My standard brew is Labatt’s Blue, a fairly light commercial beer, in the summer I often switch to Molson’s Ale as it is lighter still. I do like certain IPAs during colder weather. For many years I have done day trips to the NYS Finger Lakes region for the wine trails, the last few years many craft breweries have opened in the area so I sample many beers there. I never have attempted to brew my own and with the expanding amount of local brew houses and craft beers in this area, it doesn’t look like I will have to.
BTW; this discussion is standard in many congregations of the Church of the Corner Bar. %-P
Have you tried MicroMark? And if you get to the SF Bay Area, check out The Train Shop in Santa Clara. (I couldn’t find a company website for them.)I've used that company for years (MicroMark). They carry a full line of train supplies, all gauges. I buy ship model supplies from them. Their shipping is super fast, usually within the week. Cap't Jack
Beer; ah, well now. When I lived in England, more than 40 years ago (!) I drank either Mackeson's stout or Watney's Cream Label stout; I don't think either is exported. But when I went back for a visit a few years ago, Mackeson's was still around in a few places but Cream Label (the best, of course) seemed to have vanished off the face of the Earth. A nice English ale is Old Speckled Hen, but I don't think it's available everywhere. It can occasionally be found in Canada, but in minutely small quantities. Nowadays we get Newcastle Brown also; good stuff, but expensive. TFSI've tried "Old Speckled Hen", it can be found on the east coast of the US.
Stella Artois is only a good beer to people who haven't tried very many good beers. :P It's not terrible. Just kinda meh. IMHO.I don't drink a lot and don't experiment with consumables very much any more due to bad allergies. I'll modify my statement by saying it's a great beer for me because it tastes good and doesn't make me sick.:)
Stella Artois is only a good beer to people who haven't tried very many good beers. :P It's not terrible. Just kinda meh. IMHO.I don't drink a lot and don't experiment with consumables very much any more due to bad allergies. I'll modify my statement by saying it's a great beer for me because it tastes good and doesn't make me sick.:) There you go. It's like the wine mystique. A true wine connoisseur will always say, if it tastes good to you then it's good wine! Stella Artois is a great beer. There's a little bit of some pretentious BS going on here. Like T-Bone's comments here, or The Flying Sorcerer's comments about lagers. Lagers are probably drank at a 100:1 ratio over all other types of beers combined. Hmmmn? Must be a reason for that. Oktoberfest is the Worlds largest beer festival. It features primarily(99%)lagers! Germany is the worlds biggest consumer of beer. They drink primarily....lagers. They also know a thing or two about beer. What we have here is a classic case of fickle consumerism. People get tired of the same old thing so that want to try new things. But they poo poo the old by default. Most are probably not "beer drinkers" to begin with...."Speckled Hen" :lol: What a bunch of hooey! "Pardon me waiter, do you have Speckled Hen?....No, hmnnn well you should. It's a distinguished beer." "Stella Artois is only a good beer for people who haven't tried many good beers." :lol: What a laugh!!
Guinness off the tap is about the best beer that I have ever tasted in my life.
Chimay, is my top Belgium Ale.
Double Wide is my favorite IPA.
Gordon Biersch is my favorite drink at my AA meetings.
Corona w/lime is the best hot weather beer.
Budwiser Platinum is a great beer for lower carbs, yet maintaining a good alcohol contect without sacrificing taste.
