The Beer Thread

[helen]

Re: The Beer Thread

I tend to drink Coors Light with alternates to Bud Light or Michelob (which was my original choice back in my college days).

I do find that Coors Light pairs well with steaks.

[TuNnL]

Re: The Beer Thread

Anheuser-Busch has agreed to a $52 BILLION buyout by Belgian mega-brewer InBev.

I wonder how this will affect Cindy McCain, wife of Presidential candidate John McCain. I doubt it will significantly affect her company Hensley & Co., but could the buyout have some political fallout this election season?

[Leo Lakio]

Re: The Beer Thread

The Belgians brew better than Americans anyway. Heck, just about everybody brews better than Americans - the requirements of providing a standard flavor that withstands long-haul shipping has led the major American brewers to emasculate taste. A friend from Venezuela calls it "peess-water." (You may have to imagine his accent here.)

N.B.: I am not speaking of the American microbrewers here, but the biggies we all know, Anheuser-Busch, Coors, etc.

[scrivener]

Re: The Beer Thread

It bothers me a little when foreign companies buy our good stuff. When they buy our crap, as has happened here, I say fine!

[Pomai]

Re: The Beer Thread

Stella Artweiser?

Almost, as Anheuser-Busch has agreed to a $52 BILLION buyout by Belgian mega-brewer InBev.

Story

(AP) Brewer InBev SA said Monday it will buy U.S. rival Anheuser-Busch for $52 billion to create the world's largest brewer.

The deal sees control over America's largest brewer move overseas as it forms the fourth-largest consumer product company under the name of Anheuser-Busch InBev.

InBev promises that the takeover will help global best seller Budweiser expand into emerging markets like China, Russia and Brazil, generating large profits as costs rise and revenue from beer sales in North America and Europe fall flat.

I don't know. I'm not so fond of the idea of a major national brand like AB being owned by an overseas operator. What next, Airbus buys out Boeing?

[cynsaligia]

Re: The Beer Thread

today's sunday star-bulletin takes a very special look at hawaii's breweries with hawaii on tap.

mmmm, me thirsty! and it's only 5:30 ayem!

[TuNnL]

Re: The Beer Thread

The product may have been made in Canada, but the final product may be brewed to the specs to any market. One version for Canada and the other for the US (probably due to some "liquor" law) both made in the same facility.
This is mostly done for the US so that it can be labeled as an "Import" even though it is not from the original country plus beer from Canada and Mexico is not taxed due to NAFTA results in more competitive pricing versus US brands.

Thanks for the explanation, Ninja. I guess this makes sense. It still doesn’t help me get my hands on a six-pack of "Guinness Foreign Extra Stout" which is reputedly the best out of the half-dozen different versions of Guinness.

[Ninja]

Re: The Beer Thread

The product may have been made in Canada, but the final product may be brewed to the specs to any market. One version for Canada and the other for the US(probably due to some "liquor" law) both made in the same facility.
This is mostly done for the US so that it can be labeled as an "Import" even though it is not from the original country plus beer from Canada and Mexico is not taxed due to NAFTA results in more competitive pricing versus US brands.
Although it should be noted that even beers exported from it's original country may be crafted differently to appeal to taste or laws in other markets.

[TATTRAT]

Re: The Beer Thread

If I am drinking beer, it is either going to be a Guinness, Boddingtons, or New Castle. I am not a beer snob, but domestic brews don't do "it" for me, and too much carbonation is a killer. I wish i could find Oranjaboom more, I love that for a lighter beer.

I like the variety of micro brews that are readily available nowaday, seems like the sky is the limit. I am a fan of all the Sierra Nevada brews, the ESB brews, and magic 8 brew.

[scrivener]

Re: The Beer Thread

If it says it's brewed an bottled in Canada, I can't think of any reason to believe otherwise. The US label stuff is put there because the beer is being sold in the United States. If you look at a lot of import brews, you'll see that the labels have all the US bottle-tax info on them, too.

[TuNnL]

Guinness Extra Stout

The only beer I will drink out of the can is Guinness. Having that high tech CO2 dispenser in the can really makes a difference.

I second that! Guinness Draught is an all-time favorite. But recently (as in tonight), I sampled Guinness Extra Stout. It’s more “caramelly” then the Draught version and the after-taste more bitter. Be that as it may, my eyes were drawn to a section of the label that reads “Brewed and bottled by Guinness Brewing Company, New Brunswick Canada.” According to Wikipedia, the Canadian version has 1% less alcohol then the U.S. version. Yet this is obviously the U.S. version as it has all the state “bottle bill” refund amounts (Vermont, Delaware, Hawai‘i, etc.) printed on it.

What should I believe as far as alcohol content?

[cynsaligia]

Re: The Beer Thread

the night we flew to portland, we went a christmas party at eric's friend's house. we brought a bottle of budweiser brew master's private reserve (see a pic, description and reviews here) to share. it was a prize eric won at his work's christmas party "dirty santa" game. it comes corked like a champagne bottle, so i feared that maybe it was gonna be gimmicky. we were all surprised at how much it tasted like newcastle for an A-B product. finish was a little different. too bad a lot of the crowd at the party are "canoe beer" drinkers. we couldn't finish the bottle so we we happily gave it to the only other person who truly appreciated it--a friend of eric's who had spent part of 2007 in iraq.

