REDRUM

As a twist to the usual “stoopid American tricks (and habits)”, I have a very petty question/comment.<BR><BR>What is with the English attitude toward beer? You’d think that they invented it (they didn’t, the Egyptians probably did.) I’ve been to England quite a few times and generally speaking I really love the place and I love the people. Nevertheless, this beer attitude thing is becoming a real drag.<BR><BR>I generally go into a pub and order a lager or a pilsner. I’m an American and that’s what I like. If they asked me what specific brand I’ll say whatever is the coldest. Again, that’s the way of my culture and that’s the way I like my beer. The general reaction is as though I’ve pissed myself.<BR><BR>I’ve tried virtually every British bitter, ale, and stout that’s made and I don’t like them. I particularly don’t like them warm. I have had Guinness in the States, in England, in Ireland, I’ve had it in a can, in a bottle, and fresh from the tapper, and I still think it tastes like burnt socks. (I don’t like cooked beets, either, so if a waiter in a restaurant asks me if I want them I say “no” and I don’t expect a lecture about it. Particularly when I’m paying for it.)<BR><BR>An English friend of mine gets a bit tipsy and starts whining about how poor American beers are. I asked him, which beers did he mean, specifically? “Well, you know, Budweiser and Coors and that watery lot.”<BR><BR>With patience I explained that Adolph Coors was from Germany and that Anheuser-Bush products are all based on Bavarian recipes. Neither brand is an “American” beer; they are basically German beers, albeit they are made in America. <BR><BR>I recently returned from France and found most of their beers were very much like what we have in the States and they were always served very cold.<BR><BR>Now I’ve got it all off of my chest. I feel better. Send me a bill.<BR>

clairobscur

I'm not a beer-lover, but Fra

clairobscur

I'm not a beer-lover, but France is definitely not reputated for its beers. So, stating that US beers are very much like french ones is hardly a compliment.<BR><BR><BR>They're served cold, though...

Dave

I agree with you redrum....but you should try it when your drink of choice is hard cider!! I don't like the dark beers either, and I've tried as many as I could stomach. The real trouble starts when you want something that the English think is a "woman's" drink. Best Wishes

janis

Hopefully a Troll. More Brits (unfortunately) now drink lagers than bitter and every pub will have several brands on tap or in bottles. <BR><BR>And they no more drink Bitter/Ale "warm" than the French drink red wine "warm". Both are served at cellar temperature. Bitters are served cellar temp and lagers are served chilled.<BR><BR>Maybe it is the way you speak to the barman that gets you the grief??????

Roger

Just order a Stella. Served cold, its a lager and very good. In Scotland order a McEwans.

REDRUM

Yeah, Janice, maybe it's the way that I wait my turn then say, "A pint of your best lager, please, sir," that tweaks them off.<BR><BR>As to "more Brits drink lager," may be true around London (may not) but spending three weeks in Norfolk and surrounding areas most pubs had NO lager on tap, only bitter and sometimes stout or porter. In that case I went for the cider.

Sheila

You just do what you want; but don't expect praise for it any more than you'd get if you were drinking a glass of "le Piat D'Or"

Uncle Sam

I was in the Windsor Slough Marriott Courtyard a couple of years ago and asked for a beer. <BR><BR>I chose Stella Artois, which is a wonderful Belgian beer, and was immediately told by a couple of Brits that Stella wasn't beer...it was a lager, which of course to the Brits isn't beer because only ale is beer to a Brit.<BR><BR>Now that is changing because many of the Brits are now drinking lagers and CD pilsners. And the younger folks are drinking, of all things Budweiser!<BR><BR>It must be the marketing because Burdwesier cannot in any way shape or from be thought of as beer...yuccchhh!<BR><BR>US

Hans H

Aehm, I've drunken some of these mass-produced American beers and if they are based upon a recipe brought from Germany then the brewmaster came to the USA because an angry lynch-mob was looking out for him in Bavaria. Actually they don't even comply with the German law regarding the inredients for beer which was in force until 20 years ago (when the EU forced us to lift it).<BR>Other US beers aren't bad, by the way, and I prefer them to drinking any beers imported to the US.

Sam

C'mon. "French beer" is an oxymoron.

