hard in the fields and factories" niche, but they're hard to brew properly.
Really Anheiser-Busch's genius was simply developing a process to mass-brew one of the trickiest and most refreshing styles of beer. In the ensuing hundred and fifty years, though, it has lost all of the beer quality that made it famous, in favor of the mass-production capacity, which is a shame.
Even more of a shame though is that the style it was is nearly unavailable anymore. Hopefully as the "why not just suck a bag of hops?" fad in craft brewing tails off, we'll start to see some more traditional lagers become available.
Also, there is no place for rice in the style. None. You're right -- it makes it thin and watery and adds nothing.
posted by rusty at 12:56 PM on June 13, 2008
Really Anheiser-Busch's genius was simply developing a process to mass-brew one of the trickiest and most refreshing styles of beer. In the ensuing hundred and fifty years, though, it has lost all of the beer quality that made it famous, in favor of the mass-production capacity, which is a shame.
Even more of a shame though is that the style it was is nearly unavailable anymore. Hopefully as the "why not just suck a bag of hops?" fad in craft brewing tails off, we'll start to see some more traditional lagers become available.
Also, there is no place for rice in the style. None. You're right -- it makes it thin and watery and adds nothing.
posted by rusty at 12:56 PM on June 13, 2008
"why not just suck a bag of hops?"
I've actually done this with hops tea. You need to add honey to balance the bitterness, but then it's pretty tasty and has mild soporific powers - alas, it doesn't have the knock-me-out powers I've been looking for in something with minimal side effects. Apparently this use is known because harvesters of hops sometimes will get sleepy themselves.
But yeah, while highly hopped beers and strong beers definitely have their place, there is too much of an emphasis on them especially on the ratings sites.
posted by TheOnlyCoolTim at 3:11 PM on June 13, 2008
I've actually done this with hops tea. You need to add honey to balance the bitterness, but then it's pretty tasty and has mild soporific powers - alas, it doesn't have the knock-me-out powers I've been looking for in something with minimal side effects. Apparently this use is known because harvesters of hops sometimes will get sleepy themselves.
But yeah, while highly hopped beers and strong beers definitely have their place, there is too much of an emphasis on them especially on the ratings sites.
posted by TheOnlyCoolTim at 3:11 PM on June 13, 2008
Here comes the King!
Oh, and a pox on InBev for destroying the Blue Jays after they bought Labatt.
posted by evilcolonel at 5:59 PM on June 13, 2008
Oh, and a pox on InBev for destroying the Blue Jays after they bought Labatt.
posted by evilcolonel at 5:59 PM on June 13, 2008
Beer snobs are funny and make me laugh. Budweiser/Rolling Rock is fresh. That's why I drink it.
Imports sit in container ships for months and get skunky (when I'm in Italy or France, I will drink Heineken, Beck's etc..).
American microbrews are just overkill (I don't want licorice or clove on my beer).
It's just beer, for crying out loud. If you think Bud is "horrible" you are taking beer way too seriously.
posted by Zambrano at 11:59 AM on June 14, 2008
Imports sit in container ships for months and get skunky (when I'm in Italy or France, I will drink Heineken, Beck's etc..).
American microbrews are just overkill (I don't want licorice or clove on my beer).
It's just beer, for crying out loud. If you think Bud is "horrible" you are taking beer way too seriously.
posted by Zambrano at 11:59 AM on June 14, 2008
Budweiser/Rolling Rock is fresh. That's why I drink it.
Imports sit in container ships for months and get skunky
damn it all, that's the 3rd irony meter i've blown this month
posted by pyramid termite at 12:49 PM on June 14, 2008
Imports sit in container ships for months and get skunky
damn it all, that's the 3rd irony meter i've blown this month
posted by pyramid termite at 12:49 PM on June 14, 2008
Imports sit in container ships for months and get skunky
A beer cannot get skunky sitting in a container ship for months. Beer gets skunky through exposure to light.
Beer snobs are funny and make me laugh. Budweiser/Rolling Rock is fresh. That's why I drink it.
