August 3, 2008
This Bud's For Me!
Mark the date: August 2, 2008. The day my beer snob license was revoked.
I went in to try a new place in my new home town yesterday (Old Town Erie has been a treasure trove of cool places to eat). I asked the waitress "what do you have on tap that's dark?" and she set me up with Bare Knuckle. I had never heard of it, but it was a creamy, grainy, nicety hopped stout.
"Who makes this?" inquires I. She has to return to the bar for an answer.
"Budweiser," replies she. At which point I am sure this woman is yanking my chain (These new town folk'll believe anything!) but a little Internet search backs her up. The good folks at Anheuser-Busch have been making this since 2004. It's a much lighter stout than Guinness -- earning howls of real beer snob derision at ratebeer.com. But it has its charms. I'll give it four stars, providing you don't follow their recipe for an "Irish American" and mix it 50-50 with Bud.
Review Corner Posted by jk at August 3, 2008 11:56 AM
Hmm, Budweiser making anything that isn't crap? Might be worth a look.
But I'm sure you know that nothing beats San Miguel, whether the regular pilsen or the Cerveza Negra.
Posted by: Perry Eidelbus at August 4, 2008 10:18 AMMmmm. San Miguel. I like it a lot but my tastes do run to darker brews. I wonder if, like Guinness in Dublin, it tastes even better "over there?"
Posted by: jk at August 4, 2008 11:31 AMI'm not sure. The exported lager tastes much the same as the pale pilsen sold domestically, maybe a little fuller in flavor. I haven't seen Cerveza Negra ("San Miguel Dark" under a new name) since the late 80s, so I can't compare.
Then there's Red Horse, 20 cents for a regular bottle, 8% alcohol, and more flavorful than typical American brew. The first time I sat down with my male in-laws, it was a night of opening one 40-ounce Red Horse after another, and refilling glasses as soon as they were emptied.
There's a San Miguel plant on a main road to Davao. It's the sort of place where you feel as if you should take your shoes off, for it is holy ground.
Posted by: Perry Eidelbus at August 4, 2008 2:02 PMNo, I'm not convinced. You guys are both still beer snobs. Budweiser is a good, light American lager - even without the commercials. And original Coors is still true to it's German pils heritage. After a long day of hard work on a hot farm I'll take either of those over anything else in my fridge.
Once the cool night air has settled in, that's when the heavier brews twist off.
Cheers!
Beer snob: Won't drink anything with a twist off cap.
Beer connoisseur: Will try anything once.
Posted by: johngalt at August 4, 2008 3:13 PMTrust the Ukrainians: Enjoy beer -- and life will be good.
I'm not too good for twist offs; I'm too large. Beer is an occasional treat, so I save it for the good stuff. (Meet you at the Colorado Coal Company some night and you can try the Bare Knuckle?)
Cheers back!
Posted by: jk at August 4, 2008 4:52 PMAh yes, the carbohydrates do tend to fill in the empty calories in one's organism.
CCC? Yes!
Posted by: johngalt at August 4, 2008 11:35 PMWow, I've never before been accused of being a beer snob! Heavier beers aren't even my preference, and twist-offs don't matter to me. I like a lighter, clean-tasting beer like San Miguel, or if I can't get it, Heineken and St. Pauli Girl. Domestic "pilsens" and "lagers" just don't have the flavor or clean aftertaste.
Posted by: Perry Eidelbus at August 5, 2008 12:42 PM"Beer snob" was really directed mostly at JK but you got swept into the generalization because you said "anything" Budweiser makes is crap. Most of their attempts at brewing innovation have fallen short of the original Budweiser lager that keeps them in business. And it is of unending shame to me that American beer consumers keep Bud Light in production. I'm as libertarian as they come but there really ought to be a law against calling that "beer." (I know - first amendment rights. blah blah)
Heineken is a good beer but St. Pauli Girl's appeal to me is lost once you get beyond the label. For light German beers I prefer Warsteiner or Konigsbrau. My favorite in the category is the original Pils: Pilsner Urquell from the Czech Republic.
Posted by: johngalt at August 5, 2008 3:11 PMWhat I actually said was, "Hmm, Budweiser making anything that isn't crap? Might be worth a look."
I wasn't dismissing the possibility of a Budweiser product being good, only expressing surprise.
Laws are much less necessary than most people think. You don't need a specific law to punish force or fraud, and the latter includes misrepresenting a product so people will buy it. In this case, is it fraud to call Bud Light "beer"? That would be an interesting case, but the foregone conclusion is that most Americans' palates aren't sophisticated enough to say "yes."
Posted by: Perry Eidelbus at August 6, 2008 11:56 AM | What do you think? [9]