What's the Difference? Share your side-by-side (2023)

If I did this comparison I think I'd end up with these 4 beers in the same order. Nice write-up.

 

Actually, I know exactly what you mean with the metallic aroma. I did a side by side a few weeks ago (didn't post it) between Corona Extra (bottle) and a local Mexican Style Lager. The skunky aroma in the Corona was right out of the gate and very strong; then, after the beer aired out a few minutes, I did pick up on fait metallic-like aroma. But that was mostly masked until the skunkiness had aired out.

 

Loved your side by side. Budweiser is one of the few AALs I have rated over 3.0 overall (Schlitz, Old Style two others plus Moosehead which is an American lager and Coors Batch 19 I’ve only seen once). Assuming I finally get around to cutting and pasting all my reviews here, I can run a few NBW/NBS weekends of AALs I haven’t rated and perhaps conduct a personal side by side tournament of a few sessions to narrow down my gold silver and bronze AALs.

Right now, for those available here, my rankings in my mind and my rating numbers are Schlitz, Moosehead, Budweiser and Old Style. There are at least a dozen others I rate under 3.0.

 

I read this thread after getting a second “cheese” from Other Half in my Tavour box today, and since I want to stay up and drink, I now have my first entry in this thread.

Appearance: Both are very cloudy. Cheddar has dark orange hues, fluffy head and lacing. Gouda is slightly yellow, mild head and lacing. C: 4.5 G: 4

Smell: Cheddar: citrusy, lemon is strongest, also has mango, orange, tropical fruit. Gouda: pineapple, dank grassiness, piney, a bit earthy.
C: 4.5 G: 4.25

Taste: Cheddar: juicy-pineapple, orange, mango. Gouda: tangy pineapple, mildly piney, a slight aftertaste that reminds me of beers with oats.
C: 4.25 G: 4.5

Feel: Cheddar: creamy, medium bodied, slightly mouth watering finish, subtle alcohol presence. Gouda: light to medium bodied, crisp, dry finish, well disguised alcohol. C: 4.5 G: 4.5

Overall, Cheddar is much more complex due to the hop profile, but Gouda rounds out and becomes better as it warms, which is something I enjoy with IPAs. C: 4.5 G: 4.5

When it adds up, Cheddar ended up at 4.4 and Gouda ended at 4.41 to squeak out the win. I was surprised, as Cheddar seemed to be a more complete beer, but letting it warm and round out really helped Gouda.

Thanks for this thread, @cjgiant. I think I have more to try in here at some point.

And honestly, when I was drinking these, this video was running around in my mind.

 

John lost me at
“Venezuelan Beaver Cheese” I think he just made that up. Silly really.
But, then again… https://www.curiousnotions.com/rarest-cheese/

https://www.georgescoville.com/2022...-monty-pythons-famous-sketch-the-cheese-shop/

https://canadacheeseman.wordpress.com/2012/02/11/venezuelan-beaver-cheese/

And finally
https://www.cubacheese.com/

 

Reminds me of the commercials with the scantily clad, young, and fit college-age models playing beach-volleyball in the blazing sun, with a delicious-looking ice-cold tub of Coronas waiting for them, skunked. I note that line of commercials now features canned Coronas.

 

I have been revisiting AALs/trying new to me ones over the last few months, mostly light ones but some regulars mixed in, and the only skunked bottled Corona I had was a Light that was about a month from its BB date, all others were fine and I think the trick is to get it as fresh as possible. And I enjoy Corona Premier and wonder if Light is going to be sticking around, as they are pretty close with the calories/carbs with the edge to Premier so it would be easy to phase Light out.

 

I did this with friends years ago (I forget exactly which AAL's we had) only no light beers.

Corona came out on top for everyone (or just about everyone). It was done blind.

 

There in lies the issue I believe - inconsistency. If it's one thing Bud, Hamm's, Coors, etc. have down pat is consistency. We should never be concerned about purchase of Corona potentially having that aroma. Seems like an easy fix for them too. Make one wonder why they don't phase out the clear bottles over time.

 

The same issue with green bottles (e.g., Heineken), it is the marketing people that drive this. For the specific situation of Corona the marketing folks think (know?) that a clear bottle with a lime addition sells:

 

You're so right. It's crazy. Corona is the only beer one of my aunts will drink. Every holiday get together she brings Corona. I don't quite understand why the inconsistency isn't a turn off.

 

I guess I'm in the minority here, but I've never had a skunked Corona. I've had a skunked Heineken before. And I've left beer in the sun and definitely know what a skunked beer tastes like. It's really quite potent.

Does Corona use light resistant hops like Miller High Life?

 

Because the lime obfuscates the inconsistency?

Cheers!

 

If folks are wondering if Corona can get lightstruck (skunked) here is a video where they conducted an EX-BEER-IMENT with three bottles of Corona: one in direct sunlight, one under an umbrella and one in the box. The duration was 10 minutes. The discussion starts at the 4:20 mark. Listen to what Luke has to say.



This is an easy demonstration that anybody can repeat at home.

Cheers!

 

Keep in mind, I'm talking about the aroma not a flavor. I didn't get a skunky flavor. To me the skunky aroma in Corona is more subtle than Heineken but still notable and not a pleasant aroma I like in a beer. And it dissipates fairly quickly when you pour the beer in to a glass and then a begin to notice a slight metallic note. Then a floral hops and grainy malt aroma finally take over.

I don't doubt that's been your experience but mine has been the opposite. I've noted that smell more often than not in the past. It may be just a matter of subtlety and sensitivity to that aroma, which we know all of us have different levels of sensitivity to various aromas.

 

All of this recent discussion reminded me of a side-by-side tasting I conducted waaay back in 2017 as part of an AAL online beer tasting thread. For my contribution to that thread I decided to conduct a side-by-side tasting of my homebrewed Classic American Pilsner and a Corona. I was not motivated enough to purchased a six-pack of Corona so I just bought one can. I purposefully decided to buy Corona in the can to eliminate the potential aspect of skunking.



An extract from that tasting as concerns Corona:

“I split the 24 ounce can of Corona with my wife. Her first remark was “It smells funny”. When I wasn’t looking, she cut up a slice of lime and plopped it into her beer. When I took note of this and stated/asked “You put a lime in your Corona?” she replied: “This slice of lime is exactly what this beer needs.”

You can read the entirety of the side-by-side tasting here:

https://www.beeradvocate.com/commun...als-on-june-3-2017.512344/page-3#post-5476452

 

The Corona Light I mentioned earlier was skunked in smell and taste so my guess is it wasn't handled well + being close to the BB date. But yes in general when I drink Corona it is fine either with a lime (my preference) or without, and sometimes I add a little sea salt too.