USA #1 in beer?

America is already the best beer scene in the world. its not even close.

 

The pubs that served your bland and t̶o̶o̶ ̶w̶a̶r̶m̶ cellar temperature ales could be likened to your ordinary US bars, Chilis, or TGIF. For every excellent pub in Britain there are probably twice as many mediocre/shitty ones. You won't have to look far but you still have to know where to look.

 

Good for you. Enjoy.

I personally prefer drinking at pubs / outside the home.

Everyone's entitled to personal preference.

 

Just so I can keep track, how many other great brewing countries have you been to?

 

Yes, in America at our pubs we drink in cubicles, alone, and try not to socialize, hoping we can get drunk as quickly as possible without any human interaction spoiling it for us.

Many pubs prohibit socializing outright, since it is something associated with those rowdy Europeans, and can lead to fights, football riots, and trashed stadiums.

I myself recently got ejected for laughing and disturbing a nearby patron who was in his cubicle sucking on a Budweiser while hitting himself with a hammer.

 

I think you might be going to the wrong bars.

 

England, Germany, New Zealand, Australia, Mexico, Israel, France, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Italy, Greece, pretty much everywhere in the Caribbean, probably others I have forgotten. And on top of all that perhaps you have heard of imports?

 

What were your favorite/least favorite things (regions, styles, settings, cities, drinking establishments) about UK and German beer culture (to begin with the first two)?

 

European breweries and traditions had to survive and deal with loss of interest, wars, changing cultures, industrialization etc. The USA craft beer scene hasn’t had to deal with any serious issues yet, who knows what will happen with it when it will have to deal with a huge crisis. What will happen to it when people for instance will simply stop buying craft beer? It could happen, it happened in Europe in the 20th century, things change. USA craft beer scene has no proven track of longevity. You are comparing a booming scene with a recovering that has a proven ability to adapt and change, who knows how things will evolve in the future.

 

I can't say I've been to any UK pubs that I loved (mostly London), and in Scotland the people were pretty unfriendly for some reason. But Irish pubs (mostly in the west), those I have loved and treasured. I think the difference is that in many towns in the UK and Ireland, the pubs are the center of the town, where everything happens...the nerve center. Nothing is or can ever be the nerve center of New York. I have been to Irish pubs in South Boston that came close to the same feel, but even those are now gentrified away, becoming lifeless, modern Euro monstrosities mostly. New York (at this point in history) is not a place that lends itself to the experience you are looking for in my opinion, but I think you could find something like it in less populated locales (Vermont).

 

I'm Scottish. Where did you go in Scotland? Very strange that people were unfriendly to you

 

I just wrote you a long answer that got refreshed/erased from my browser and I haven't got time to rewrite it. Essentially I love many of the beer scenes around the world, the two you mentioned in particular, mostly for the experience and setting and the great brews. They have us beat on the experience of beer, for now. But we have them beat on beer, for now. Which is amazing because 20 years ago we were at the bottom of the heap but oh how things have changed. What's going on here is unprecedented. Having said all that I would love to revisit every country I have ever been to with a more focused attention on beer. Last time I went to Europe beer was mostly an afterthought as I was focused on greener pastures in those days.

 

I found it strange too. Oban, Edinburgh, Inverness, Isle of Skye. One night pre-flight home in Glasgow. I loved Edinburgh by the way, among my favorite places on earth (Glasgow would be among my least favorite). Nobody was unfriendly in Inverness. Skye the only pub was where we stayed and was nice, if quiet. But in both Oban and Edinburgh, where we had multiple days, we went to local pubs in the evening and nobody was at all friendly. It was odd...never had that experience in Ireland. Maybe went to the wrong spots? In Edinburgh we were in Stockbridge I think.

 

That does not sound like the kind of place I would want to hang out in! The pub I hang in most I have made at least 15 friends and 7 are real close. I do not like to go to the trendy spots. I prefer brew pubs and smaller places. Take care.

 

Broken sarcasm detector I think.

 

I understand they are doing great work surgically implanting senses of humor. Can think of one person who might benefit haha

 

None taken. Good discussion!

 

Seems redundant.

Seriously though, I hope you get to go to Germany and I hope you pop your head over to the Germany Forum for some help and/or advice while planning your itinerary.