Founders announces Solid Gold Lager

Already did above: Pabst, Miller Lite, Miller High Life, Hamm's, Coors Banquet.

Obviously it's personal preference, but I would be willing to be in a blind tasting that at least High Life, Miller Lite, Old Style, and Pabst would all beat Solid Gold.

This is without considering more regional brands that are still cheaper and better like Leinenkugel's Original, Rainier, Lone Star, Champagne Velvet, Narragansett, Schell's Deer Brand, Iron City, National Bohemian, Stroh's, etc.

Solid Gold is not bad, but it's not great even within the AAL style. Clearly your opinion differs, but I would urge you to do a blind tasting (even just with Pabst, High Life, Hamm's, and Solid Gold) to confirm what you think, because there is no way you can really know unless you challenge your preconceived notions with as unbiased a comparison as possible.

 

COMPLETELY agree with all of this, wish more brewers would follow Firestone Walker and just start nailing traditional german styles. This is still CRAFT beer, isn't it? People have proven they'll pay for quality. So stop half assing these AAL beers and go make a beer you can be proud of.

 

Thanks.

Just for the record, I like AALs a lot, though, and I think a craft AAL at the right price would be great. It's just really hard to beat the big guys at their own game, so I'm not sure it's going to happen all that often.

Of course I want more German lagers, though, too, and Czech as well, please.

 

Iron City. Lmfao. Your drunk.

 

I went out of my way to be non-combative, so I don't know why you decided to be childish about it. I clearly stated it was my opinion. You're welcome to yours as well.

Also, way to pick out just one of the thirteen brands that I mentioned (and one of the worst of the bunch, in my own opinion, though still at least as good as Solid Gold, again in my opinion). Do you care to address any of the other points I made, or are you someone that decides if there's one thing we vehemently disagree on that all the rest of my points are invalid?

Finally, at least I can choose the proper "you're," drunk or not (I'm not).

 

Naragansett
Genesee
Schlitz
PBR
Old Style
Hamms

 

An English Mild is rarely brewed and would be “something different”. But I think the driving force for Founders here is money.

4 cans left in your four pack huh?

It’s so there’s no fingerprints. Don’t want your craft buddies finding out you’ve been drinking an AAL.

I thought you preferred Miller over Bud products during a blind tasting?

 

Sorry to be unclear. I meant negative associations with the taste itself (drinking too many, drinking it warm out in the woods, drinking it out of a half oxidized keg) not with the brand.

 

11 packs of Pilsner Urquell?

 

I agree that it's all about personal preference. However, I honestly think the differences in flavor between beers within this style are so subtle that personal preference is strongly influenced [positively or negatively] by many factors other than flavor, like marketing in ads or packaging, price, prior experience/memories/nostalgia, regional preferences, ownership, opinions of friends/family, online communities, etc. We like to believe the flavor we taste is empirical and scientific, but flavor forms in the mind and so subject to all the potential pitfalls of the mind. The mind does well categorizing flavors of things that taste very different from each other, but when many things taste very similar (like the myriad of AAL beer options) the mind will grasp at other factors to differentiate them; factors that we might not be consciously aware of.

Also, regarding price comparisons, it's been said already that Solid Gold's price is comparable to other premium beers that are competing just fine in the AAL/macro markets, like Corona, Modelo, Stella Artois, Heineken, etc. Only comparing Solid Gold prices to Hamms, Pabst, Miller Lite, etc. is cherry-picking data to some degree. But to be fair and to not pick on you overly much, when I tried Solid Gold, I thought to myself do I like this enough to justify paying twice as much as Hamms? ...No, I do not. So, I do understand the price comparisons, but I think you also have to Solid Gold's price in the full context of the industry. Which leads to my next thought...

Don't forget that the AAL market is massive and not completely immune to consumer trends towards "local" and "craft" beer. Within that massive market there may be percentage of consumers willing to pay a price comparable to Corona, Modelo, Stella Artois, Heineken, etc. if they perceive Founders better satisfies their needs. It would only take a small sliver of the massive AAL market pie to make Solid Gold a success for Founders.

 

Solid Gold is just totally over-priced for its style - here, a 6-pk of it is the exact same price as a 12-pk of Hamm's - which, yes, is better.

For the exact same price, Firestone Lager tastes wayyyyy better.