There you go. It's like the wine mystique. A true wine connoisseur will always say, if it tastes good to you then it's good wine! Stella Artois is a great beer. There's a little bit of some pretentious BS going on here. Like T-Bone's comments here, or The Flying Sorcerer's comments about lagers. Lagers are probably drank at a 100:1 ratio over all other types of beers combined. Hmmmn? Must be a reason for that. Oktoberfest is the Worlds largest beer festival. It features primarily(99%)lagers! Germany is the worlds biggest consumer of beer. They drink primarily....lagers. They also know a thing or two about beer. What we have here is a classic case of fickle consumerism. People get tired of the same old thing so that want to try new things. But they poo poo the old by default. Most are probably not "beer drinkers" to begin with...."Speckled Hen" :lol: What a bunch of hooey! "Pardon me waiter, do you have Speckled Hen?....No, hmnnn well you should. It's a distinguished beer." "Stella Artois is only a good beer for people who haven't tried many good beers." :lol: What a laugh!!Yah, it really isn't a competition. :-) My niece married a German fellow recently and he drinks beer like water. He had a lot of German stuff that I've never heard of over Christmas and I tried a few of them, but I still like the Stella and Okanagan 1516 better, I prefer clean simple beers to some of the more "artistic" stuff that seems to be out there.
Laugh all you like Vyazma. But as I said in a previous post, “De gustibus…”
No pretentious BS about my preference for ale or stout over lager. Or almost anything over lager, for that matter. I simply do not like the taste of lager, that’s all there is to it. Never have, ever since an uncle treated me to a glass of it when I was 17, and I don’t think I ever will. That 99 out of 100 consumers prefer it (which I doubt very much, frankly) doesn’t interest me even slightly. 99 out of 100 North American males, it seems, are obsessed with some kind of pro sport or other, be it ice hockey, football, baseball or whatever. Personally, ever since I was a kid I’ve never been interested in chasing a ball around a field or a puck around a rink, or watching other people do it; just a big yawn. Same thing; nothing pretentious about it, simply total lack of interest.
Now, women’s gymnastics; there’s something worth watching. But hardly anyone does…
As for “fickle consumerism”, to me that simply means being willing to try something different. Marketers and advertisers don’t like it when people exercise free choice; “brand loyalty” is what they’re after, and they’ll try to get it by any means necessary, including appeals to (largely imaginary) majority taste; “99% of beer drinkers prefer…” - with, of course, the implication that therefore you should, too. After all “99% of North Americans can’t be wrong…”
Yeah, right.
Those who claim to prefer lager are welcome to their particular brew, in my opinion; but I can’t help feeling that the marketers and advertisers have them exactly where they want them - by the short and curlies.
Incidentally, the small craft breweries are taking over a progressively larger share of the beer market nowadays, and some of the big boys are getting worried; so much so, that they’ve started producing small batch-run “craft” beers of their own. Some of them are quite good, actually. They’re learning.
TFS
It’s all a matter of individual taste, my first experience with beer was having my dad share some of his pilsner beer probably starting when I was six. I loved it then and I still do, I don’t need anything fancy to have a really enjoyable drink and Stella is a very nice pilsner.
I first tried stout in my teens and didn’t like it at all, some ales are nice, but I still prefer pale lagers.
Laugh all you like Vyazma. But as I said in a previous post, "De gustibus...." No pretentious BS about my preference for ale or stout over lager. Or almost anything over lager, for that matter. I simply do not like the taste of lager, that's all there is to it. Never have, ever since an uncle treated me to a glass of it when I was 17, and I don't think I ever will. That 99 out of 100 consumers prefer it (which I doubt very much, frankly) doesn't interest me even slightly. 99 out of 100 North American males, it seems, are obsessed with some kind of pro sport or other, be it ice hockey, football, baseball or whatever. Personally, ever since I was a kid I've never been interested in chasing a ball around a field or a puck around a rink, or watching other people do it; just a big yawn. Same thing; nothing pretentious about it, simply total lack of interest.I didn't say North America. I said Germany...as well as Australia, Japan, Austria, Mexico(North America-yes) plus North America and most of Eastern Europe. Most of the planet actually. Let's not get into the North America meme here. It's revealing that you are shifting into some sort of sports/male connection here. :roll: Why? I'm talking about beer here. Lager is without a doubt the most popular beer on the planet. I stress that because you said(paraphrasing) "Lager is for people who don't know what real beer is".(that's pretentious BS) That's interesting because like I said, the vast majority of beer consumed around the planet is Lager.
