Wait, you mean to tell me that all American beer doesn't take like Budweiser? Really? Holy Crap!!!!
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Sam Adams
- Thread starter TheDarkReaver
- Start date
+ a whole lot!
Sam Adams isn't just a good American Beer, it really is EXCELLENT. It's just a shame that brews like that can't get as popular as the majority of the carbonated water most American breweries peddle. Oh well, I think the rise of the micro brewery in the states (and north america in general) is heralding a shift in standards in terms of quality of beer. People are realizing that good beer isn't dirt cheap, and doesn't taste like water, and can have a higher alcohol content and not be confined to "40's" marketed towards youths.
Though America will never be able to contend with European beer.
It normally does over here
Hence my shock at finding the stuff. They also had something called Dixie, didn't try that though.
I have some friends that have worked/work there. I go to Northeastern and one of the co-op opportunities for Chem/ChemE majors is with their brewery. The best part is the sampling fridge. Cases are periodically taken off the line for taste testing and the remaining beer goes into a fridge which is cleared out every friday. One of my friends showed up to a party on a friday night after work with a random assortment of 96 beers.
Their Octoberfest is good, but I can't say I dig anything else they make.
There are too many good imports and microbreweries that put out a better beer at a similar price, imo.
There are too many good imports and microbreweries that put out a better beer at a similar price, imo.
Cream Stout is great, and I really like their Black Lager as well. The Black Lager seems like it's Cream Stout's slightly lighter, more drinkable little brother.Sam Adams Cream Stout ftw!
I thought this was going to be about the mayor who was(n't) having sex with a 17 year old male intern...
Sam Adams is a decent brewery. I think some of their stuff is great, although sometimes I think they try to have too many varieties. Instead of 10 good beers, I'd rather see them brewing 5 great beers.
As for the European vs. US beers, I think the US offers some pretty unique brews. To me, there is no "who is better" debate since each offer some great beers. There is a bit of a microbrew growth as of lately. Some are brewing some pretty convincing traditional European brews. Some brew their own spin on many traditional European beers and some brew very unique and often very aggressive beers.
As for the European vs. US beers, I think the US offers some pretty unique brews. To me, there is no "who is better" debate since each offer some great beers. There is a bit of a microbrew growth as of lately. Some are brewing some pretty convincing traditional European brews. Some brew their own spin on many traditional European beers and some brew very unique and often very aggressive beers.
Kesslari mentioned Sierra Nevada - same deal there, they have a bunch of different brews. I like Sam Adams a lot but Sierra is even better yet. If you can find that in the UK, you HAVE to give it a try. Truly excellent stuff.
All true. I think the bad rep comes from stuff like Buttwiper/Budweiser being marketed everywhere as "American beer", in which case I can clearly see why we have such a bad rep in the beer dept.
Cheap mass produced beers are drinkable, but they are hardly in the same category as Blue Moon, Sam Adams, Sierra etc. any of which are equal to any good foreign beer. At that point it's really just a matter of personal taste because the quality is certainly there.
It's the Home Brewers that are starting in their kitchen that are bringing good beer to America. Yeah, at first they don't get it right, and they realize that you need quality over quantity. Then as they make more beer, they bring it to party's and functions with friends, and a few more people give the home brewer compliments and suggestions. Soon he goes off the deep end, and opens a restaurant with his own brew on tap. Enough beer for his customers and a few take home growlers. Pretty soon more and more people want to take home beer, so they buy a truck so they can start delivering.
Pretty soon they realize there little one or two truck operation is getting swamped with the demand from so many orders, and they get picked up by a distributor. Now the little kitchen brewer can find his own beer four states away.
Pretty soon they realize there little one or two truck operation is getting swamped with the demand from so many orders, and they get picked up by a distributor. Now the little kitchen brewer can find his own beer four states away.
There are so many awesome microbrews in the Denver area. It's a massive shock from northeast PA. I've been here about six months and I still have opportunities to try new ones when I go out. They're everywhere! 
There are so many awesome microbrews in the Denver area. It's a massive shock from northeast PA. I've been here about six months and I still have opportunities to try new ones when I go out. They're everywhere!
There's a restuarant here in boston (Sunset Grill & Tap for those who are local but don't know) that carries a beer stock of 112 on top, typically around 380-400 different bottles. Great opportunity to try a lot of the microbrews from all over, and they list where each beer comes from on the menu. A lot of good stuff coming out of colorado.
Reminds me of a pub that used to be here in Jersey. The interior was an actual English pub dating from the early 1900's, it had been disassembled, shipped over here and reassembled exactly how it was in London.
Their specialty was beer from all over the world, you could order beer from almost anywhere and if you wanted to, they would also keep records of what you've tried. It used to be our go-to place after band practices. Great great place now long gone..
Their specialty was beer from all over the world, you could order beer from almost anywhere and if you wanted to, they would also keep records of what you've tried. It used to be our go-to place after band practices. Great great place now long gone..
I think there's a place like that here in Des Moines, but it's an old Irish pub that was brought over.
Yeah good luck though...I have trouble just getting just the standard IPA here in Jersey. (luckily the liquor store by my drummers has them though).
Also for you Tri-state area people...There is a bar called The Devils Den that just opened in Philly (over the summer I think). They aren't a microbrew but they have the most incredible selection of high quality beers I've ever witnessed...I was pretty drunk when I left and I didn't even make it half way through the stuff on tap, none the less the bottles.
It normally does over here
They also had something called Dixie, didn't try that though.
Count you blessings.......
Maybe I should have been a bit more specific with the north american/european comaprison.
When I say that currently, european beer is generally better, what I mean to say is that while there are many micro brews and a few major breweries producing spectacular beer on par with euro beer, my experience is that european beer is consistently better.
Here, our best brews our micro brews. We just don't have that many big breweries producing absolutely stellar brews. Europe, on the other hand, has countless breweries producing countless amazing beers. Look at their exports vs. ours, we've got, more or less, plain, flavourless lagers. Europe's exports are what I drink daily - Innes and Gunn, Fuller's, Wychwood, Holsten, heck, even Stella blows any north american export out of the water, and it's like budwiser to them!
So I'm not bashing north american beers in any way - some of my favorites are brewed right here in ontario shameless plug for maple beer but I think it's going to be some time until we, as a continent, can say that our average beer is on par with the average european brew.
