Beer - Made in USA?

[F6Dave]

I attended the very first Great American Beer Festival in 1982, and there were only 22 brewers in attendance.  Last year there were 2,300!  I love the endless selection of (mostly) great American beers.

But I've always liked beers from Europe.  My favorites are Samuel Smith and Fullers from the UK, Pilsner Urquell from Czechoslovakia, and nearly any lager from Germany, Denmark, or Holland.

So during this endless lockdown I tried a pair of my old favorites, and was surprised to discover that both are now brewed in the USA.  New Castle Brown Ale is made in California, and Becks is made in St. Louis.  Maybe this isn't a recent change.  With all this time on my hands I'm noticing plenty of new things.

[3fan4life]

I like beer ! 

Most microbrews are too hoppy for me.

I discovered this one over the weekend:



https://troegs.com/beer/troegenator/


I found it to be a very pleasant beer.

[Patrick]

I liked New Castle at one time. Drank quite a bit of it. Used to like darker beers and IPAs.  Makes no difference today, all beer now taste about the same. So I'm back to good ole PBR.

[Oss]

used to love Molson but kept getting beer that was skunked

Fat Tire is one of my favorites now

Also love chocolate Porters   The achocalypse  or whatever is was called out in Prescott was the best of all of them IMHO  They are stronger that your budweiser by a factor of a few

I could taste both milk chocolate and bitter chocolate at the same time which is fun if you love chocolate and beer

[msb]

I like beer !  

A favorite song from the 70's
https://youtu.be/HZ7j292Y_Cw


It certainly has changed over the years/decades. Back in the day, us Canadians would head to the States for the much more readily available (at gas stations, on Sunday's, etc)....and vastly greater selection of mostly at that time, lighter alcohol content beer (so we could drink more  ), while Americans would come up here to get our usually heavier 6%+ alcohol content beer. Nowadays we all have access to any type of beer we could desire... although personally, my consumption has gone way down since those good old days...

[3fan4life]

I like beer ! 

A favorite song from the 70's
https://youtu.be/HZ7j292Y_Cw


It certainly has changed over the years/decades. Back in the day, us Canadians would head to the States for the much more readily available (at gas stations, on Sunday's, etc)....and vastly greater selection of mostly at that time, lighter alcohol content (so we could drink more

My first real experience with Canadian beer was in a bar during a trip to Upstate New York.

I found Labatt Blue to be a good beer.

[Jess from VA]

Back in the day, us Canadians would head to the States

Mike, we went to Canada (whenever we could get away with it) to get much better tasting beer.

All by boat where I lived.  (Avoiding customs every time, as being underage made customs a poor business plan).

It was stronger too, but that was just icing on the keg.    

Labatts, Labatts 50, Molsen Candadian, Molson Golden, several other Ales.  Good times.  

In California, I switched to Mexican beer (sometimes with limes); and that crazy Mescal with the worm.

[scooperhsd]

The CBS affiliate here in KC does a segment on Friday Night Late News they call "Friday Night Flights". The male evening anchor goes out to the various local breweries and distillerys and feature them for the segment. There is (was ?) a really good local market for these , I hope most of them make it through the C-19 closedown (some of the distillers have switched temporally to make hand sanitizer when there wasn't enough of that around). Several of them look like they make good product.

I myself have brewed my own beer when we were in NC. My favorite is/was a honey porter that would knock your socks off . We still have some of our brew, it still tasted good when last tried.

[F6Dave]

used to love Molson but kept getting beer that was skunked

Fat Tire is one of my favorites now

Also love chocolate Porters   The achocalypse  or whatever is was called out in Prescott was the best of all of them IMHO  They are stronger that your budweiser by a factor of a few

I could taste both milk chocolate and bitter chocolate at the same time which is fun if you love chocolate and beer

I agree Fat Tire is a good beer and I used to drink it often.  But New Belgium Brewing's politics are so far left that I gave it up.  Recent online records show all their (actually owner/family/employee) contributions go to candidates like Bernie, Liz Warren, and AOC.  Not a nickle for a Republican.  Liquor stores in NW Colorado actually stopped selling their beer because of the company's support for Wild Earth Guardians, a radical group working to close local coal mines.

[GiG]

My current favorite - not widely available, but I discovered it at my local BBQ joint on tap...


This stuff is real good, and very potent.


Had no idea about Newcstle and Beck's being brewed stateside...

[JimC]

I agree Fat Tire is a good beer and I used to drink it often.  But New Belgium Brewing's politics are so far left that I gave it up.  Recent online records show all their (actually owner/family/employee) contributions go to candidates like Bernie, Liz Warren, and AOC.  Not a nickle for a Republican.  Liquor stores in NW Colorado actually stopped selling their beer because of the company's support for Wild Earth Guardians, a radical group working to close local coal mines.