As for "fickle consumerism", to me that simply means being willing to try something different. Marketers and advertisers don't like it when people exercise free choice; "brand loyalty" is what they're after, and they'll try to get it by any means necessary, including appeals to majority taste; "99% of beer drinkers prefer...." - with, of course, the implication that therefore you should, too. After all "99% of North Americans can't be wrong......"Nothing wrong with trying new things. Just don't poo poo the people who are happy with popular standards. Tried and true standards. And no, I wasn't saying "99% do, you should too." You said lager was for people who don't know real beer. I said the vast majority of people drink Lager beer. If you wish to drink stouts or ales that's great. Just because you drink stouts, doesn't make you a beer expert.
Those who claim to prefer lager are welcome to their particular brew, in my opinion; but I can't help feeling that the marketers and advertisers have them exactly where they want them - by the short and curlies.:lol: Yeah. Ok. Last time I checked people go out and try things and make decisions on the products they buy. We aren't talking about advertising or sports here. We are talking about beer. I could say the same thing about marketing to you. "Small Batch runs" "Homespun goodness", "trendy names" "interesting flavors" C'mon...Anybody who needs Pumpkin Spice in their beer is a shill. IMHO. Anyone who thinks their beer is more quality because it's named "Moose Drool" Or "Flat Tire" is a shill. IMHO Anyone who needs their beer infused with caffeine is a shill....IMHO.
Incidentally, the small craft breweries are taking over a progressively larger share of the beer market nowadays, and some of the big boys are getting worried; so much so, that they've started producing small batch-run "craft" beers of their own. Some of them are quite good, actually. They're learning. TFSYes I read an interesting article that Germans are becoming more attuned(importing for example) to these craft breweries and are trying them more and more. I'm glad to see all of the craft breweries popping up. It promotes creativity and competition etc. To end, I already stated in my opening remarks that I consider American beers to be NOT beer. So take away Anheuser Busch and Coors/Miller/Molson and guess what? Lager is still the most consumed beer on the planet. The top 3 beer drinking countries...Germany, Czech Rep. and Austria all drink lagers. China's main beer TsingTao is a lager. etc etc etc... I'm not saying that means you should drink lagers by the way.
Vyazma, you’re completely missing my point. But, never mind. Each to his (or her) own.
And who ever mentioned pumpkin spice or caffeine flavoured beer? Not me! Yuck! Beer should taste like BEER!
Cheers! Salud! Nasdrovye!
TFS
Vyazma, you're completely missing my point. But, never mind. Each to his (or her) own. And who ever mentioned pumpkin spice or caffeine flavoured beer? Not me! Yuck! Cheers! Salud! Nasdrovye! TFSNo I think I got your points.( I think I offered plenty of evidence that shows that the impetus behind lagers popularity is far more than any relation to advertising or some odd connection to sports and North American Male hegemony(?).) zum Wohl! Cheers to you too.
No I think I got your points.( I think I offered plenty of evidence that shows that the impetus behind lagers popularity is far more than any relation to advertising or some odd connection to sports and North American Male hegemony(?).) zum Wohl! Cheers to you too.You are missing my point. Nowhere did I suggest that anyone's preference for lager has anything to do with their sports preferences. These are completely separate topics, but related in the sense that majority opinion, in either drinks or sports - or foods, or vacation resorts, or cars, or women, or anything else - doesn't affect my own preferences, as some marketing executives seem to want to make me think it "should". And you seem to share this opinion, if only a little bit, when you suggest that my preference for Old Speckled Hen over Labatt's Blue is "a laugh", or "pretentious BS". TFS
What just happened? Something totally weird.
