I stood before some Beck's cans on the shelf yesterday while grocery shopping...........................left without one.
Been there, done that. But I might have convinced myself to chance one can. After all, yours is still brewed in Germany -- isn't it?
It's been probably been at least 20-25 years since I have had either beer...probably longer. On Sunday's, my wife and I would go to my parents for dinner with our young kids at the time. My data drank Heineken and Becks in the 70s and 80s with Sunday meal and I would occasionally join him, but by the 90 and into the new century, he had transitioned to Molson and Moosehead. Today, I would prefer a Pilsner Urquel over any of those beers.
Even as Beck's has dabbled in the zero calorie/almost no ABV/no ABV/fruit-infused forays, I always found the original Beck's to exhibit a bit more character than Heineken's. In fact, Heineken annoys me in a way I can only attribute to its profile flirting with water. This may be just a case of "to each (taste buds) his own, but I'd like to think it was more than the foil that attracted me... If we're talking Beck's Dark, well, no contest for me. Domingo, I haven't had a Heineken Dark before, and their website isn't showing it. I will have to keep a lookout--thanks for the suggestion.
I wouldn't put too much effort into looking for Heineken Special Dark in the US (OTOH, it's always fun to have an excuse to stop into another liquor store...), it seems to have disappeared from the US market about a decade and half ago. A Google search for Heineken USA (the corporate-owned, US based import division headquarted in NY) turns up a handful of phone numbers - I'd call them to find out the current status of the beer before spending much on gasoline.
I will always go with Heineken due to my late and beloved father. He was Cuban, I am of Cuban decent, and the man *loved* Heineken's. So much so he called them 'lagartiga verde' or in English - green lizards. That's how I order them, every so often, to honor him. The waiter or waitress look at me strangely, I smile, and tell them, "I'll have a Heineken." It's then, most of the time, that they get it...
Decades ago, when I traveled to sub-Saharan Sahel Africa for work, natives were proud to serve Heineken to guests, the only international beer available there at the time. I'm not a lager drinker and always found Heineken vile, but I graciously drank it. I usually drank the local lagers before Heineken when I had a choice. If I cared, I'd revisit it and give it a chance. I don't recall being impressed by Beck's either.
Out of the two, I've only ever tried Heineken, but it was so bitter and skunky that I couldn't take more than a few sips of it, and it triggered a gag reflex every time That said though, if Beck's is less bitter/skunky, I might look into trying it out of sheer curiosity, but it would be a bottom priority beer for me lmao
German Beck's is def. more bitter than Heineken. They're both skunked as they mostly come in Green Bottles, though both are available canned.
Oof. Ahh well. I guess as far as pale Euro lagers go, I'm fine with Carlsberg for now. I just wish it was more readily available in my area lol
Not really what the poll asked, but… Carlsberg Stella Artois Grolsch Water Heineken Beck’s If I’m considering either Heineken or Beck’s, I’ve already had too much to drink and should have water instead. Honestly though, I’ve recently had Beck’s, pursuant to the “Stella or Beck’s” thread. It was reasonably fresh, and I could tell it was well-made. But I still didn’t like it.
Did you have some bad run-in with a Heineken fan in your past? Because honestly, it's really not that bad a beer when fresh -- and it's pretty much on-par with the three you listed above water. A blind tasting of the 4 beers would probably shock you.
Let’s just say Heineken has taught me to not inhale while I’m drinking it. That way I can’t smell the skunk and taste it even less.
