I usually assume when Europeans complain about American beers, they just are complaining about our “domestic” beers like Bud Light, Coors, PBR, etc. which makes sense, they are our bottom shelf beers.
I recently chatted with someone at a party who said “no, all American beers are bad” including microbrewery beers.
I’ve never been to Europe so I wouldn’t know, but I do like my Left Handed Milk Stout, NWPAs, and hell even the hipstered out IPAs.
Are these what y’all are referencing?
American here:
There’s a LOT of bad American beer, but to say ALL is just plain dumb. The micro brewery boom made a lot of small breweries pop up and about 90% had no idea what they were doing so yea a lot of them are kinda garbage.
I personally know micro brewers in NY who studied their ass off to make some incredible beers that I would put right up there with Westies and Cantillon.
One of the best beers I’ve ever had is from a Gypsy brewer in NY called Cantina Cantina. The guy used to work in my local distributor, then went to work for our favorite local brewer Barrier, then took his expertise to Greenport Brewery and turned around their whole operation, then started brewing his own absolute masterpieces.
My point is the best of the best is probably going to be buried deep under a pile of garbage beers cause they’re usually obsessed with making art and don’t focus on getting their name out there.
Not as bad as American “chocolate” .
I’ve had plenty of really good craft beer but anything mass produced is fine at best and gutter water at worst.
Exactly. Imagine if we judged European beer based on nothing but Heineken.
Maybe it’s because I don’t really like beer (or alcohol) but I’ve been to Germany and the beer wasn’t any better or worse than American beer.
The Jagermeister, on the other hand, was definitely way better in Germany.
Because of the German Purity Law, there isn’t much that German beer can do to experiment or try new things. There are some excellent German beers (Brlo is one), but generally you don’t get the variety that you find in other countries.
Mass produced beers are pretty bad. Ironically the bigger the brand the worse the beer generally. Americans are known for bud and Coors which are especially shit
What’s the difference between bud light and having sex in a canoe?
None.
Both are fucking close to water.
Bud Light is how you stay hydrated between shots
Real talk, it’s your common mass produced and internationally sold beers that suck. S’ok, a lot of mass produced Canadian beer sucks too (lookin’ at you, Alexander Keith’s. Pride of Nova Scotia indeed.)
The issue is that the good stuff doesn’t often make it outside of your borders. I’ve had decent beer when actually in the U.S before.
Will say I will drink a cold PBR if there’s no other valid choice, but if someone just has Coors or Bud (especially Bud - but especially Bud Light) I’ll stick with water. Only other American beer that reaches Canada I’d probably drink is Lucky Lager, but that’s more out of nostalgia for west coast teenaged mayham than its own merits, and Kokanee would produce the same effect and caveat anyway.
Edit: After thinking about it more, I’ve enjoyed Sam Adams limited releases before, and we get those sometimes.
I’ve enjoyed Sam Adams limited releases before,
The Summer Ale is nice on a hot day
Prairie Artisan Ales is one of the most unique craft breweries I’ve ever experienced. The downside is it’s in Oklahoma, so I’ll never visit again, but if you get a chance to find some at a local liquor store or import, try it out. Plus the can designs are cool. They have some delicious stuff.
But yeah LeftHand in Longmont, Colorado is incredible.
As for European, Belgian Tripel, it is hands down the best.
But yeah LeftHand in Longmont, Colorado is incredible.
Their Milk stout is pretty popular in my city
The fuck? American craft beer is absolutely delicious. A lot of light beer brands are also good. Who’s saying American beer sucks?
The American beer you get in Canada is terrible. Budweiser and Miller and shit like that. American beer at an American pub was great, when I last visited.
I did have trouble a few years back finding an IPA option that wasn’t citrusy somehow. I want to taste my beer dammit!
European mainstream beer isn’t anything to brag about.
That people in the Netherlands actually buy Heineken’s makes me thing that they must like skunky beer there.
My American friends made me drink Keystone Ice and this was one of the most disgusting things I did ever drink. The rest was also not great. A few American beers were passable but I had better ones in most European countries.
We have many options for people who just want to drink a bunch of cheap beer. Bud Light, Miller Light, Coors Light, Natural Light, Milwaukee’s Best Light, the list goes on. Most agree the stuff you can buy in a 24 pack at Walmart isn’t good quality beer.
But places like Dogfish Head, Ardent, Foothills, Bell’s, Cigar City, Oskar Blues, Three Notched, Flying Dog, Elysian, Anchor, Lagunitas and many others produce some great beers.
As a vetted german beer enthusiast, may I say that the big-brand beers are on average as good (or bad) as the american beers I know. Differences imho originate from drinking preferences (light beers) and allowed ingredients or additives, but that has a minor impact on sensory quality. Personally I often missed aroma and bitterness (hops) and gravity of most beers I tried in the USA, but that‘s just me.
I mean when I was in new York they drank bud light with Tabasco on the can rim to make it taste something. So I guess it’s not only us
As a New Yorker, I apologize for how they hurt you. I promise the NY beer experience is rich and inviting.
I think it’s of-a-kind
Domestic/mass-produced European beers are much better than domestic/mass-produced American beers.
And European craft beers are better than American craft beers.America has a lot of bad domestic and bad craft beers, but there are enough craft beers that some have gotta be good even if just by luck.
Personally I don’t think it’s a big deal: yes American beers taste like water or fruit water, but I like water, it’s refreshing. Water that gives me a buzz if I drink enough is a win in my book.
I think a lot of American breweries confuse “interesting” beer with “good” beer, because in the US, as long as it doesn’t taste like Coors, you’re fine.
It’s the chicken bacon ranch pizza problem. It’s good. I like it. But I don’t want it every time I have pizza. I definitely can’t eat a whole chicken bacon ranch pizza, even if I spread the leftovers over the week. But a slice every now and then is great.
“Good” American beer is generally pretty fatiguing to drink. Good European beer isn’t. That’s how it is for me at least.
But that’s kinda what I’m talking about: by sheer luck some of those interesting beers have gotta be good.
People hate Coors because it tastes like water, but idk why someone would hate that; water is good.
Sure it’s a bad beer in the sense that it isn’t very beer-ey, but it’s a fine drink because it doesn’t taste like anything. I don’t see how someone can like Perrier water, but not like Coors, they’re practically the same.I thought you meant chicken bacon ranch pizza flavoured beer, which I also wouldn’t be surprised about if it existed in the US
Same. Also. Now I’m hungry.