TFS
You are missing my point. Nowhere did I suggest that anyone's preference for lager has anything to do with their sports preferences. These are completely separate topics, but related in the sense that majority opinion, in either drinks or sports - or foods, or vacation resorts, or cars, or women, or anything else - doesn't affect my own preferences, as some marketing executives seem to want to make me think it "should". And you seem to share this opinion, if only a little bit, when you suggest that my preference for Old Speckled Hen over Labatt's Blue is "a laugh", or "pretentious BS". TFSWhy did you bring up "sports" "males" and "No. America"? Those were your words! None of this matters anyways. The only point you made that I was interested in countering was your statement that: "people who drink lagers don't know what real beer is". That was your point! Those were your words. Fortunately for you, you stated that was your opinion. That gets you off the hook as far as credibility goes. But it is still pretentious BS. Am I still missing your point? If so, please clarify it in an easy to understand short paragraph. Unlike the one right here above. That's muddy and garbled.(most likely an attempt to deflect away from your actual points-which were handily disposed of.) You state that: Nowhere did I suggest that anyone's preference for lager has anything to do with their sports preferences. That's fine.(?) Those were your words! You brought up sports and males and No. Amer. I asked you above why you brought up sports, male hegemony, or No.America. Why did you bring those up? Are those parts of your points that I'm supposedly "not getting"? I only originally addressed your point about- lagers being beer for people who don't know anything about beer. You went down a well worn path as a an attempt at a rebuttal. It backfired when you realized that the facts about lager stand head and shoulders above any other beers despite the obvious attempts you made to connect them to sports, males, and North America. A well worn and hackneyed meme. Like I said, I'll wait here while you backfill and re-position your points.( I hate that when people do that here. It's the most cheap-ass defense.) Don't tell me I'm missing your point! I read just fine. Perhaps you need to go back and re-read your own words. Your only option is to say-"Yes, that is my opinion! People who drink lagers don't know what real beer is!"
Okay lets be a little "scientific about this. 
Um, hmmm.
Like it or not, some beers really are better than others, although comparing completely different styles can be pointless. I recently tried out a Heineken at a gig last week, and was a bit surprised - I was expecting a typical lager and it was actually kinda skunky. Stella Artois would definitely have been better if it were available. I had to choose between that, Budweiser, Bud Light, and Corona. But, amongst lagers, IMHO I’ve definitely enjoyed others more than Stella. Speaking of lagers:
That’s worth a look-up. I do greatly enjoy some of the kinds of lagers. My favorite is the Paulaner Salvatore, a German double-bock.
Speaking of which, I am often surprised at the beer choices that cheap bartenders bring to events. It was a traditional Austrian waltz-style dance. Not a single actual Austrian/German/Swiss/etc. beer at all, and nothing for people who don’t like pale lagers all that much. That’s profit that they don’t make.
T-Bone, I never cared for the Salvatore. Too strong. Too much alcohol.
Only had a few Bocks I really liked. Most are too sweet for my taste.
Shiner Bock is a good example of too sweet for my taste.
I like to taste the grains and the hops. Bocks usually are too sweet and licorice-like for me.
Vyazma, you seem to be having real difficulty in understanding simple English sentences; sorry, I can’t make things any simpler.
Your so-called “facts” about lager are your own invention. The only actual numbers I’ve been able to find after a fairly intense internet search are from Anheuser Busch’s own website, which claims that Americans prefer lagers over ales and stouts by a two-to-one margin. I don’t know where you’re getting your 100-to-one numbers; just pulling them out of the air, I guess. You claim to have presented me with “evidence”; where I come from, bald assertions are not evidence. They are just - bald assertions.
You seem to be trying to prove, if I understand your convoluted sentence structure, that lager “must be” better than ale because more people drink it. The only adjective that springs to mind at this point is “childish.”
Nowhere, in any of my posts, did I refer to anything remotely resembling “American male hegemony.” That’s your phrase, not mine. If you read that into anything I wrote, you are in dire need of a course in remedial English comprehension. And my reference to sports was merely an analogy. If you don’t know what that means, look it up.
And I STILL maintain that lager is for folks who don’t know about real beer - the majority, in other words. And that’s all I have to say on this subject. I’m not going to waste any more of my time on it.
