Hadn’t had Becks in years until I was on a cruise in Tahiti last summer. It was one of the better beers since the selection wasn’t great. Heineken is a solid pale lager assuming there aren’t better choices. If it isn’t skunked it has a nice malt character to it that’s lacking in other mass produced lagers. I don’t think the skunk flavor is intended since you don’t get it on tap or from cans. It’s not like Rolling Rock which purposely brews the beer to have that flawed creamed corn flavor because fans like and expect it.
This is pretty much my take as well, though I just ascribed the change in perception to palate shift. I mostly drink draught beer these days, so there's no skunky flavor for me to pick up with Heineken. It's been years since I drank bottled Heineken, and I agree the beer did seem to have more flavor and to be a bit hoppier back in the day. The mild skunkiness I sometimes encountered really didn't bother me all that much either. I felt like it just came with the territory if I was drinking Heineken. Granted, this was back in the 70s and 80's, when my hopes and expectations weren't very high.
Any idea where it was brewed? Since you were that far from the U.S., I have to wonder if it wasn't imported from Germany. But who knows with AB-InBev.
Is there a significant difference In the German brewed version and the American brewed version to you, personally? This always intrigued me as I have read comments on here from some claiming there’s little, if any difference, while others say it’s virtually an entirely different beer
No way to truly know as they've never been available simultaneously to try side-by-side. Maybe when the US-brewed was originally introduced and there was old stock on the shelves, but I didn't bother. I used to drink Beck's a lot back in the late '70s because I had an "in" with the local distro and paid wholesale prices. In more recent years I had only tried it once in a while and it seemed to have lost some of its original appeal. However, my palate had matured in those years and I was more educated about beer style characters, so it could be my own perception. As to the modern US-brewed version, I don't know if I'm all that interested in investing time and money to assess a reformulated recipe -- too many sure things on shelves to choose from.
Heineken's rather basic FAQ still reads, as it has for many years (emphasis added): A former BA, Peter_Wolfe, now long gone (from this site and AB, IIRC), used to work for Anheuser-Busch in their labs. Here's what he wrote about US-brewed Beck's10 years ago, with emphasis on the possibility of it becoming lightstruck (as originally written, don't blame me for the huge paragraph ) : Beck's is still managed by the Bremen folks. It is being brewed in St Louis also, but the Bremen folks handle the taste approvals, etc. (we ship them samples from St Louis continually). It uses their yeast, obviously, and a special lower protein German style malt we make specifically for Beck's to match their malt profile. Skunking is always an issue whenever you use a green bottle. One of the problems with a beer like this is people that have been drinking the import for years have differing ideas of what it should taste like. Some expect a slight lightstruck character and if it's not there, accuse us of changing the beer. Others, like yourself apparently, realize the lightstruck character is not necessarily a positive thing and prefer their beer without it. I know we certainly don't try and "pre-skunk" or anything like that, but the beer is definitely vulnerable to being skunked if not handled well. The box has little handle cutouts that should remain closed until the final customer uses them on their way to their car/home, but sometimes they get poked open. The box also has a slight gap in the top to allow people to open the flaps more easily but can also let some light in. If you got a skunky box, I'd be happy to replace it for you - even though some drinkers prefer it that way that's not the flavor profile we are trying to put into the market.
Considering the use of a "special malt" produced by AB for the beer, I'd doubt it's really the same beer. German malt is a big factor in their beer and I've had very few German-style beers brewed in the US that have matched the characters well.
Gotta wonder about transporting samples back to Bremen for approval; how well that worked, how discerning the Beck's people were, and if it's still part of the process.
I haven't seen Heineken Dark in decades. We used it in our Bleu cheese dressing at a restaurant I worked at long ago. The Tarwebock was pretty awesome at the time of its limited release as well. Heineken on tap, in Gibraltar decades ago was also much better than the light struck green bottles we get in the states. It was one of my most memorable beers, as I was young, and parched.
Oh God, I haven't had the displeasure of choking down a Rolling Rock in ages. Even their "Rolling Rock Bock" was piss water, but was a step in the right direction. It's no wonder it didn't stick around long.
I don't think Beck’s is good in Germany either FWIW. It's technically well made obviously, but it is too highly attenuated and tastes thin and overly dry. Most of the big Pils brands are. Not surprising when you see the rock bottom prices they have to sell for in their home market.
I think that is the fundamental issue. In today’s economy with high prices, the German consumers still demand low prices for their beer. It seems to me that the only way that German breweries can meet this demand and stay in business (i.e., remain profitable) is to ‘cut corners’ which include lessening the amounts of malt and hops to brew their beers. Cheers!
