Hey,
This is my first posting. Looks like a good site.
Boddingtons is my all time fav but it also changes by the season. I'm also really enjoying Carlsberg Red these days (I know it's not high quality but it's a good pint). (Un)fortunately they only offer it in pubs so we can't buy it in cases.
Thankfully there's always the Bier Markt!!
Looking forward to some good discussions,
Noel.
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We have a trivia question in order to register to prevent bots. If you have any issues with answering, contact us at cass@bartowel.com for help.
Introducing Light Mode! If you would like a Bar Towel social experience that isn't the traditional blue, you can now select Light Mode. Go to the User Control Panel and then Board Preferences, and select "Day Drinking" (Light Mode) from the My Board Style drop-down menu. You can always switch back to "Night Drinking" (Dark Mode). Enjoy!
Boddington Boy - New Guy
-
Jon Walker
- Seasoned Drinker
- Posts: 1899
- Joined: Fri Jul 27, 2001 8:00 pm
- Location: Wherever you go there you are
Welcome Noel. You MUST attend an event where you can explore the bigger, badder world of beer. The ones you mentioned are great as a starting point but there's a huge world of options for you to sample. There are a couple of great ones coming up;
1) The festival of brewers at C'est What? May 26th. Many great micro brewed beers plus some that we Bartowelers are picking as the "Tasters Taps"
2) Cask Situation at Volo May 27th-29th. Cask ale is something very different than regular draft beer. You should check it out.
Regardless, enjoy the site and be prepared for strong personalities and stronger opinions (mine included).
1) The festival of brewers at C'est What? May 26th. Many great micro brewed beers plus some that we Bartowelers are picking as the "Tasters Taps"
2) Cask Situation at Volo May 27th-29th. Cask ale is something very different than regular draft beer. You should check it out.
Regardless, enjoy the site and be prepared for strong personalities and stronger opinions (mine included).
Thanks,
I think I structured my posting a little improperly. I'm new to this site but certainly not to beer. I've enjoyed international (and national) beers for years and appreciate the qualities (and quantities) of many of them.
I'm intrigued with the BarTowel gatherings (esp C'est What - good spot).
Perhaps a discussion topic could be the corporation purchase of many smaller independent breweries (a la Creemore). If Labatts and Amstel continue to purchase the smaller companies then, in 20 years, we'll be subjected to Coors Light crap in British pubs. God Save the Queen!
Noel.
I think I structured my posting a little improperly. I'm new to this site but certainly not to beer. I've enjoyed international (and national) beers for years and appreciate the qualities (and quantities) of many of them.
I'm intrigued with the BarTowel gatherings (esp C'est What - good spot).
Perhaps a discussion topic could be the corporation purchase of many smaller independent breweries (a la Creemore). If Labatts and Amstel continue to purchase the smaller companies then, in 20 years, we'll be subjected to Coors Light crap in British pubs. God Save the Queen!
Noel.
Too late for the British pub I'm afraid. Budweiser's sales are skyrocketing in the U.K. SABMiller has both Miller High Life and Miller Lite all over the place too. In Ireland, the sales of Guinness have decreased for the first time(ever?) in favour of Budweiser. The irony of this situation is that Guinness brews Bud for Ireland!
"Every day above ground is a good one."
PRMason: Guiness produces Bud in Ireland? Isn't that sacreligious? What a devastating situation if Guiness is dropping due to the bland crap produced from beneath our border.
Belgian: Thanks for the welcome. I'll see what I can offer (and I'm always willing to offer an opinion!)
Everyone: If you're ever touring Wales, check out a local brew called 'Brains Bitter'. It's lovely and beautifully accompanies a match on the telly. It's especially good if you have a beautiful barmaid attending to your needs.
ahhh... is the long weekend here yet?
Belgian: Thanks for the welcome. I'll see what I can offer (and I'm always willing to offer an opinion!)
