Bias for US Beer?

Discussion in 'Beer Talk' started by Wobbly, Aug 27, 2014.

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  1. Wobbly

    Wobbly Initiate (0) Oct 4, 2013 Missouri

    Just curious what others think. My take is that the majority of folks on Beer Advocate have a strong bias towards U.S. made beer and styles popular in the U.S. right now (especially DIPA's and Imperial Stouts). Consider that of the Top 20 highest rated beers in the current Top 250 Beers on BA, only two come from outside the U.S. (both Belgium). Of the top 50, only 5 are from other countries (all Belgium). Of the current top 10, nine are either Imperial/American Double Stouts or DIPA's. Now, in some cases, imported beers may not be accessible for people. But I have to imagine that for the many fans of Russian River, the Alchemist, and Hill Farmstead, that is not the case. Thoughts?
     
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  2. lonewolf371

    lonewolf371 Initiate (0) Apr 27, 2014 Michigan

    People often paint bland lagers as an American problem, but relatively cheap pilsners actually dominate beers in most countries, including Belgium and Germany. The fact that the craft breweries starting up in these countries are trying to emulate American business models suggests the bias factor, if there is one, correlates well with actual quality. Even in Belgium, craft beer is largely an export industry.
     
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  3. ODYSEYY

    ODYSEYY Initiate (0) Jul 30, 2013 Ohio

    Most BA's are American...
     
  4. PapaGoose03

    PapaGoose03 Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,057) May 30, 2005 Michigan
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah

    I suspect that there a fair number of BAs who focus on imports because they've found some that they really like, but for me, early on in my 'fancy' beer career I shied away from imports. The reason was that the ones that I tried seemed stale, which I assumed was a result of a 'long boat trip' to get here, and also because imports were probably sitting on the store shelf longer because the price was generally higher for them, thus minimal demand. Since then I've never really gotten back to trying to get imports into my drinking regimen.
     
  5. Bitterbill

    Bitterbill Grand High Pooh-Bah (7,036) Sep 14, 2002 Wyoming
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah

    Yeah, there's a definite bias going on re big beers but my bias boils down to the freshness factor.
     
  6. surfcaster

    surfcaster Initiate (0) Apr 20, 2013 North Carolina
    Trader

    Sure--American all the way for for IPAs and Imperial stouts.

    Nobody, NOBODY makes a Roch 10 or Westmalle Tripel and I has gots to have one sometimes.
     
  7. John_Beeryman

    John_Beeryman Initiate (0) Jul 19, 2014 Virginia

    I have no such bias, American beers just have more diversity and greater availability.
     
  8. russpowell

    russpowell Grand High Pooh-Bah (8,292) May 24, 2005 Arkansas
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    So many imports I see around here are more expensive, less fresh & generally just beat up. I lived 8 years in Germany & the UK, I know what most are supposed to taste like under better TLC & less travel. It usually takes something really good to move off the American offerings. Now when I go to the east coast find a good store, I'm willing to roll the dice a little more..
     
  9. bubseymour

    bubseymour Grand Pooh-Bah (4,800) Oct 30, 2010 Maryland
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    American craft brewers may have more home runs but also a lot more strike outs using a baseball analogy, but there are just so many more beers and choices of styles today across our 50 states. I think in UK, Belguim and Germany you'll get alot more likelihood of base hits, a few home runs but not nearly as many strikeouts at all. Walk into a random bar in the US and choose any random craft beer from their taps. Quite a lot of risk of it not being a very good beer. Do the same random beer selection in a pub in UK, Belgium or Germany and I'd bet the odds are a little better in your favor over there.
     
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  10. amalburg

    amalburg Initiate (0) Jan 7, 2014 Michigan

    I take pride in our beer. It is so easy to buy. There is such a variety.

    I was told by a German (not much of a beer drinker) that American beer was way better than German beer because of their purity laws. Brewers in America get to have more fun with their recipes and I want to try strange beer (for example: Right Brains Spear 'asparagus' beer / Beet Saison). American brewers are in a bit of a renaissance where they can brew anything crazy and find a market for it. That's my thought / bias.