You HAVE to drink it fresh. Hops are a natural beer preservative, and since Budweiser has barely any to speak of, it doesn't keep for too long.
posted by MaryDellamorte at 2:24 PM on June 14, 2008 [1 favorite]
A beer cannot get skunky sitting in a container ship for months. Beer gets skunky through exposure to light.
Beer snobs are funny and make me laugh. Budweiser/Rolling Rock is fresh. That's why I drink it.
You HAVE to drink it fresh. Hops are a natural beer preservative, and since Budweiser has barely any to speak of, it doesn't keep for too long.
posted by MaryDellamorte at 2:24 PM on June 14, 2008 [1 favorite]
The quality of the swill they sell is just abysmal, and it is rotting your insides more than beer should.
I've never had problem with any beer after the fact. You must have a delicate system.
I'm no beer expert, because it's just beer. It's like being a bubble gum aficionado.
posted by Zambrano at 3:20 PM on June 14, 2008
I've never had problem with any beer after the fact. You must have a delicate system.
I'm no beer expert, because it's just beer. It's like being a bubble gum aficionado.
posted by Zambrano at 3:20 PM on June 14, 2008
Heat and light. It gets hot in those containers.
Although I can't speak for the temperatures in the vessels the beers are shipped in since I've never been on one, but no light is getting to those bottles. Bottles of beer are shipped in cases. In a case = no light.
posted by MaryDellamorte at 3:29 PM on June 14, 2008
Although I can't speak for the temperatures in the vessels the beers are shipped in since I've never been on one, but no light is getting to those bottles. Bottles of beer are shipped in cases. In a case = no light.
posted by MaryDellamorte at 3:29 PM on June 14, 2008
Imports sit in container ships for months and get skunky (when I'm in Italy or France, I will drink Heineken, Beck's etc..).
Uh, actually? Most 'imports' (big names, anyway) are brewed in North America.
I'm no beer expert, because it's just beer. It's like being a bubble gum aficionado.
Now that's just ridiculous.
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 11:43 PM on June 14, 2008
Uh, actually? Most 'imports' (big names, anyway) are brewed in North America.
I'm no beer expert, because it's just beer. It's like being a bubble gum aficionado.
Now that's just ridiculous.
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 11:43 PM on June 14, 2008
ZamBrano: "It's like being a bubble gum aficionado."
OFF WITH HIS HEAD!
posted by ZachsMind at 7:42 AM on June 15, 2008
OFF WITH HIS HEAD!
posted by ZachsMind at 7:42 AM on June 15, 2008
I'm no beer expert, because it's just beer. It's like being a bubble gum aficionado.
It's like comparing bread. And when people compare their favorite mass-made beer in a can, it's like comparing white bread.
posted by Brian B. at 5:15 PM on June 16, 2008
It's like comparing bread. And when people compare their favorite mass-made beer in a can, it's like comparing white bread.
posted by Brian B. at 5:15 PM on June 16, 2008
back in the early 80s there was this generic beer - you know, a plain white and black design that said "generic beer" - that sold in a big milk carton
did anyone ever try that? - i didn't - in a world where i could get a 12 pack of weidemann's for 5 bucks if i was desperate for a buzz, i didn't have to
but it sounded awful
posted by pyramid termite at 6:29 PM on June 16, 2008
did anyone ever try that? - i didn't - in a world where i could get a 12 pack of weidemann's for 5 bucks if i was desperate for a buzz, i didn't have to
but it sounded awful
posted by pyramid termite at 6:29 PM on June 16, 2008
Generic Beer on RateBeer scores as the third worst beer in the world below Olde English 800 3.2 ABW (there are weird law aberrations which in some states makes it advantageous to have 3.2% alcohol by weight / 3.8% alcohol by volume beers) and Busch Non-Alcoholic.
The beers on there with a score of 0 are bugged.
posted by TheOnlyCoolTim at 6:37 PM on June 16, 2008
The beers on there with a score of 0 are bugged.
posted by TheOnlyCoolTim at 6:37 PM on June 16, 2008
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