Everyone: If you're ever touring Wales, check out a local brew called 'Brains Bitter'. It's lovely and beautifully accompanies a match on the telly. It's especially good if you have a beautiful barmaid attending to your needs.
ahhh... is the long weekend here yet?
Ha! I actually visited the Brains Brewery in Cardiff back in 1987 as a young backpacking lad. The Brains S.A. was recommended (I loved the nickname: Brains Skull Attack) and I recall enjoying it. Best of all, we drank it in the pub attached to the brewery, with a couple of old brewery workers, one of whom was completely deaf.
Apologies in advance to the hearing-impaired...
So did you keep yelling, when he was looking the other way, "Get me another pint, f*ckface!"jmcnally wrote:one of whom was completely deaf.
Bored Silly? Check out my blog... http://geeksjournal.blogspot.com
Gents,
I was privvy to a Global strategy meeting in a previous life late in the last millenium that detailed the growth of bottled Bud in Ireland.
It was very interesting. Guinness brewed and distributed Bud in Ireland and made a decent margin. They were in a quandry because the research showed that consumers saw Guinness as "My Father's Beer" and wanted sessionable lagers.
They re-launched Harp Lager ... bomb.
They launched a brand called Brio (pronounced Bro. An unfiltered whit beer) ... major bomb.
They launched Guinness Extra Cold and tested here in Canada ( I was accountable for the in filed project ) ... huge bomb.
At the time bottled Bud was the fastest growing brand in Ireland and was rapidly overthrowing Guinness.
I visited Ireland and the whole Americana thing was rampant. Don't know about today but the King of Beers is huge there.
As a beer industry person it is hard to separate my desire for quality with my admiration for brand power. Bud is Bud ...
I had heard they use 5-7 hops in the brewing process yet they use rice as an adjunct. Go figure.
I was privvy to a Global strategy meeting in a previous life late in the last millenium that detailed the growth of bottled Bud in Ireland.
It was very interesting. Guinness brewed and distributed Bud in Ireland and made a decent margin. They were in a quandry because the research showed that consumers saw Guinness as "My Father's Beer" and wanted sessionable lagers.
They re-launched Harp Lager ... bomb.
They launched a brand called Brio (pronounced Bro. An unfiltered whit beer) ... major bomb.
They launched Guinness Extra Cold and tested here in Canada ( I was accountable for the in filed project ) ... huge bomb.
At the time bottled Bud was the fastest growing brand in Ireland and was rapidly overthrowing Guinness.
I visited Ireland and the whole Americana thing was rampant. Don't know about today but the King of Beers is huge there.
As a beer industry person it is hard to separate my desire for quality with my admiration for brand power. Bud is Bud ...
I had heard they use 5-7 hops in the brewing process yet they use rice as an adjunct. Go figure.
-
old faithful
- Bar Fly
- Posts: 986
- Joined: Fri Oct 10, 2003 8:00 pm
Interesting observations/analysis.
A story in the U.S. financial press reported recently A/B is considering tweaking Budweiser's recipe by increasing the hop rate amongst other possibilities. Based on internal tests A/B considers apparently that the beer may have lost some flavor over the last few decades and may make adjustments, at least in certain markets. The brewery claims that it regularly makes small adjustments to its products to maintain quality and therefore one should not conclude any current adjustments are related to the growth last year of the domestic and import beer segments. Of course, some will wonder about that.
In my view Budweiser was at one time (and in my own lifetime) a well-made beer with a subtle but flavorful palate. Its rice adjunct derives from a time when adjunct use assisted to deal with a different protein level in North American malting barley than is seen with 2-row European malting barleys. The practice in U.S. brewing in general goes back to the later 1800's. The hop mix of Budweiser was and is good and the beer had, as Michael Jackson noted in his early beer handbooks, an apple-like note which was distinctive. In recent years I find the beer less distinctive (although individual batches always vary to a degree I think and relative freshness is important). Perhaps A/B does too and intends to make adjustments; we'll see, and whether the Canadian Bud will be affected.
