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Sam Adams

#47
T.O.Bass said:
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.
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Do you mean consistently better as in each beer is better or consistency from batch to batch?

From a batch to batch consistency, I've never really known companies having problems. By the time most companies are bottling and distributing, they have the recipes where they want 'em. Keep in mind that the way a beer is shipped, specifically changes in temperature can influence how a beer tastes, too.

Each brewery will make a given style differently. When I think of my favorite beer style, I tend to like a different brewer for almost everything. I dig Sierra Nevada's Pale Ale, Boulevard's Dry Stout, O'Dell's IPA and Easy Street Wheat, New Belgium's 1554 (on tap) and organic whit, Great Divide's double IPA, etc. I think a lot of European breweries tend to focus on having a few great beers, which define them. Although I must admit that I've been kinda stuck in an overall English ale kick for the last few months, as well as a handful of Belgian and US beers.
 
#49
T.O.Bass said:
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.
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I'd agree with this. Because the entire industry is less than 20 years old, American craft brewers still tend to be very "experimental" and quite a few of the results are less than delicious. :hmm:

Often, fads will sweep the market, such as when seemingly half the craft beers on the shelf were dry-hopped with Cascade. I remember when lambics first appeared in the U.S. and Sam Adams rushed one to market. It was awful.
 
#51
We just started getting Sam Adams in my city. Before, I'd have to get someone to bring it back from the States for me.

They want $14.99/6 pack (CAD), though, which I refuse to pay. I like it, but I can buy much better beer for less. It's absolute highway robbery. My mom brought me back a 12 pack of Boston Lager from the States that she paid $11.99 (USD) for, which was so cheap that it was obscene (at least here in New Brunswick, a standard 12 of a big-company domestic goes for a hair under $20 CAD).

I am lucky to have an incredible local brewery, though, and when I have the money to spend, I buy my beer from them.
 

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