I agree,   Jim

[msb]

Back in the day, us Canadians would head to the States

Mike, we went to Canada (whenever we could get away with it) to get much better tasting beer.

All by boat where I lived.  (Avoiding customs every time, as being underage made customs a poor business plan).

It was stronger too, but that was just icing on the keg.    

Labatts, Labatts 50, Molsen Candadian, Molson Golden, several other Ales.  Good times.  

Ya Jess, like I said...back in the good old days when that was the only definition of Free Trade that we cared about

[Oss]

that burst another bubble..........thanks   

[cookiedough]

https://newglarusbrewing.com/

this is a local brewer 5 miles from my house.   They do mostly WI since not a HUGE operation and that place on weekends is packed full of people trying all the beverages out.  Most I have heard give it high marks, but do not like beer so no opinion.

[3fan4life]

My current favorite - not widely available, but I discovered it at my local BBQ joint on tap...


This stuff is real good, and very potent.


Had no idea about Newcstle and Beck's being brewed stateside...

That is a really good beer.


If you like it you'll love this one:



https://foundersbrewing.com/our-beer/backwoods-bastard/


I have a lot of trouble finding this one around here.

But, it might be easier for you to find since it's brewed in Grand Rapids, MI.

They also brew one called Dirty Bastard, it's good too.

But, it isn't nearly as good as the Backwoods Bastard is.

It looks like the APV varies on it, they're putting it at 11% for 2020.

The first that I had was at 13%.

[GiG]

Preaching to the choir, my friend, no shortage of "Bastards" around here - Dirty, Backwoods, and otherwise  
You are welcome to come over for tastings and stock up.

Is the KY Bourbon Barrel ALE readily available in your area? Was thinking about stopping in at their brewery in Lexington for a visit...

Lots of really good breweries in MI, I think Founder's is probably the best.


KBS is good, but there is always a rush to buy it when it is released, very high demand and most stores jack up the price.  I prefer KY ALE, (It's cheaper and more drinkable, goes well with the BBQ Brisket at Boneheads)


Another Founder's favorite:

Breakfast Stout - Very Tasty Double Chocolate Oatmeal Stout  

[F6Dave]

I had a relative who worked for a small brewery in Wisconsin back in the 1980s.  As many of us know, they take beer drinking seriously in Wisconsin.  Maybe it has something to do with the cold winters.

He was the brewery's 'hospitality man'.  He would drive to nearby bars in his company owned car to perform a variety of services.  Occasionally he'd work on a beer tap, but most of the time he'd promote his brand by buying a round for the customers, then move on to the next bar.  Of course, he had to join them.  It wouldn't be polite not to!

I joined him for 'work' one afternoon.  We stopped at 10 bars, including some tiny places on back roads with only a handful of bar stools and a table or two.  We had a beer at every one.  Just another day at work for him.

He told me that when he was hired, he asked the lady who handled HR about a retirement plan.  She answered 'in your job, no one has lived long enough to retire!'

[Wizzard]

My current favorite - not widely available, but I discovered it at my local BBQ joint on tap...


This stuff is real good, and very potent.


Had no idea about Newcstle and Beck's being brewed stateside...

I have brewed a clone of that and it tastes just like it according to my friends.

[3fan4life]

Is the KY Bourbon Barrel ALE readily available in your area? Was thinking about stopping in at their brewery in Lexington for a visit...

I can find it at some of the Kroger stores around here, about $12 for a 4 pack.

I have yet to see it anywhere else.

The last time that we were in Pikeville, Ky the ABC store had it on tap.

I bought a growler and had it filled.

[3fan4life]

Preaching to the choir, my friend, no shortage of "Bastards" around here - Dirty, Backwoods, and otherwise  
You are welcome to come over for tastings and stock up.

If, I ever make it back up there I'll be sure to leave room in the saddlebags to bring some back. 

[gordonv]

As a kid, I enjoyed beer, the bitterness that they had. But over the years, that bitterness went away, I felt the Canadian beer was like the mass produced American lite beers, and weren't worth drinking much any more. I figured it must have just been me, tastes change.

I couldn't tell the difference between our popular beers, Heineken or a Coors, so never drank too much beer.

Then I started into micro brews, roasted/toaster barley, IPA, Pale ales, drinks that had taste to them. But after the change, I enjoy a nice beer any time, where I used to only go through a 12 pack over the summer for an out-of-the-freezer cold one.