[opihipickerz]

Re: The Beer Thread

Stella Artois

Very crisp, slightly dry, slightly bitter, but after a few sips it smooths out. Nice. This was the draft version, but I'd like to try the bottled version.

Here in Ireland a Stella is called a "wife beater", as it contains slightly more, about 1%, alcohol. Doesn't seem like a whole lot, but as it is consumed in over half liter pints, I leave the meaning of it's name to your imagination.

Of course my girlfriend loved the Lilikoi Wheat Ale. You ladies and your "fruity" drinks.

Your missus might like to try a Belgian white beer, fresh and fruity, like Hoegaarde, with a slice of lemon, they are getting very popular over here.

Happy New Year

[opihipickerz]

Re: The Beer Thread

Happy New Year

[cynsaligia]

Re: The Beer Thread

three nights ago, eric and i had dinner at a portland, oregon english-style pub owned by one of the city's beer patricians, don younger. it's called the horse brass pub.

here's the food we ate:

scotch egg--boiled egg wrapped in pork sausage, then deep fried. served with hot sweet mustard, chips and a very good pickle. this was like the protein-y, british version of a musubi (in that it's portable), and as gross and bad for you as it sounds, it was delicious! i'm gonna try to make this sometime. note about the pic of the scotch egg below--the beer on the left is the black cherry stout; beer on the right is the hazed and infused.

fish and chips with slaw. the fish was halibut, and the fish portions were like six inches long and about three inches in girth. the chips were steak fries. slaw was the best i've ever had. the fish sticks were themselves the second best i've ever had--the absolute best being the fish and chips meal at quinn's by the sea in kona. still, the horse brass pub's version was very good, and from what we saw, the most ordered dish in the pub.

steak & kidney pie--a pie of lamb meat & kidney, served with more slaw. the pie was so savory and hearty! i somehow managed not to taste any of the kidney; i think eric squirreled them away from me. ah! everytime i took a bite of this dish, i was so happy.

the beers we drank (descriptions are from the horse brass pub website unless otherwise indicated):

Winter Warmer- Siletz Brewing, Siletz, OR: Siletz winter seasonal, brewed to keep you warm in the cold winter months. An amber ale with hints of dried fruits and chestnuts and a clean, dry, citric tartness in the finish. 6% ABV

Hazed & Infused Dry Hopped Ale- Boulder Brewing, Boulder, CO: “Hazed” in its natural unfiltered state. “Infused”, dry hopped with Crystal and Centennial hops. This is a big, bold unique ale. 4.85% ABV (our publican told us that this was younger's second favorite beer)

amber, full sail brewery (oregon) anyone remember the grocery store cooler back before it turned into a kaleidoscopic fantasy world of beer options? You pretty much had two choices: Regular or Light. In 1989, when we brewed our first batch of Full Sail Amber, not only was it the first Amber ale here in Beer Mecca (aka Oregon) -- it was the first craft beer to go into a bottle. And two things became immediately apparent. It wasn’t Regular and it sure as heck wasn’t Light. Our Amber is a sweet, malty, medium-bodied ale with a spicy, floral hop finish. It’s brewed with 2-row Pale, Crystal and Chocolate malts. And we hop it with Mt. Hoods and Cascades. We’re as proud of it today as we were back in ’89. And over the years it’s earned eight Gold Medals at the World Beer Championships. Not that we’re keeping track or anything. (description from full sail's website)

Black Cherry Stout - walking man brewery, stevenson washington ABV 7.2% IBU 35: Our stout combined with the richness of dark cherries. Chocolate and cherries – a perfect match. NW Brewing News Readers Choice Award: Best NW Fruit Beer (description from walking man's site)

if you get a chance to come to portland, i highly recommend the horse brass, and i suggest you sit at the bar. they may not have 100+ beers on tap, but what they do have is very good. some of their beers are "core," meaning they always have them; others are brought in for the season. keep in mind, cigars and cigarettes are welcome in the establishment. the two times we went (the first being a couple years ago), we didn't find it overbearingly smoky, though. in fact, i kinda miss being able to enjoy a cigar in a bar occasionally. additionally, the crowd is very mixed. to eric's right, a couple of girls, obviously regulars, chatted with us until they moved on to their next bar or club. to my left, at one point, was a working-man-type guy in his fifties who mostly quietly ate his bangers and chips while he downed his two beers. later that night, a college kid chatted away with another bartender as he scribbled furiously away in his steno book--clearly, an aspiring writer. the food runner was your spectacled geek wearing a classic black with white print star trek shirt. the waitress looked a little like a tamer type of suicide girl. not far off, i spotted a man in his sixties, well-kempt, white-haired & cosmopolitan in his jeans and leather jacket, smoking a cigar. near him, a family with kids in their very late teens or early twenties dined. eric and i love this bar and wish we had the time to go again before we fly home. definitely, this bar will be a must do everytime we come visit my mom. the atmosphere is great and the service, while rumored to be spotty, has always been warm and prompt for us.