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Wine and Beer Enthusiasts
- Thread starter albertfallickwa
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Agreed. Both are among my personal favourite beers.
Mind you, I hadn't realised that they are difficult to come across in the States. Having said that, I am finding it virtually impossible to lay hands on a few bottles of Pliny the Elder, which some of my friends on here have recommended so highly. My young wine merchants tell me that it is almost impossible to find in Europe.
Because in the US, it ranges from fruity and floral, but light in taste (see:watery) to incredibly heavy and tannin rich that doesn't sit well with people. It's more or less the same issue with chardonnay. Buttery and rich or very oak heavy. I still try out CabSauv's and if I find one I enjoy, even a little bit, I'll buy a case or two of the vintage year.
Many US winemakers seem more interested in branding than creating complex and interesting wines.
Is this still true?
Now, to be honest, it accords with both my own experience and my own (yes, ingrained) prejudice.
Until I had been a member of this forum for years, and was made aware of the genuine and wonderful revolution that has taken place in micro brewing the in US, I would not have considered myself open to the idea of contemplating trying American beer. However, some of the stalwarts here persuaded me to try Founder's and - yes - I am happily won over, by their quality and wonderfully balanced flavours. A terrific beer, and one I will unhesitatingly recommend.
But, I will not touch American wines. These days, you don't see them in Europe, except in the corner of department stores where various cheap and unsophisticated horrors dwell. In the 80s, the American wines I recall having sampled were perfectly awful, and I told myself that an country which had passed Prohibition couldn't possibly know the first thing about wanting to craft well made, balanced, subtle wines.
As I've said many times, there is good wine being made out here, but it can be challenging to find. Price and appellation can be misleading indicators. The more established Big Names often flood the market with cheap tank wine, hoping to trade on the name they've established, while pumping up the price of the decent stuff. Once you leave the immediate winemaking region, it's virtually impossible to find decent stuff unless you feel like paying 2-3x the price for an extremely limited selection. And even then it is often the same mediocre stuff that gets out.
It's strange that we haven't been able to make good wine, yet we make the best beers on the planet.
I do lament (since we're talking about Spain in another thread) not being able to just go to the corner store and get a half-way decent bottle for €3 in the U.S. .
I would dispute the opinion that says 'the best beers on the planet', - some of the beers from Belgium are outstanding - yet, (given the wonders from the Founder's stable), I will really concede that some of the best beers on the planet come form the US.
Re wine, the wines I have tasted from the US - granted, some time ago - were uniformly vile, but also - to my mind - a cause for concern is the power (and occasionally tyranny) wine critics such as Robert Parker seem to enjoy.
Now, yes, he is an exceptionally informed and knowledgeable critic and an excellent writer; but, still, should that permit him to hold the extraordinary influence over the state - and indeed, sales - of the wine industry in the US that he does (or did)?
As a whole, country-country I think the US is the best. There's just too much variety and too many small-breweries. Even in small towns in the U.S. now there are local breweries that can make fantastic beers. Naturally, of course, my favorite beers are Belgian
. But I think the biggest problem in European beer is the lack of innovation. Not that they don't, they just aren't keeping up with their American counterparts.Unfortunately I'm not well-versed in the failings of the U.S. wine industry. We have some nice little local wineries, even in the Great Lakes region, but it's troubling if true that some wine critics are able to exert substantial influence over the industry.
Hi Scepticalscribe - it's a vodka from Poland.
Thank you for your reply.
Anyway, as it happens, I have travelled extensively in Poland - and have worked on an EU TEMPUS scheme for a few years in the 90s with dozens of Polish universities, & teacher training colleges - and thus, have some idea of their vodkas.
Actually, they have some extraordinary (flavoured) vodkas, including cranberry vodka, lemon vodka, pepper vodka, the famous Zubrowka (bison grass) vodka, and also, of course, the 'plain' vodkas. I assume that Belvedere falls into the category of 'plain' vodka.
I'm far from any type of vodka expert.
I buy the plain and citrus.
Here's a review.
https://therumhowlerblog.com/vodka-reviews/belvedere-vodka/
That is a most interesting review; thank you for sharing, I very much enjoyed reading it.
Enjoying a Founders' Centennial IPA. It's a bit sweeter and heavier than I typically like, but it is wonderfully balanced and outstandingly tasty...
Aha. yes, I have had this particular beer, too. And yes, agree with you. It is quite delicious, and full, and rich.
Now, @mobilehaathi, I am not sure that I would class any of the offerings from Founder's as 'light'. Even the ones that they market as 'light'.
I would say some of the US breweries do make some of the best beer on the planet! But, there are some really really good Belgium and German beers too! Founders was mentioned, and I also really like some of the brews from Stone.
In Belgium, the abbey breweries of St Bernardus, and Rochefort make really superb beers, as do some of the other breweries, (and not just the abbeys).
Love those. The 10 is my favorite.