[h13man]

My special beer of choice. https://foundersbrewing.com/our-beer/dirty-bastard/

Damn good ale! I've been drinking more Porter's and Ale's of late thus my Silver Bullets have become old and cold. 

[Chrisj CMA]

I liked New Castle at one time. Drank quite a bit of it. Used to like darker beers and IPAs.  Makes no difference today, all beer now taste about the same. So I'm back to good ole PBR.

PBR same as Bush. In my humble opinion those are two beverages that barely deserve to be called beer.

Maybe after the good stuff ran out and everyone is drunk already you could drink that and call it beer

[Jess from VA]

When I made captain, I was required to have a promotion party, at my expense.  Tradition, you know.

Burgers, dogs, chips and beer (and cokes).  (Outdoors, all ranks)

Most everyone in my office drank Miller Lite (gag), and so did the Col who ran my shop.

I asked the NCOIC for advice, and he said get them what they drink, so I did.

I also brought several cases of what I liked which was Canadian beer and Heineken.

So at the party, everyone sucked down all the Canadian and Heineken, and I was left with 4 cases of Miller Lite (gag).

So I'm cleaning up my own party, and I tell the MSgt... So I've got cases of this crap which I can't stand, and I don't even want it, you want it?  He says..... give it to the Col.  I say..... we're not supposed to give gifts to our bosses.  He says... give it to the Col anyway.  So I did.  The Col was very pleased with the gift, and never mentioned the rule about gifts to bosses.  The MSgt said.... I told you, didn't I. (big smile)

My experience was, many drank cheap beer (or the cheapest beer they could find) because it was cheap, not because they really liked it.

I suspect that horse piss, nicely chilled down to near freezing, tastes better than Miller Lite.  Both are made from grain, light amber in color and quite foamy.

[markymark640]

Back in the day while stationed in Karlsruhe Germany (1980-1987), I was on a 50 mile road march up in the foothills of the Eiger in the Swiss alps. One of my SGTs brought me a canteen filled with something called Cardinal Lager. When we got in that night, it was shower up and go out and find more of that Cardinal Lager.

Well, 7 years in Germany and I have to tell you this was the the one beer I really loved.

From then on until I returned to the states, it was an occasional road trip to the Swiss border where there was a Cardinal brewery just on the other side of the river. Load the car up and drive back to Karlsruhe.

Back in the states it took some time to get use to the beer here. But now I can do just about any beer.

Good is Great,  Beer is good, people are crazy !  - or something like that

[Jess from VA]

“In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is freedom, in water there is bacteria.” — Benjamin Franklin.

[scooperhsd]

When I made captain, I was required to have a promotion party, at my expense.  Tradition, you know.

Burgers, dogs, chips and beer (and cokes).  (Outdoors, all ranks)

Most everyone in my office drank Miller Lite (gag), and so did the Col who ran my shop.

I asked the NCOIC for advice, and he said get them what they drink, so I did.

I also brought several cases of what I liked which was Canadian beer and Heineken.

So at the party, everyone sucked down all the Canadian and Heineken, and I was left with 4 cases of Miller Lite (gag).

So I'm cleaning up my own party, and I tell the MSgt... So I've got cases of this crap which I can't stand, and I don't even want it, you want it?  He says..... give it to the Col.  I say..... we're not supposed to give gifts to our bosses.  He says... give it to the Col anyway.  So I did.  The Col was very pleased with the gift, and never mentioned the rule about gifts to bosses.  The MSgt said.... I told you, didn't I. (big smile)

My experience was, many drank cheap beer (or the cheapest beer they could find) because it was cheap, not because they really liked it.

I suspect that horse piss, nicely chilled down to near freezing, tastes better than Miller Lite.  Both are made from grain, light amber in color and quite foamy.

Those senior NCO's sure were smart, weren't they ?

[Oldfishguy]

Back in the day while stationed in Karlsruhe Germany (1980-1987), I was on a 50 mile road march up in the foothills of the Eiger in the Swiss alps. One of my SGTs brought me a canteen filled with something called Cardinal Lager. When we got in that night, it was shower up and go out and find more of that Cardinal Lager.

Well, 7 years in Germany and I have to tell you this was the the one beer I really loved.

From then on until I returned to the states, it was an occasional road trip to the Swiss border where there was a Cardinal brewery just on the other side of the river. Load the car up and drive back to Karlsruhe.

Back in the states it took some time to get use to the beer here. But now I can do just about any beer.

Good is Great,  Beer is good, people are crazy !  - or something like that

So true.

