Bias for US Beer?

What I posted previously on the topic of Westmalle Tripel"

You made specific mention of “Haven't had a great tripel that can stand up to Belgian”. I certainly agree with that from a packaged beer perspective. About 1-2 years ago a local brewpub (Iron Hill – Phoenixville) made a Tripel they called Schelde Tripel. They used a Wyeast VSS strain to make that beer. The Schelde Tripel was OUTSTANDING! It was most certainly equivalent to Westmalle Tripel (my favorite Tripel). Unfortunately this beer was only on for 1-2 months (but I got my fair share of that awesome beer).

Cheers!

 

Did you even read my post? I said the QUANTITY of great beers pales in comparison. I did not say the QUALITY pales in comparison. Reading comprehension ftw!

 

The quantity you have tried, or the quantity that exists?

 

Fresh Fresh Fresh Fresh Fresh. Freshness really is THAT important. If there were German Lagers I could find that were anywhere near as fresh as lagers made here, I'd be ALL over that! But there aren't... Belgian beer I adore and I almost never chose an American interpretation over an actual Belgian, though I do love what places like Allagash do! Belgian IPAs thought... same problem. The few times I come across a fresh German Lager, international IPA/etc, I jump on it and it's usually really good (from trusted brewers). It just comes back down to freshness.

 

I responded to you in a similar vein, and I did read your post properly. You only mention two breweries and one specific beer - all Belgian, all highly sought after by beer geeks, and all attainable (at varying degrees of cost and/or effort) to people based in the US.

Germany and the UK get no mention. Both countries make lots of fantastic beer that doesn't make it to the US in any form. The UK has over a thousand breweries (per capita I believe it's ahead of the US - can't find reliable up to date numbers for each country, but if I'm wrong it's still going to be very close) of which only a handful make it to the US (usually the more generic ones). There is great new beer being pumped out all the time.

So my question was - what was the basis for you saying Europe pales in comparison? Have you lived and travelled there extensively? Or is this based on what you can find in stores on the US?

 

Of course I did. You're still completely off-base when it comes to European beer. You could also very easily find American breweries that are both good and limited by their production capabilities in terms of quantity.

 

This, this is an American site, made by Americans (I believe that the bro.s are from Boston IIRC), with a primarily American membership - it would only make sense that on this site that the views that are most prominent are those that reflect an American or North American sensibility. I would say that there is also a sizable portion of Canadians on this site as well given that we're basically neighbours both culturally and geographically - but given the vast differences in raw population sizes between the two nations, it's easy to see why Canada isn't quite so well represented either in this population.

please excuse any typos in this post, I'm smoking up some nice back ribs and having a few glasses of beer and mead for my last non-work day before my last year at university this afternoon.

 

If I lived in Belgium, I wouldn't give a crap about American beer. If I lived in Germany I could quickly go to England for some great ale. Stella and Palm sell like crazy in Belgium and dwarf the sales of all of the rest of what Belgians might buy. Duvel is available on trains, just about everywhere in certain places and works just fine for me. Great German and Austrian beers beers lurk all across the two countries and are not hard to find if you wander away from tourist meccas. I love what's happening here on the US scene, experiment, and drink lots of different styles, new brands, and know that some great world beers will continue to emerge from within our borders. I just wish more Americans would beef up on world history and gain a greater respect for the cultures that produced us, our unique laws, and the freedom we think we invented. And God bless American beers!

 

“Stella and Palm sell like crazy in Belgium and dwarf the sales of all of the rest of what Belgians might buy.”

It is my understanding that the top selling beer in Belgium is Jupiler. When I was in Brussel there were signs and advertisements for Jupiler everywhere. I had one bottle of Jupiler and thought to myself: why all the hub-bub for this beer? I had my first Duvel and my first Saison at a Belgian café; now those were beers worthy of admiration IMO.

Cheers!

 

For me, it's been a while. That Juliper is now possibly king of the euro-lagers in Belgium is news to me and surely good for them. In fact, I'd likely drink a few just to check it out. Just to cross borders from England to Holland (by boat), to meander through The Netherlands, Belgium, maybe into France, then Germany, is a good beer reference experience for anyone who loves beer. Duvel and La Chouffe stay strong in my memory.

 

“When I was in Brussel there were signs and advertisements for Jupiler everywhere. I had one bottle of Jupiler and thought to myself: why all the hub-bub for this beer?”

That was from the 1990’s.

It is my understanding that Jupiler is still presently (2014) the top selling beer in Belgium.

Maybe somebody from Belgium has more details here; has Jupiler been the top selling beer in Belgium for the past 2+ decades?

I suspect the answer to my question above is yes.

Cheers!

 

That's a bit recent for me (90s) for Belgium. I'll have to fix that now. Or, better said, "Why go to Asheville when Brussels calls?" I love Asheville for many reasons beyond beer, Belgium too. Cheers.

 

Freshness is nice, for sure, but not really a deal-breaker to me. So many of the German styles- whether they be Dunkels, Bocks of all sizes and colors, Schwartzbiers, Helles, etc.- are on such a higher plane (pre-bottling) than their domestic counterparts, and so well-packaged, that I get much more satisfaction from them, even if they are not 'at their best'.

Some styles seems to be more time-sensitive (like Pils, Alt, Kolsch, Hefeweizen), so my window is shorter for them, but usually 6 months has been pretty reliable for the bulk of what I've had.

 

Um, Cheers to you too?

 

Michael, I just gotta ask. Is Helles a time sensitive beer for you or not?

Cheers!

Jack

 

Six-month old Spaten Helles in the green bottle is a better representation of the style than any U.S. version brewed today. (And, yes, I have had fresh Sly Fox.)

 

I am just going by my own experiences, but I have had many Hacker-Pschorr bottles that old that weren't really all that 'off'. It may be that it doesn't rely all that much on the hops, in addition to the pasteurization process used, but for some reason those beers have held up well.

The same style packaged in a different way might very well give a different result, but I have no real issues with the Munich-brewed Helles I've had at that age limit.

If that's the one I sent, from your description I still think it was a bum can you got. If you've had a fresher one since then, then that's cool. In any event, I know where to find the dates now, and am going to be more careful about which ones I buy.

 

See, I don't buy that either. Ever hear of someone saying they got a bum can of Urquell or a bum bottle of Spaten? I haven't (ever heard such or gotten one). The fact is, the Spaten is a better crafted Munich Helles from top to bottom, regardless of age. Perhaps a fresher version of the Sly Fox would taste better than the one I had, but the overall profile of that beer just doesn't come anywhere close to touching even the macro versions of the originals.

EDIT: As the Germany-dwelling BA @boddhitree said of the Sly Fox: it's very disappointing; almost like an Oettinger. Sadly, I have to agree with him.

 

Well, I'm not really disputing which one is better crafted, but I do remember your describing it in not-so-flattering terms, which didn't match the beer I have come to enjoy. I think your opinion would go up a bit after a better sample, that's all.

One of these days I'm going to have to try an Oettinger, too- even if it's just to get a better sense on where you guys are coming from.

 

Yea, I know it's pretty harsh to be so less-than-complimentary about a beer one receives as a gift (BTW, I finally have that Frueh Bock...plus some Olde Meck Mecktoberfest...coming back your way in return), but the Sly Fox Helles was a major disappointment. That said, the Troegs Sunshine Pils held its own....