TFS
Your so-called "facts" about lager are your own invention. The only actual numbers I've been able to find after a fairly intense internet search are from Anheuser Busch's own website, which claims that Americans prefer lagers over ales and stouts by a two-to-one margin. I don't know where you're getting your 100-to-one numbers; just pulling them out of the air, I guess. You claim to have presented me with "evidence"; where I come from, bald assertions are not evidence. They are just - bald assertions.You can't find any facts about it because the world recognizes beers as lager in general. There's no comparison data because the amount of people who drink stouts, meads, porters, and ales are miniscule in comparison you momo! I already showed you that the top 3 beer drinking nations all drink Lager(Czech, Germany, Austria) North America drinks lager, All of Europe drinks lager. Japan drinks lager, China drinks lager. Australia drinks lager. You can't find data!! No kidding??!?! I traveled all over Europe. The PRIMARY beer was lager. Everywhere.
You seem to be trying to prove, if I understand your convoluted sentence structure, that lager "must be" better than ale because more people drink it. The only adjective that springs to mind at this point is "childish."You're off-balance and muddled. You said people who drink lagers don't know what real beers are. I said the vast amount of beer consumed on the planet is lager. Oktoberfest features lagers. Germans spread their brewing mastery all over the planet in the 19th and early 20th centuries...from America to China and everywhere in between. And it was all lagers. Just like it is today. It didn't slowly switch over to ales, or porters or bocks after time...Lager has remained the most popular type of beer around the world. It is without a doubt produced in volumes many, many times over the remaining types of beers combined.
Nowhere, in any of my posts, did I refer to anything remotely resembling "American male hegemony." That's your phrase, not mine. If you read that into anything I wrote, you are in dire need of a course in remedial English comprehension. And my reference to sports was merely an analogy. If you don't know what that means, look it up.You are a jack-a*s Liar!! What was I supposed to infer from this crap here that you wrote....? Sounds like someone has issues.... :lol: One minute a discussion about beers and then this detour? :roll:
I simply do not like the taste of lager, that’s all there is to it. Never have, ever since an uncle treated me to a glass of it when I was 17, and I don’t think I ever will. That 99 out of 100 consumers prefer it (which I doubt very much, frankly) doesn’t interest me even slightly. 99 out of 100 North American males, it seems, are obsessed with some kind of pro sport or other, be it ice hockey, football, baseball or whatever. Personally, ever since I was a kid I’ve never been interested in chasing a ball around a field or a puck around a rink, or watching other people do it; just a big yawn. Same thing; nothing pretentious about it, simply total lack of interest.Yeah..go ahead explain what you meant by that....perhaps I did misunderstand it. Ever since you were a kid you didn't like Lager..therefore people who like lager don't know what real beer is! Plus you don't like sports. So everybody who likes sports is wrong too?
And I STILL maintain that lager is for folks who don't know about real beer - the majority, in other words. And that's all I have to say on this subject. I'm not going to waste any more of my time on it. TFSGreat why don't you just point out some major non-lager breweries. Their locations(city and country), the types of beers they brew, and how much of it. I'll be waiting for a reply, you cad. Perhaps then you might dispel my notion that lagers are brewed in volumes many times over the remaining types of beers worldwide. Which by direct reasoning implies a popularity around the world that is undisputed. Even a good percentage of your beloved Micro-breweries are brewing lagers!! This is about you and how you march to the tune of a different drummer! Who cares? You drink Speckled Hen so you're a beer expert...Please!!!
Wikipedia-Pale lager is a very pale to golden-coloured beer with a well attenuated body and a varying degree of noble hop bitterness. The brewing process for this beer developed in the mid 19th century when Gabriel Sedlmayr took pale ale brewing techniques back to the Spaten Brewery in Germany and applied it to existing lagering methods. This approach was picked up by other brewers, most notably Josef Groll of Bavaria who produced Pilsner Urquell in the city of Pilsen in the Czech Republic. The resulting Pilsner beer - pale coloured, lean and stable beers were very successful and gradually spread around the globe to become the most common form of beer consumed in the world today.