    Do other countries experiment with random ingredients as much as we do? My understanding of this could be very wrong.
     
  11. JackHorzempa

    JackHorzempa Grand Pooh-Bah (3,375) Dec 15, 2005 Pennsylvania
    Society Pooh-Bah

    You have an interesting analogy between home runs and strikes (and hits in between). Because of social media (both electronic and in person) I have found it very easy to 'find' the home runs (and triples and doubles) and avoid the strike outs and singles. The fact is that there is a lot of US craft brewed home runs (and triples and doubles) out there. I think that maybe in another 10 years I may get a chance to try them all (and needless to say avoid the strike outs and singles). There really is so much good US made beer available right now.

    I also enjoy drinking beers imported from Europe when I can find them fresh. It takes some effort and luck to find fresh European brewed beer but I do find it from time to time. When I can't find it there are tons of well made US brewed beers to buy.

    Oh, and then there is homebrewed beer. Lots of that in the US (in my basement).

    Its all good!

    Cheers!
     
  12. beerme411

    beerme411 Initiate (0) Sep 28, 2010 California

    1. Most BA's are American/Canadian
    2. Import selection is limited compared to U.S. selection(we don't get many hyped up non-North American walez)
    3. Long transportation of imports and low turnover leads to lower quality
    4. Outside of the U.S. doesn't produce as many beers that climb the charts here (hyped, limited quantity, special release, etc.)
    5. Most BA's are American/Canadian
     
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  13. riverlen

    riverlen Pundit (852) Sep 16, 2009 Illinois

    I've drunk a lot of imports over the years and in fact recently had some German beers. The craft beers that are my regulars offer more of what I want in a beer, i.e. great taste, and being fresher doesn't hurt. There is very little reason for me to go back to imports now. I've never had an import that comes anywhere close to matching, let alone besting, a Bells Amber or Two Hearted, a Dogfish Head 60 or 90 minute or Aprilhop. And the list goes on and on. Being able to support US businesses and workers is a bonus.
     
  14. Brolo75

    Brolo75 Grand Pooh-Bah (3,134) Aug 10, 2013 California
    Pooh-Bah

    How about state bias? I think California breweries make the some of the best beers :wink:
     
  15. MarkGamber

    MarkGamber Initiate (0) Nov 17, 2013 Pennsylvania

    I dunno...once upon a time I was all about imports because all American (and Canadian) beer seemed pretty much the same. I drank a lot of UK, German and Japanese imports. Then I quit drinking so I could quit smoking and when I started drinking again, there was such a huge variety of really good US beer that I just didn't see a point to spending the extra cash for an import. I got a case of Heady Topper two days after it was canned...no import is ever going to match that for freshness, if not taste!
     
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  16. Billet

    Billet Pundit (794) Dec 17, 2013 Michigan

    I simply prefer to buy beer brewed locally to me (same state), although I do make some exceptions...
     
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  17. SammyJaxxxx

    SammyJaxxxx Initiate (0) Feb 23, 2012 New Jersey

    U-S-A, U-S-A, U-S-A!!!!!
    What bias?
    There is no bias
     
  18. mungbeans

    mungbeans Initiate (0) May 27, 2007 Massachusetts

    I go by taste.
     
  19. palmdalethriller

    palmdalethriller Zealot (624) Dec 26, 2007 California

    Yeah, I'd have to say there's definitely a bias in the rankings, but it makes sense. In order to be truly objective, you'd have to drink and rate beers in a totally blind fashion. I don't think that the majority of BAs are trying to promote American beer over European (or otherwise) beers, but at a subconscious level we all have many biases on a variety of subjects. So yeah, of course there's a bias. If anything, the facts presented in the original post state that clearly enough.
     
  20. cyrushire

    cyrushire Initiate (0) May 25, 2012 Florida

    I was guilty of bias for a very long time. Now I'll try anything from anywhere at least once.
     
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