Controversial Beer Opinions Thread

A suggestion for you.

Go a place that sells singles and buy a fairly fresh bottle of Victory's Prima Pils and a bottle of Bud Light. Now get two glasses. Pour the Victory into one glass. Pour the Bud into the second glass. (Or find a bar that has both on offer.)

Look at the two side-by-side and see if you can see any differences.
Smell each one and see if you can smell any differences (start with the Bud).
Taste each one and see if you can taste any differences (again, start with the Bud).

If you can see, smell and taste any differences you too can and do have an amazing palate and with a bit of time invested in learning/practicing you too have the ability to pick up at least some of those tiny flavor differences.

BTW, If by chance you can't see, smell and taste any differences between a Prima Pils and a Bud Light then you may want to have a chat with your family physician.

 

Or, better yet, do it with Bud Light and Schlenkerla Urbock.

 

Can the Urbock be easily found in western PA outside of da burgh?

 

I don't know about "easily", but it's certainly out there.

 

Shouldn't "Craft AAL" be an oxymoron? I mean why would you craftily make a shitty beer?

 

Craft refers to how well a beer is made and I'm much more concerned with the skill of the brewer than his choice of ingredients.

 

I think Apple Brandy BA beers are gross.

 

They're fine if they don't bark, and leave me alone.

 

First I'm not interested at all in the tasteless lagers, I went only for the ales.

Second, I was seeking out the tastier varieties. I was not interested in mild tasteless ales any more than tasteless lagers. I certainly had whatever cask ale was available as well as any strong ale, porter or stouts I could get. Old Speckled Hen was just the commonly available great tasting ale that stood out to me.

Unfortunately, I didn't get out of downtown since that where the office is... I would have loved to visit local breweries or proper pubs outside of downtown.

 

I think you hit post before you finished typing. I fixed it for you.

 

I can assure you that you are wrong about people making these flavors up. I did a blind tasting of what most on this site would call the most uniform and tasteless style, the American adjunct lager. Even there, there are nuances and very pronounced differences that I didn't even need to strain to pick out. Sure, some were fairly similar (you could claim this for any style), but most were distinct.

It just takes time to learn to appreciate the nuances of styles that don't beat you over the head shouting, "LOOK HOW MUCH OBVIOUS FLAVOR WE HAVE!"

Also, you are making the mistake of lumping all lagers together under the term "lager," which is, yet again for what must be the tenth time in this thread, woefully factually incorrect.

 

If someone can't tell there is a difference between Budweiser and Coors Banquet there is a serious problem with their taste mechanisms.

 

AND wickedly frustrating.

 

Nobody really likes pumpkin beers. Those who say they do are acting against their natural inclination. It is kind of like the fact that nobody actually likes Rush. Those who say they do simply ignore what their ears are telling them. This why a baby will cry when Rush is played in their presence. Babies have not yet begun lying to themselves about the truth of their experiences and cry in reaction to the auditory hell they are experiencing.

Give a baby a pumpkin beer and I guarantee he or she will make a face that indicates dislike, in the very least.

This is science!

 

.....or will gorge like it's mama's milk and then blissfully head off to dreamland because mother opted for "Tom Sawyer instead of "Hush Little Baby"

 

Fyi, there's actually a Rockabye Baby version of Tom Sawyer, so that's probably the most likely option .

(it's on youtube for those unfamiliar with the series)

 

I tend to think that if someone can't blindly tell a Pilsner from a Helles from a Dortmunder from an AAL they probably shouldn't be reviewing them yet.

 

I couldn't or more correctly, I wouldn't!

 

ohhh

Holy crap - A Canadian who doesn't appreciate Rush?!?!?!
Triggered, LOL!

 

Eh...

Helles and Dortmunder (Export) is more of a differentiator between strength. Helles is around 4.8-5.2% and Dortmunder or Export is 5-6 more commonly 5.2-5.5%. But both styles are predominantly malty beers focusing on German pale malts. The Dortmunder Exports may have a little mineraly flavor and a little more bitterness but it's normally balancing with a little more malt.
Pilsners can be differentiated just by having more hops. So that's expected.

AAL is basically just a Helles but with lighter grainy flavors normally huskier or grassier than the breadier German malts.

Of those the Pilsner is the most distinguishable and the rest are really just varying degrees of intensity (more in the ABV and not necessarily flavor either).