I spent a few years in West Germany too, near Nuremberg. (1981-83).  I lived about 20 miles from base in a little village with an old medieval wall around it and all the buildings older than the USA.  They also had a local brewery, of which I picked up a rack (20 bottles) most weeks for myself, friends and German neighbors.  Basement temp, heavy lager,that I have never lost the taste for.  Finally . . . the American micro breweries have caught on.  

My flavor tends toword the bourbon flavored brews.  New Holland’s Dragons Milk, Founders Dirty Bastard etc.  Although most of them have been bought out now and are part of a large brewery network.  My understanding is the small village German breweries have gone the same way.  

Anything else just isn’t worth the calories.

Prost!  

[Jess from VA]

What I remember most about German beer (in gasthauses and bars) besides it being the finest (freshest) beer I ever had, was that you had to sit there at the bar and wait for the beertender to slowly get your glass filled.  All the glasses had the liter line on them, and they would never serve you a foamy head below that line, so it took a while the get the glass full.  Almost every city, town and burg had it's own breweries.

I was not used to waiting for my beer. 

And it might not be ice cold, but it was cold, unlike luke warm Brit beer.   

[Chrisj CMA]

used to love Molson but kept getting beer that was skunked

Fat Tire is one of my favorites now

Also love chocolate Porters   The achocalypse  or whatever is was called out in Prescott was the best of all of them IMHO  They are stronger that your budweiser by a factor of a few

I could taste both milk chocolate and bitter chocolate at the same time which is fun if you love chocolate and beer

I agree Fat Tire is a good beer and I used to drink it often.  But New Belgium Brewing's politics are so far left that I gave it up.  Recent online records show all their (actually owner/family/employee) contributions go to candidates like Bernie, Liz Warren, and AOC.  Not a nickle for a Republican.  Liquor stores in NW Colorado actually stopped selling their beer because of the company's support for Wild Earth Guardians, a radical group working to close local coal mines.

Never knew that about Fat Tire. I like it but not as well as Sam Adams Boston Lager Octoberfest, or Winter Ale. The cheapest beer I buy at Walmart is really pretty good. The green oil can Fosters. Less than a buck a beer. That can is more than two beers and less than two bucks. Hard to beat.

Both Sam Adams and Fosters are made in America just don’t tell me they support socialism.

[F6Dave]

used to love Molson but kept getting beer that was skunked

Fat Tire is one of my favorites now

Also love chocolate Porters   The achocalypse  or whatever is was called out in Prescott was the best of all of them IMHO  They are stronger that your budweiser by a factor of a few

I could taste both milk chocolate and bitter chocolate at the same time which is fun if you love chocolate and beer

I agree Fat Tire is a good beer and I used to drink it often.  But New Belgium Brewing's politics are so far left that I gave it up.  Recent online records show all their (actually owner/family/employee) contributions go to candidates like Bernie, Liz Warren, and AOC.  Not a nickle for a Republican.  Liquor stores in NW Colorado actually stopped selling their beer because of the company's support for Wild Earth Guardians, a radical group working to close local coal mines.

Never knew that about Fat Tire. I like it but not as well as Sam Adams Boston Lager Octoberfest, or Winter Ale. The cheapest beer I buy at Walmart is really pretty good. The green oil can Fosters. Less than a buck a beer. That can is more than two beers and less than two bucks. Hard to beat.

Both Sam Adams and Fosters are made in America just don’t tell me they support socialism.

[/url]

I read something positive about the politics of Sam Adams.  I don't remember the details, but I remember thinking they appeared to be pro freedom, like their name would imply.  I think they are one of the very best American craft breweries.  All their beers are well balanced, not over hopped or too fruity like some.

I think Sam Adams was at the very first Great American Beer Festival I attended in 1982.  I don't see them listed in the program, but they could have been a late entry.  It was held in a large hotel meeting room in Boulder, Colorado.  The best beer honors weren't awarded by professional tasters back then; every attendee got a score card to vote their favorite.  And with only 22 breweries attending, it was possible to have a small taste of nearly all the brews.

Anyway, Sam Adams was new at the time, and wanted to win one of those early festivals I attended.  They had several attractive young ladies mingling with the crowd, handing out painter's caps with the company logo, and encouraging everyone to vote for their beer.  Sam Adams won, probably because they had a very good beer.  But their marketing couldn't have hurt.

[3fan4life]

I like Sam Adams.


We have a local brewery called Devils Backbone (https://www.dbbrewingcompany.com/)

I've been to their facilities a few times.

The Vienna Lager is my favorite one so far:



https://www.dbbrewingcompany.com/beverage/vienna-lager/


They have entered into some kind of partnership with Anheuser-Busch that is supposed to give them national distribution.

I've said many times if that happens Devils Backbone can become larger than Sam Adams

[mello dude]

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