Bias for US Beer?

It's a huge bias. I don't see it to the same extent in wine, for example, though there is some bias to be found there as well.

It also has a lot to do with style preference.

Always puzzling that people will seriously deny that homerism exists, both nationally and locally.

 

There's an obvious bias for American beer on this site (and even more so than on that other site, where more of the users are non-American)! A lot of the reasons are all ready mantioned above, but I think transport/freshness and cost plays a big role. Also the beers tend to get more hyped in the US, it seems. And when a beer is hyped, it gets higher ratings. That's just how it is!

Of course, a lot of beer is brewed in the US, and a lot of it's even great. But with more than 1k breweries just in the UK, the ammount of operations is even greater elsewhere. And they brew great beer as well. Even American IPA's and RIS's, of which some of the greatest are British, Danish and Norwegian.

Sure, the US brewers have been leading innovators the last couple of decades, but Scandinavia have played a great game as well. And Britain, Italy and now even Germany are experimenting more than ever, and brewing some excellent beers. The Belgians ar maybe not that adveturous, but why should they be when they have cracked the code centuries ago!

 

Hmm, I guess more and more European brewers are also biased in favor of modern American style brewing, just as we homers are, and for the same reasons, as you point out; innovation, experimenting, and brewing some excellent beers

 

I don't order random beers, friend. If I want to know what style the beer is, I ask the bartender. If they cant speak English, I'll have a Stella

 

True, but does that matter? The bland or "cheap" stuff pretty much dominates everywhere (even if it is to different degrees).

Yeah, I don't find that to be too accurate. Yeah, the newer breweries are often emulating these styles - the traditional quality breweries often don't. As for export vs. domestic sales I'd have to see some numbers to comment.

Not entirely correct as the purity law is techncially not a law in that sense anymore. It's got more to do with labelling and marketing nowadays. It's certainly true though that the RHG has had some detrimental effects - not surprising considering it's a leftover of mercantilism/protectionism.

To a certain degree, possibly. Otherwise I'm not sure that other countries can't be similarly experimental/have fun with what they're doing. Teo Musso, Birrifico, various gypsy brewers would strike me as relatively experimental, too. Then it would also be questionable whether everyone who wants "quality beer" wants something "flashy" and "in your face"/"strange".

I do think Scandinavia, Italy, GB - possibly also the Netherlands have their fair share of experimentalism. Not sure whether I'd call that "random", though. There's usually a concept to it.

 

BA is an American site and most members are Americans.

 

Not only is there a US bias (Dark Lord is better than Orval), but those who have explored beer the least beyond their own borders are typically the ones defending this bias the loudest.

 

+1,000

 

That's a pretty limited view of the USA. Sad that you think we only stand out for big dopey imperial stouts and IPAs.

 

I don't know, consider that this site is made by Americans, and the majority of its users happen to also be American. Do the math.
But, to answer your question from the perspective of a beer drinker who doesn't pay any attention to the sports related edge these silly stats and top lists so many tickers, whale hunters and fanboys fall over themselves for.
Yes, the vast majority of the beer I buy is American. It nearly always has been, and will remain so. It doesn't mean I don't like imports. It's just, why should I care about them when I have so many options made here, in America. I may go to them for reference purposes, or to enjoy "the real thing." but it is such a small part of my overall buying patterns that it is more an anomaly they are bought at all.

 

Dark Lord is better than Orval? Hamburgers are better than hats

 

True, but then on the other hand, to lay it all to homerism is to deny the importance of freshness and the detrimental effects of bottling and transportation for hundreds or thousands of miles. It really is the case that the old saying "beer tastes best within sight of the brewery" is generally true for beer, and true more so for beer than for wine, some of which is deliberately meant to be consumed years after it is made.

