Huffington Post Teaching You About Beer Styles

"First American IPA I meant... haha, yeah, definitely not first in the world. Although I guess Anchor's was first in the post-prohibition era. Who knows about pre.."

As I often point out, you can go to Breweriana websites and find IPA labels from regional brewers post-prohibition up into the 60s when the American Adjunct Lager companies (commonly known as BMC) took over. Here's an example:

http://taverntrove.com/item.php?ItemId=31593&goback=results.php?intPageNumber=1&intResults=10

 

I have to agree with this...
But I also agree they should get some legitimate people that know a little bit about beer, or maybe work with a brewery/brewer.
And please, proof your work HP!

 

This beer is also labeled as an IPA, it's 3.6% abv and probably 20 ibu. Just because a beer is labeled an IPA doesn't mean it is the modern interpretation of hop-forward, higher ABV, assertive beer.
____________

On another note, this article is pretty uninspired. First, many of the beers recommended aren't what we'd consider craft. On the first page, Radeberger? If you look on the Wiki page for that beer, it's owned by Oetker Group (a 7.7 Billion dollar company), was at one point run by Socialist East Germany, and is the favorite beer of Charlie Sheen's character on 2 and a half men! What about Victory Prima Pils? Or Trumer Pils if you want one with more heritage?

Hoegaarden? That is a brewery built up from the ground by Interbrew in the 1980's. I know that Peter Celis had the best intentions, but he hasn't been involved with that beer for decades. It's now part of the AB-InBev superconglomerate. Same story with Newcastle and Heineken ownership.

Duvel is not really what people consider a "Pale Ale." Sure it's a pale-colored ale, but it doesn't fit the flavor description of either American or British Pale Ales as listed in the article, maybe because it's made in Belgium?

 

The best selling and longest-lived US IPA in the post-Repeal era was Ballantine India Pale Ale - "aged for one year in the wood", 7.8% ABV and 60 IBU's. The brand was still being brewed and market when Maytag created Liberty Ale, albeit in a slightly dumbed down version (IBU's dropped to 45 by the '70's). Maytag was well aware of the Ballantine family of ales, he's been quoted about being able to smell the hops of a can of Ballantine Ale upon opening from across the room, he was the collector who gave Michael Jackson the Ballantine Burton Ale he reviewed in the first edition of his Pocket Guide to Beer, and many claim Old Foghorn was either based or at least inspired by BBA (a long aged version -up to 20 years - extra-dry-hopped of the IPA).

There were dozens of US strong ales in the post-Repeal era marketed under a variety of "style" names including India Pale Ale, Stock Ale, October Ale, India Ale, etc.

 

Interesting...you're always full of fun information.

 

I take everything HuffPo says with a grain of salt.

 

I use heaping helpings with HuffPo

 

Agreeing with the two gents above me, I haven't seen anything written well on that website.

 

Eh, I disagree . . . some of their op-eds can be particularly inspired, I think. But this is getting off-topic.

Beer!

 

About 20 years ago, Bill James asked basically the same question in a review of a David Halberstam book. Was he just that careless with the facts when writing something "unimportant" like a book about baseball or was he always that careless?

Both answers are bad.

 

I ain't got a clue about what you said, or what you really meant to say.. But I liked the way you said it, whatever it was. Faved, forwarded, and fanned.

 

Both ends of the spectrum for what style? Duvel is the benchmark example of Belgian Golden Strong Ale; while SNPA is the benchmark example for American Pale Ale. Anyone who thinks Duvel can be considered a Pale of ANY kind is insane...

 

But you are 100% right about Liberty Ale.

 

Haha:
"

Right up there with Pabst as being the WORST of the WORST. Good for cleaning your car and not much else!!"​

​

 

I wish they would have hired you to write the article. You should seriously get published.

 

"pilsner is one of the youngest beer style in the world" don't they mean oldest?

 

True enough but anyone writing about better beer for folks who don't know about it or read about it is helping to spread the word.

 

No, but I don't get the point of it, though. It's not like people pour their own beers at the bar. It would make a lot more sense to show bottle or can into glass. Of course, people debate about that, too. It's more of a "do whatever floats your boat" thing with me.

 

Give Fat/Flat (sp?) Tire Beer a try, very good in my book.