This probably has little if anything to do with the success of the brand in Ireland. There I am sure it is largely a "name" and fashionability thing for younger drinkers. But I don't rule out that they like the taste. Budweiser as brewed in Ireland and Britain does not taste exactly like the other mass lagers there. I had a super-fresh pint in Leeds last December which was excellent and had a subtle fragrance and digestibility I recalled in Bud 30 years ago in the U.S.: maybe that was a lucky batch, maybe A/B had tweaked it by then for the Irish and British market, I don't know. Personally I would enjoy trying a 100% malt version of Budweiser. The basic spec is good and if you just put more in of the same, it will be very good. Things don't last for over 100 years for nothing.
Getting back to Guinness though, I wonder why Guinness Foreign Extra Stout is not sold in Ontario. I did an informal blind tasting of stouts recently including some noted domestic ones and the Guinness FES (sample brewed in Dublin) rated at the top. I think the answer for Guinness is to make its draught stout like it was 30 years ago and more (maybe even bring back naturally conditioned stout on draft), offer Guinness FES in bottles to answer the higher ABV trend in some beer markets, and in general get back to tradition. They can offer blackcurrent and such versions too if they want as specialties, but they should focus on the basic draught stout and its quality, and on high gravity bottled stout as a specialty, instead of seeking the lager golden goose (in my opinion of course). Lager trends will vary over time but Guinness built its multi-century business on a great and unique beer style.
Gary
A story in the U.S. financial press reported recently A/B is considering tweaking Budweiser's recipe by increasing the hop rate amongst other possibilities. Based on internal tests A/B considers apparently that the beer may have lost some flavor over the last few decades and may make adjustments, at least in certain markets. The brewery claims that it regularly makes small adjustments to its products to maintain quality and therefore one should not conclude any current adjustments are related to the growth last year of the domestic and import beer segments. Of course, some will wonder about that.
In my view Budweiser was at one time (and in my own lifetime) a well-made beer with a subtle but flavorful palate. Its rice adjunct derives from a time when adjunct use assisted to deal with a different protein level in North American malting barley than is seen with 2-row European malting barleys. The practice in U.S. brewing in general goes back to the later 1800's. The hop mix of Budweiser was and is good and the beer had, as Michael Jackson noted in his early beer handbooks, an apple-like note which was distinctive. In recent years I find the beer less distinctive (although individual batches always vary to a degree I think and relative freshness is important). Perhaps A/B does too and intends to make adjustments; we'll see, and whether the Canadian Bud will be affected.
This probably has little if anything to do with the success of the brand in Ireland. There I am sure it is largely a "name" and fashionability thing for younger drinkers. But I don't rule out that they like the taste. Budweiser as brewed in Ireland and Britain does not taste exactly like the other mass lagers there. I had a super-fresh pint in Leeds last December which was excellent and had a subtle fragrance and digestibility I recalled in Bud 30 years ago in the U.S.: maybe that was a lucky batch, maybe A/B had tweaked it by then for the Irish and British market, I don't know. Personally I would enjoy trying a 100% malt version of Budweiser. The basic spec is good and if you just put more in of the same, it will be very good. Things don't last for over 100 years for nothing.
Getting back to Guinness though, I wonder why Guinness Foreign Extra Stout is not sold in Ontario. I did an informal blind tasting of stouts recently including some noted domestic ones and the Guinness FES (sample brewed in Dublin) rated at the top. I think the answer for Guinness is to make its draught stout like it was 30 years ago and more (maybe even bring back naturally conditioned stout on draft), offer Guinness FES in bottles to answer the higher ABV trend in some beer markets, and in general get back to tradition. They can offer blackcurrent and such versions too if they want as specialties, but they should focus on the basic draught stout and its quality, and on high gravity bottled stout as a specialty, instead of seeking the lager golden goose (in my opinion of course). Lager trends will vary over time but Guinness built its multi-century business on a great and unique beer style.
