Brits of the escapist, what say you on American specialty beers?

[FoAmY99]

Many of us Americans agree that our big mainstream brewers make absolute shit beer, but now that craft and specialty beers have come into their own and shown that America can brew something good that isn't piss water like Budweiser or Miller Light, what do you think of our beer now?


I define specialty beers as brands like Sam Adams, Yeungling, Victory, and so on. These names are pretty big here stateside, but not on the scale Anheuser-Busch or Molson-Coors. When my cousin was over for Christmas and new-years not only was he amazed at how loose our liquor laws are, but also at the selection of what he said were good beers.

Also a question, my cousin (who is from the UK) has informed me that most beer in the UK is served at room temp (when i lived in the UK i was a lad of only 8 so how would I know). Here in the US we all serve it cold. Now I've had American beers that had warmed up and most of them tasted pretty foul and skunky. Are beers that are made for the UK market specifically brewed in a way where they're supposed to be served at room temp?

 

[Zontar]

Can us Canucks also chime in? If so then American beer tends to, in general, have a poorer taste then ours and European beer. This isn't much of a surprise though, a lot of things like Chocolate, Wine, Cheese, Milk and to many other things to list also have that statement apply to them. I honestly don't even know why either, given that the US is the largest single country I listed, you'd think it would be easier to surpass the quality of the rest.

 

[FoAmY99]

Can us Canucks also chime in? If so then American beer tends to, in general, have a poorer taste then ours and European beer. This isn't much of a surprise though, a lot of things like Chocolate, Wine, Cheese, Milk and to many other things to list also have that statement apply to them. I honestly don't even know why either, given that the US is the largest single country I listed, you'd think it would be easier to surpass the quality of the rest.

Can you give examples of which beers you're referring to? I personally can't attest to Canandian beer as I don't recall ever having any (unless i was already pretty hammered that one night)

 

[Eamar]

I can't say I've ever heard of any of those. I only really drink English cask ales (when I'm in England, that is), and none of the pubs I frequent tend to carry American beers, so I can't really answer. I'd certainly be open to trying them if I ever happened to be in the states though.

 

[Zontar]

Canucks are welcome too. Could you give examples of which American beers you're referring to when you say "poorer taste

Can us Canucks also chime in? If so then American beer tends to, in general, have a poorer taste then ours and European beer. This isn't much of a surprise though, a lot of things like Chocolate, Wine, Cheese, Milk and to many other things to list also have that statement apply to them. I honestly don't even know why either, given that the US is the largest single country I listed, you'd think it would be easier to surpass the quality of the rest.

Can you give examples of which beers you're referring to? I personally can't attest to Canandian beer as I don't recall ever having any (unless i was already pretty hammered that one night)

Well it might sounds odd, but Molson. Now before you say "wait, that's an American brand", the reason I name them is because they have a brewery up here in my home city which makes the beer have a distinctly different taste (when compared to that I've had when I went to Boston, New York and Miami). That, coupled with Irish, British and German imports I've had on occasion that I can't really remember the brand names since it was just a one time offhand thing. Might have something to do with regulations regarding the drinks.

 

[FinalDream]

You don't chill cask or keg beer here in the UK, they are brewed to be drunk like this so they don't taste weird or anything, I guess this just comes about from the old days when there was no refrigeration. You know I never really thought about it! One oddity is that in the North you tend to server beer with a good head but in the south the beer can be flat and lack head.

As far as American beers are concerned, Goose Island is nice, both the IPA and Honkers Ale, and I do like a bit of the Brooklyn Lager. I also don't mind the Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. To be honest I'm struggling to think of any others!

 

[FoAmY99]

You don't chill cask or keg beer here in the UK, they are brewed to be drunk like this so they don't taste weird or anything, I guess this just comes about from the old days when there was no refrigeration. You know I never really thought about it! One oddity is that in the North you tend to server beer with a good head but in the south the beer can be flat and lack head.

As far as American beers are concerned, Goose Island is nice, both the IPA and Honkers Ale, and I do like a bit of the Brooklyn Lager. I also don't mind the Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. To be honest I'm struggling to think of any others!

My father likes Goose Island IPA as well as Yards IPA (made in Philly I believe) If you like IPA, i would recommend trying Dogfish Head 60, 90, or 120 minute IPA. I tried a few sips of the 90 and holy shit that was hoppy. Granted I don't like IPA but damn that was strong beer.

Ever had Yeungling? Call me biased for living in eastern Pennsylvania but that is one of the best lagers i've had for the money. Its a pretty simple lager and very much a part of PA culture. Go almost anywhere in PA and ask for a lager, you'll be served Yeungling. Its not piss water like Bud or Miller but for $5.99 for a 6-pack its damn good.