Hmmm

Just curious. What do Europeans think of American Micro Brews? I would imagine they like them much better.

Poo Poo P. Doo

There’s a beer sold all over England and Europe called Kronenbourg 1664, it is a lager and is widely considered a very good one at that. It is indeed made from a French recipe. Saying that French beer is an oxymoron is like saying the same about California champagne, which by the by truly IS an oxymoron.<BR><BR>I think that it might not be so much as what you order or how your order it so much as them hearing your accent and pegging you for a Yank. British snobbism about beer is very akin to French snobbism about wine and it is one of the few things they can still lord over Americans.<BR><BR>As far as seeing few lagers/pilsners up north, you’re absolutely correct, most of those lads like their bitter.<BR><BR>For you beer enthusiasts you might be interested to know that the original Budweiser (a.k.a. Budvar) is a Czechoslovakian beer that been brewed in the Czech republic since at least the 1600’s. It is served cold and, sorry, tastes pretty much like “American” Budweiser. American beers generally are lighter, more effervescent, and are served colder. People must like it; Bud sells more beer worldwide than its next three competitors combined. Can’t argue with success, eh?<BR>

Frank

Poo poo p doo<BR>Mogen David is based on the recipe for Chateauneuf de Pape, and sorry tastes pretty much the same.<BR>Yikes, what a whopper! Budvar tastes like American bud! Fortunately if you hunt for it you can now buy Budvar in the US, it's sold as Czechvar to avoid the dispute about the name. I recently did a blind taste test between several microbrewed pilsners, a mass produced American pilsner (MGD) and Czechvar. Czechvar was the clear winner. Mass produced American beer is a pale shadow of its forefather. Try it for yourself.

Heather

Unfortunately, part of the reason that mass-produced American beer is served tastes lighter/more watery is so that the breweries will sell more beer. And, when served cold, the beer goes down easier and faster. According to US liquor marketers, if a consumer drinks a heavier, more filling beer, he/she will buy less beer.<BR><BR>Having said that, sometimes there just isn't anything better than an ice cold beer or two (American or otherwise).

pete

I do like Guiness, and bitters and I do drink them a bit warmer than average. Still Redrum has a point. Most of the guys I drink beer with have some form of Bud, Miller or Coors and I never say a word. (often light)<BR>The fad of drinking bottled American beers in london does puzzle me but beer tastes are extremely subjective.<BR>Of course being men we do have to harass each other about something... If it's not beer then it will have to be American vs. European football. (How can anyone get excited about 3 hours ending in a 0-0 draw)

Sheila

If you're watching 3 hour soccer matches, they've done something funny to the rules over there!!

pete

Sorry Sheila@uk. I guess sometimes women have to harass men too. We have a lot of commercials over here. Gotta sell the lousy beer

Barrett

I must agree that Budvar is headier and more flavorful than Budweiser, but they certainly are not world’s apart, they are certainly the same “type” of beer. As far as blind taste tests go, believe it or not Old Milwaukee Light seems to almost always end up in the top 5, in truly “blind” tests, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to drink it.<BR><BR>By the way, I saw a tee-shirt in London last month with the legend, “THE NFL...RUGBY FOR WIMPS!”<BR><BR>A few weeks ago we were waiting to watch 60 MINUTES which was delayed because of a NFL game. There was only 6 minutes left to play so we decided to wait it out. Sure enough, 44 minutes later, the game was over!<BR><BR>And people say baseball is a slow game!<BR>

tania

If Bud sells more beer than anyone else, it's because they have a captive 300 million person market. Think about it.<BR><BR>The US might the best at a lot of things but NOT beer. ANY beer is better than the pale imitation that is sold as beer in the US, except for some of the Alaskan beers which are actually pretty good. I haven't tasted micro-brewery beer made in the US but I suspect little is exported due to short shelf life.<BR><BR>Europe has great beers, the Czechs, Germans and Belgians sure know how to do it. Kronenbourg is OK too. Come to Canada and taste our beer (cold, of course)!!! The lagers are terrific, expecially from the micro-breweries.<BR><BR>Seriously though, a lot has to do with the water they use. Can't see Bud spending the bucks to use natural source water...