Gary
Probably tweak the blend of all those varying hops to balance out each years crop differences, for total consistency, what do you think? Kind of like vintners blending wine crops for balance.Mother G wrote: I had heard they use 5-7 hops in the brewing process yet they use rice as an adjunct. Go figure.
Interesting comments - clearly Budweiser is a successful product for its inoffensive agreeability to many people, as much as its massive brand power. You can't disagree as a product is an absolute commercial success, and on some level I admire a successful product.
In Beerum Veritas
-
old faithful
- Bar Fly
- Posts: 986
- Joined: Fri Oct 10, 2003 8:00 pm
About FES, there a number of Guinness products available here already: the draught Guinness, the bottled "draught", the canned draught (if still available, not sure if the bottled has taken over), and the Inbev-Labatt version brewed in the Maritimes. FES would cover the higher ABV end of the spectrum for Guinness. Of course they would have to ramp up production if they started to sell it more broadly but it is made in a number of foreign locations as well (Caribbean, Africa) so I would think that would be doable. Guinesss could go with its all-malt "Continental" strong Guinness, I think it is called Special Extra, but the FES seems right for sale here now and is a better beer I think.
As for Bud, I am not sure what a palate new to beer would encounter on tasting Budweiser. Most of us recall the unusual tang beer had when we first started drinking it. I.e., it took time to get the taste for beer. Bud as made today is so light I wonder if many people who try it for the first time don't get that same reaction. Or maybe they do but persist and acquire the taste as for any beer first consumed. I had a draught Budweiser last night downtown just to see what it is like today. It was very light-tasting (I don't know what the Bud Light is like!), rehydrating and pleasant but without much of the taste I recall from 30 years ago. Also it had a "freshwater" aftertaste which seems to point to an intent to reduce the traditional hoppy beer aftertaste. Anyway I'll leave Bud to the capable hands of A/B. Currently in Ontario I am looking forward to trying the new pilsener from Brick. We have good pilseners in Ontario (the new Stonehammer really impressed last week) but there is always room for another.
Gary
As for Bud, I am not sure what a palate new to beer would encounter on tasting Budweiser. Most of us recall the unusual tang beer had when we first started drinking it. I.e., it took time to get the taste for beer. Bud as made today is so light I wonder if many people who try it for the first time don't get that same reaction. Or maybe they do but persist and acquire the taste as for any beer first consumed. I had a draught Budweiser last night downtown just to see what it is like today. It was very light-tasting (I don't know what the Bud Light is like!), rehydrating and pleasant but without much of the taste I recall from 30 years ago. Also it had a "freshwater" aftertaste which seems to point to an intent to reduce the traditional hoppy beer aftertaste. Anyway I'll leave Bud to the capable hands of A/B. Currently in Ontario I am looking forward to trying the new pilsener from Brick. We have good pilseners in Ontario (the new Stonehammer really impressed last week) but there is always room for another.
Gary
But from a marketing perspective, the three "draught" versions (keg, can & widget bottle) are presented to consumers as being the same product - Guinness Draught - in different formats. So from that perspective, there are only 2 versions available in Canada.old faithful wrote:About FES, there a number of Guinness products available here already: the draught Guinness, the bottled "draught", the canned draught (if still available, not sure if the bottled has taken over), and the Inbev-Labatt version brewed in the Maritimes.
And remember that the Labatt version is actually called Guinness Extra Stout. As far as I know, Guinness markets either an Extra Stout or a Foreign Extra Stout in most territories - it's rare to see versions of both available in the same place. Despite the mediocre quality of the Labatt-brewed ES as compared to the various FES versions, they seem market it in a similar way, including advertising aimed towards the Carribbian community, who would be more familiar with the stronger (6.5% to 7.5%, depending on the country) and much tastier version available in their home countries.
I'd be very happy to see them scrap the current Labatt version and replace it with a version of the FES, but I don't imagine it will be happening any time soon.