 

[Bebus]

I'm not sure "room temperature" is quite right: it implies a pretty nasty lukewarmness that frankly isn't appetising, and can affect the taste negatively.

More accurate is "cellar temperature": it's not the near-frozen gnat urine that passes for beer in certain circles but instead a little cooler than room temperature.

Now, as an Englishman with a fond taste for a good beer, I was recently lucky enough to visit the Milwaukee Brewing Company [http://mkebrewing.com/] and paid a relative pittance to go on an excellent tour with unlimited supplies of their lovely product. Having only really been exposed to the typical Coors, Bud and Miller (especially the horrific "LITE" forms) when it comes to American beer, I was very pleasantly surprised, and that I can barely remember what I did afterwards attests to the enjoyment I took in the product.

Overall, I'd say the biggest difference (other than the temperature which, as you say, is usually colder) is that American beers are a bit less subtle in their taste: most the beers available were flavoured with things such as tea, pumpkin, oats and so on, which made very intriguing beers but could be quite overwhelming to the other flavours. This is also true of the small number available in the UK such as Blue Moon, flavoured with Orange and Coriander.

To compare, here you will often find a large range of "traditional" beers with the difference being quite subtle, whereas it seemed to me (and my experience was, I admit, limited to just that brewery and a few pubs across the Midwest) the American pubs would serve just a small number of "traditional" beers, the rest boasting one of the strong, unique flavours.

This is certainly not a bad thing: for people obsessed by the intricacies of beer it might be frustrating but I don't drink to rate a beer's "hoppiness" out of 10 in my leather-bound, beer stained notebook, I drink to enjoy the taste and have a good time, and the American varieties definitely kept me happy.

 

[FinalDream]

Ever had Yeungling? Call me biased for living in eastern Pennsylvania but that is one of the best lagers i've had for the money.

No, I've never heard of it! Luckily we have a good beer shop where I live, that stocks stuff from all around the world, so I'll keep an eye out for it next time I'm in.

 

[Lionsfan]

Well it might sounds odd, but Molson. Now before you say "wait, that's an American brand"

What?....Molson is a Canadian beer. The company was founded in Montreal.

And to the OP: Michigan has a great craft beer scene. I'm not a craft beer guy myself, but all of my friends won't shut up about it. Try Bells Two Hearted if you can ever get a hold of it

 

[cikame]

It took me a year or two to figure out when people say "PBR" that it's not a type of beer but a brand.

...I'm sorry, that's my input, i don't drink so i know nothing of the alcohol world, but it seems cool that there are so many smaller companies over there selling their wares.

 

[Euryalus]

Well it might sounds odd, but Molson. Now before you say "wait, that's an American brand"

What?....Molson is a Canadian beer. The company was founded in Montreal.

And to the OP: Michigan has a great craft beer scene. I'm not a craft beer guy myself, but all of my friends won't shut up about it. Try Bells Two Hearted if you can ever get a hold of it

It does actually, which strikes me as weird since It doesn't really have a reputation for it. There are so many Bars in Grand Rapids that serve craft beers I'd say are at least as good as several of the German beers I've had. Which is a lot.

Yay Hefe Weizen and Nürnberg Rotbier!

 

[Gorrath]

Our big chain pub wetherspoons has carried some and they are nice. Glad to see Americans getting over this all beer should be served ice cold nonsense. The only reason to serve beer ice cold is to hide the f*****g awaful taste or the fact that is weak as hell. Quality Ale does not need to be ice cold as you should be able to taste the flavor.

Its one more step on the road to America becoming a grown up country!

I think that it's more a case that non-Americans are finally drinking American beer that isn't one of our big (nasty as hell) brands. We've had a micro-brew culture here for a very long time, but it has been largely ignored by the rest of the world until fairly recently. It's almost like someone discovering that Americans don't just eat McDonalds and that we do indeed make and eat food that isn't utter crap.

 

[ForumSafari]

Many of us Americans agree that our big mainstream brewers make absolute shit beer, but now that craft and specialty beers have come into their own and shown that America can brew something good that isn't piss water like Budweiser or Miller Light, what do you think of our beer now?

They're pretty good, it helps that I like a robust beer because no offence but American breweries seem to have discovered beer can have taste fairly recently and seem to be in the middle of their MOAR HOPS!!!!! MOAR TASTE!!!!!! OCTUPLE HOPPED IPA FUCK YEAH!!!!! phase.

Also a question, my cousin (who is from the UK) has informed me that most beer in the UK is served at room temp (when i lived in the UK i was a lad of only 8 so how would I know). Here in the US we all serve it cold. Now I've had American beers that had warmed up and most of them tasted pretty foul and skunky. Are beers that are made for the UK market specifically brewed in a way where they're supposed to be served at room temp?