 

It doesn't matter to me how Founders tries to position it the flavor just isn't there for my taste.

 

I agree with your overall point (especially about the role of unconscious factors) but think you might be overstating how similar AAL's taste just a tad. When I did a blind tasting of Bud, Miller High Life, and Modelo Especiale, I was surprised to find that Miller tasted half decent, Bud tasted exactly like my stereotype of an AAL, and Modelo tasted downright strange. Leaving preference aside I don't think they'd be very hard to differentiate in a triangle test (though I should try that before I get cocky, heh). And my gut is that there isn't that much less of a difference than there is between the hundreds of mid-tier west coast* (broadly speaking) IPAs and pale ales that have been produced which have a lot of similarity when you get down to it.

I also really agree with your point about the AAL market not being as monolithic as people here often make it out to be. As you say, if even 5% of AAL drinkers are willing to be swayed or experiment within the style, that's a huge group of potential customers to cater to.

*I'm only singling out West Coast because they were so ubiquitous for so long. No IPA wars intended here.

 

I agree with you here. I think one thing worth keeping in mind is that some posters in this thread (such as myself) are looking at this from a broader market perspective (since I have an interest in all things beer including its marketing and sales), while others are looking at it from the standpoint of their own personal preferences/purchasing habits. Both perspectives can add something to the discussion, as long as one can distinguish one from the other.

Posters who have found Hamm's to be a good deal (intentionally sold as such by MillerCoors) will point out the price difference and the value which can be had for less. In a way they are gaming the system (of beer marketing/pricing) to their personal benefit. That's a perspective which I can relate to, and respect, of wanting to find the best beer for the money within a particular beer style (whilst recognizing that the cheapest beer is never the best value, at least in my personal experience).

But the picture would be incomplete if we solely considered these consumers and their sentiments, which is why I've tried to bring up the questions of market segments (subpremium/premium), pricing ladders and different packaging formats.

 

Ounce for Ounce, we have to remember some imports are still using 11.2 oz Bottles. So for a comparison same, it's a 12 PK being sold But not in it's true nature, so I tend to look at the lost 9.6 ounces as just a missing beer.

 

I agree with some of your post, but having actually done a blind tasting of many of the major AALs (haven't posted about it yet but will be doing so soon), I can say that there are actually a lot of differences, especially between the major ones. I did not find the differences between the usual AAL suspects to be subtle at all in a blind tasting, and I was surprised by my findings for the most part.

I also do not agree that Solid Gold is competing in the same category as Heineken, Stella, et al, since those are Euro lagers and taste distinctly different to my palate.

I would be willing to accept Solid Gold in the same category as many of the Mexican lagers, since those that aren't in the Vienna tradition are certainly just AALs that happen to come from Mexico.

 

Hah. Crying about the lack of English milds....you must be reading my other posts

Of course the driving force is money. That’s the point of business right? AAL is still an unpopular style for craft brewers, despite the new-age lager renaissance we’re in the midst of (and despite how much I agree with you.)

By the way, let’s get even more specific and say English Pale Milds. I’ve seen plenty of English dark milds like Notch (they still make a mild, right?), Yards Brawler, Dragoon Stronghold Session, my local spot Tonewood makes good one....heck even Magic Hat just released a “Pub Ale” slightly in the dark mild style.

TL;DR, haven’t seen any US brewed pale milds yet.

 

I drank 3 beers today- Solid Gold, Sam 76 and a Miller Lite. Have to say Solid Gold is last of the three. Had high hopes and it just doesn't do it for me.

 

Think you're going to need to stop teasing folks and write up your blind AAL test.

FWIW, I agree that there's a huge range in quality that I honestly didn't understand until intentionally buying some AALs recently, from actively unpleasant (for me, Natty Ice/Light), to mediocre and inoffensive (Bud, Keystone Light), to actually decent (PBR, Hamm's, Miller Lite).

Gotta disagree with you about Stroh's and Schlitz though. I found both of those zombie brands incredibly similar side-by-side and worse than my par mediocre AAL (Bud heavy). I haven't tried many of the others you mention and haven't had some in years (Banquet, Narragansett). Have also been unadventurous with imports. Decided I didn't like Corona early, but that I did like Negra Modelo, and never revisited the subject since Negra is my default order at Mexican restaurant, etc. Looking forward to your write-up!

 

Hogwash.