Indeed, a frequent theme raised on this site by multiple BAs, both American and European, with a good deal of travel experience is that you have to go to the source of the beer to fully appreciate it. (For example, many argue that to get a true sense of Kolsch it must be both brewed and consumed in Cologne or that to fully appreciate Rauchbier it must be at the source in Bamburg.) Given that that seems true for and within a continent such as Europe it's not surprising it should also have some truth for and within the US as well. (Indeed I remember quite well a freshness blind tasting result reported a while back by an experienced BA who found a striking difference between freshly bottled Boston Lager and some only a couple of months old.)

 

I'm biased, because I'm British, but these threads (regardless of the intention of the OP) end up being more frustrating than Pliny vs Heady.

I buy mostly American beer because - holy shit - I live in America and I like to drink what's fresh and/or local. If/when I move back to the UK then....can you guess what's coming...I will buy mostly British beer.

 

Gee, you freshness freaks are all alike, and I bet that you've also reviewed more US beers than British beers too...

 

I'm mainly commenting on the common perception that America is the only country with this problem. We may have the worst bland pilsners, but everyone else has them, too.

The other comment was mostly on new breweries. The old traditional breweries (at least, those that have survived, we could have a long conversation about German styles such as Berliner Weisse and Dortmunder or the near-death of Belgian Witbiers to see how craft beer has struggled in these countries) have no reason to emulate American craft breweries because quite frankly they're better at their styles than American craft breweries. However, beer isn't just about perfecting old styles, it's also about taking it in new directions.

And Belgium exports 60% of its beer. I don't think Germany is as much of a beer export country; they're supported better by domestic consumption.

Obviously there's still great beer in these countries. I'm actually going to Belgium in October and I'm very much looking forward to trying everything I can get my hands on.

Oh, and one other thing that people may be ignoring is that the #1 thing pumping beers up the ratings is big flavor in DIPAs and stouts. A lot of international beer styles more heavily emphasize crispness and drinkability. I don't know if the top American beers would be knocked down even if you removed the freshness factor, because the goals of international breweries and American breweries aren't always the same.

 

I haven't seen very many people mention the PRICE:QUALITY ratio as a factor.

As an American BA, I think that there are many great imports that I would buy more often, if they were CHEAPER, but the American craft beers are just as good (albeit in usually different styles) for a lower cost.

I have no quality bias - BSDAs are my favorite style

 

all I know is belgian beer board does not list any USA beers on it.

As a long time traveler of course we have a bias. Just as so many say we do it better etc. Remember this. there are maybe 2 styles of beer, that we invented and the rest we cloned. Who did we clone? Europe. I never saw Belgium, German and the UK beer decline that much to say you could not find good beer.

discounting imports.

Its a matter of opinion on the best BTW, none of my lists has any USA beer in them until about 60 out the top 250 or so.

To each his/her own.

I try to keep an open mind. when I taste a new beer its the beer not who or where it was made that I judge.

discount the AA lager folks. They don't count, lol

99% of members are USA, its a USA web site. go figure.

 

I think it is directly related to the "support local" mindset that small craft breweries portray. Folks are getting more and more into craft beer these days and it isn't hard to find a local brewing co that produces great beers. I do not necessarily think people would not enjoy imported brews should they try them, but why bother when you can get great brews right down the street?

 

Exactly. Take Thornbridge Jaipur IPA for example (picking it because I like it, and it's available in bottles in the US)

Would I drink a pint from a well kept cask in a British pub for around $4 when I'm back in the UK? Absolutely.

Would I buy a bottle (which is a dumbed down alternative to the cask version at the best of times) of questionable age for around $7-8 here in NYC, when I can ride my bike 6 blocks to Other Half brewery in Brooklyn, and get one of their fantastic IPAs fresh from the source for the equivalent of around $3.50-4.00 a pint?

Duh

 

That is true. For all of the great beers in Belgium, their best selling beers are Euro pilsners by a pretty large margin.
Looking at what the best selling beers are around the world, I'd say Radeberger and Urquell might be the best of 'em, though.