It's not actually served at room temperature, it's served at a few degrees lower (i.e. room temperature in a stone lined cellar) but not generally refrigerated. And yes, part of the reason American beers have so much flavour is to counteract the effect of cooling the liquid, English beer recipes are tailored to the temperature and tend to be much, much milder.

EDIT:

Overall, I'd say the biggest difference (other than the temperature which, as you say, is usually colder) is that American beers are a bit less subtle in their taste: most the beers available were flavoured with things such as tea, pumpkin, oats and so on, which made very intriguing beers but could be quite overwhelming to the other flavours.

This is, perhaps, a more diplomatic way of putting it.

 

[Megalodon]

I define specialty beers as brands like Sam Adams, Yeungling, Victory, and so on. These names are pretty big here stateside, but not on the scale Anheuser-Busch or Molson-Coors. When my cousin was over for Christmas and new-years not only was he amazed at how loose our liquor laws are, but also at the selection of what he said were good beers.

The only ones I've seen with any regularity are Blue Moon, Boston Lager and Sierra Nevada, plus I've had Anchor Steam Beers once or twice, with Blue Moon being the best of them. While they're all perfectly pleasant, I haven't found anything to really dispute the status of the UK, Belgium, Germany and the Czech Republic as the best countries around for beer, with the UK being the best (because ale is too good, and Hobgoblin and Wallops Wood (my Avatar) are pretty much perfect).

Also a question, my cousin (who is from the UK) has informed me that most beer in the UK is served at room temp (when i lived in the UK i was a lad of only 8 so how would I know). Here in the US we all serve it cold. Now I've had American beers that had warmed up and most of them tasted pretty foul and skunky. Are beers that are made for the UK market specifically brewed in a way where they're supposed to be served at room temp?

No, not ideally, although room temp is preferable to ale from the fridge. But it's meant to be, as Bebus said, cellar cool, which if memory serves if 6-8 degrees Celsius. So cool, not cold.

 

[EvilRoy]

Well it might sounds odd, but Molson. Now before you say "wait, that's an American brand"

What?....Molson is a Canadian beer. The company was founded in Montreal.

And to the OP: Michigan has a great craft beer scene. I'm not a craft beer guy myself, but all of my friends won't shut up about it. Try Bells Two Hearted if you can ever get a hold of it

Founded, yeah, but an American company purchased it a few years back - I don't know if they changed the recipie or not since then, but I'm not sure if they count as country of origin or country of ownership.

I think the difference in flavours has more to do with country specific guidelines on additives and such though. I know Germany, for instance has very strict limits on what can go into beer, and as such anything made there tastes distinctly different from something brewed elsewhere, even if its the same brand. Canada brewed Molson and American brewed Molson could taste different based only on what preservatives each country allows.

 

[Weaver]

While the states has a lot of pretty good microbreweries and small craft beers, they aren't exported to the rest of the world so I doubt they can really comment

Oddly enough, I generally don't like Sam Adams beer at all; the exception was when I was in Boston and all the bars there had a special summer brew that year which was only shipped to the local bars and it was far better than any Sam Adam's beer I'd ever had, making me wonder why they didn't just bottle it and sell that instead of their regular stuff

I know Germany, for instance has very strict limits on what can go into beer, and as such anything made there tastes distinctly different from something brewed elsewhere, even if its the same brand. Canada brewed Molson and American brewed Molson could taste different based only on what preservatives each country allows.

The Reinheitsgebot was actually lifted in 1988; but almost every German brewery continued on with the restrictions out of a sense of tradition and pride (and it's a great marketing tactic ).

 

[EvilRoy]

I know Germany, for instance has very strict limits on what can go into beer, and as such anything made there tastes distinctly different from something brewed elsewhere, even if its the same brand. Canada brewed Molson and American brewed Molson could taste different based only on what preservatives each country allows.

The Reinheitsgebot was actually lifted in 1988; but almost every German brewery continued on with the restrictions out of a sense of tradition and pride (and it's a great marketing tactic ).

Hmm, didn't know that. I suppose its a good thing they kept it up though, my brother is pretty allergic to the sulphates they use to perserve most NA beers, so the only stuff he knows for sure he can drink typically comes from Germany.

 

[Chimpzy_v1legacy]

Well, I'm Belgian, not British, but regardless, I can't say I've ever drank an American specialty beer. In fact I've never even seen any in stores or bars including American styled ones.

The reason for this is probably because we already have craploads of specialty beers of our own in a wide variety of styles. So there really is no demand for import, though that is partly because we also tend to be really chauvinistic about beer. And extremely picky too. We take it very seriously to the point where specific styles or even specific brands are expected to be served at the right temperature, with the right amount of foam and in the right type of glass.