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American Beer: Love It or Hate It?

Unspeaked

Unspeaked

macrumors 68020
Original poster
Dec 29, 2003
2,448
1
West Coast
Based on some posts I've seen floating around MR in the past (either in various beer threads or OT posts in non-beer threads) it seems American beer is sorely underrated by non-Americans.

I think there's a slew of great beers in the US - and even better beer bars - and this reputation is incredibly unfair.

So what's your take on beer brewed in the good ol' US of A?

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EDIT - Here's some suggested American beers to try. They're listed in the following format:

Beer, Brewer (STATE):


Anything, Portsmouth Brewery (NH)

Anything, Magic Hat (VT)

Oktoberfest, Samuel Adams (MA)

Sam Summer, Samuel Adams (MA)

Anything, Saranac Brewing Co. (NY)

Brooklyn Lager, Brooklyn Brewing (NY)

Anything, Southern Tier (NY)

Dogfish Head, 90 Minute IPA (DE)

Spotted Cow, New Glarus (WI)

Most Things, Leinenkugels (WI)

Two Hearted Ale, Bell's Brewery (MI)

Anything, Great Lakes Brewing Co. (OH)

Columbus Pale Ale, Columbus Brewing Co. (OH)

Unfiltered Wheat, Boulevard (KS)

Shiner Bock, Spoetzel Brewery (TX)

Blue Moon, Blue Moon Brewing/Molson-Coors (CO)

Fat Tire, New Belgium (CO)

Ruination IPA, Stone Brewing (CA)

Arrogant Bastard, Stone Brewing (CA)

Anything, The Lost Abbey (CA)

Anything, Russian River (CA)

Anchor Steam, Anchor Brewing (CA)

Dead Guy Ale, Rouge (OR)

Pyramid Hefeweizen, Pyramid (WA)
 
Unspeaked said:
Based on some posts I've seen floating around MR in the past (either in various beer threads or OT posts in non-beer threads) it seems American beer is sorely underrated by non-Americans.

I think there's a slew of great beers in the US - and even better beer bars - and this reputation is incredibly unfair.

So what's your take on beer brewed in the good ol' US of A?
Click to expand...

I visited Germany this summer and U.S. beer couldn't come close to the various beers I tried there. Not to say U.S. beer is bad, I just found some that was much better.
 
Blue Velvet said:
Heineken? F**k that s**t! Pabst Blue Ribbon!
Click to expand...

Where would the Pacific Northwest music scene be without PBR?

Do you really want to deny everyone their Death Cab For Cutie, Modest Mouse and Decemberists albums??


gibbz said:
I visited Germany this summer and U.S. beer couldn't come close to the various beers I tried there. Not to say U.S. beer is bad, I just found some that was much better.
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Just out of curiosity, what kind of domestic beers do you normally drink?
 
I drink mainly domestic and some imports, Michelob amberbock,Grolsch,Warsteiner,Sam Adams,Bud light,Becks and Miller lite Bottles only I can't stand draught beer.
 
I like Shiner bock, actually anything from the spoetzel brewery in shiner texas is good. I LOVE LOVE LOVE blue moon, had my first taste of it saturday and fell in love. I prefer miller lite over budlight, but budweiser over MGD. Bud select is my favorite of the AB beers, and coors original is good too. Shoot, I'll drink any beer!!!
 
Hate some, dislike some, don't mind a few, don't love any.
Canadian beer all the way :p!
 
I have worked in America and could never get on with the beer, so many chemicals, such a hangover!

I only drink two types of beer when I can, proper British draught beer, and European lager like Heineken, Stella and Becks.
 
This thread is all my fault, isn't it? :eek: :D

I just haven't found an American beer that I could love. And that's after living in Chicago as a student for 4 years and now living in Los Angeles since the beginning of this year.

I mean, I would even go for a canned Labatt 50 (fitty) over some of the American beers I've had before.

Creemore, Sleeman's, Keith's, and so many amazing Canadian microbrews. I just haven't found anything that compares here.

Please.... for the love of all things beery.... give me some suggestions and I'll be happy to try them.

Cheers, eh.
 
dubhe said:
I have worked in America and could never get on with the beer, so many chemicals, such a hangover!

I only drink two types of beer when I can, proper British draught beer, and European lager like Heineken, Stella and Becks.
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Stella is the premium "full of crap and additives" beer if ever there was one.

I think that the Americans should stick to making Jack.

The larger is OK, but anything with "light" at the end of it makes me laugh.

And there is a huge difference between Beer and Larger.

Bud, becks, hiny, stella = larger = crap.

"Pint of Old Spitfire please, room temperature with bits in it."

Fox
 
Surely said:
This thread is all my fault, isn't it? :eek: :D
Click to expand...

Yes.

:p


I just haven't found an American beer that I could love. And that's after living in Chicago as a student for 4 years and now living in Los Angeles since the beginning of this year.
Click to expand...

I don't think either of those places are necessarily beer meccas. LA is more of a cocktail town, and Chicago (and the midwest in general) is more of a watered down domestic beer kind of area (no offense to the midwesterners out there!).


Creemore, Sleeman's, Keith's, and so many amazing Canadian microbrews. I just haven't found anything that compares here.

Please.... for the love of all things beery.... give me some suggestions and I'll be happy to try them.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't know where to begin without knowing the styles you prefer, but a few generally amazing domestic beers are Ruination IPA from Stone (really, anything Stone brews is excellent), Dogfish Head's 90 Minute IPA and nearly anything brewed by The Lost Abbey in California...


CorvusCamenarum said:
'Liquified used bread that tastes of diseased horse urine' pretty much sums up my experiences with beer.
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Is that American beer or beer in general?
 
The best beer I've ever had is a microbrew from New Glarus, Wisconsin named "Spotted Cow". I believe it was voted the number one microbrew in the country in 2004 by an established competition committee. I don't think they export, but if you can get your hands on it (those of you in Chicago are not far from Wisconsin) I highly recommend it.
 
If you have had bad luck with American beer, try Sam Adams. Its great. Or try anything by the Magic Hat guys in Vermont. There are a number of great beers being brewed here in the States, you just have to search them out.
 
Most american commercial beer is plain vile at worst and bland at worst, I've tasted a couple of counter examples which are rather nice, Sam Adams is one of them.

My best beer experiences come down a trip I took to Germany and a real ale festival here in the uk, my memories of the latter are somewhat hazy though as I had a valid card for 12x half pints and a "half pint" was really about 2/3 of a pint.
 
Mord said:
Most american commercial beer is plain vile at worst and bland at worst, I've tasted a couple of counter examples which are rather nice, Sam Adams is one of them.
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I think the problem many non-Americans have with American beers is that they think of Bud, Miller and Coors.

That would be the equivalent of assuming all European beer was Carling, Stella and Heineken or all Australian beer was Fosters (none of which are very good)...
 
Cromulent said:
What do you expect when most non-Americans think of American beer as being Budweiser or Miller? I'd rather drink Fosters than that and Fosters is just piss in a can.
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Being brutally honest I'd rather drink the millers/bud you get over here over fosters or carling. The latter leave a foul taste in my mouth, the former are just a bit devoid of flavour.
 
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