Does InBev hate beer?

Grizz wrote: In reply to HiTempguy: Why's it gotta be coors light though? That's what I don't get. Why drink that or Miller light when you've got the High Life and Coors Banquet?

Uh, because they taste better.

Anyone else reminded of the '90s GM brand management strategy of "Cut costs, and who cares about the product if we have good brand marketing?" Sounds liable to do the same thing to beer if they stay on that path.

However, in fairness to InBev, I've also got to wonder if the real reason the US made Beck's tastes different is that it's fresh and hasn't gone skunky from being shipped across the Atlantic? Not a big Beck's drinker so I can't compare the taste, but that seems to happen to a lot of European beers that come in green bottles. Bottles that let in too much light cause some of the chemicals in beer to change.

bluej wrote:

Mitchell wrote: For those who drink X beer Lite, just one in your life, fork over a few extra bucks for a 6-pack of Dogfishhead 60 Minute IPA. Yes, it's way more expensive, but give it a shot. Your mind may be blown.

i'm sorry, but that's a horrible suggestion. sending someone from alco-water like that to a super hoppy IPA is like taking someone who likes to lake canoe and throwing them into a cat 5 rapid in a kayak.

I have tried quite a few IPAs, and I find DFH 60 to be very well-balanced and refreshing. Many people that I have introduced it to agree with me. Then again, I also like spicy food and black coffee, so I guess strong flavors are kind of my thing. Brown ales and most German beers that I have had do not do anything for me. Newcastle is probably among my least favorite beers; not to say that it is bad, I just don't like its cloyingly sweetness. One delicate beer that I really enjoyed is Sterkens White Ale.

As far as the backlash against "beer snobs," just remember that car nerds present themselves just the same to people who do not care about cars. "I already know that Toyota is the best car company so I'm going to get another Camry. I don't care about anything else."

And as far as cheap beer goes, I don't mind Busch as long as it's out of a can, and ideally, I'm sitting around a campfire.

I have heard the green bottle lets in light for years. But how much light gets through a cardboard box? Is beer stored under bright light?

so aside from fancy local brews, what's left out there that's a traditional "American" style Lite beer that's actually still American? As noted, sometimes a good cheap light beer just hits the spot.

Any major brands still American?

Miller/Coors is headquartered in Chicago, but parent company SAB Miller is British. PBR is sort of American still, but is contract brewed by Miller.

We already covered the Anheuser Busch InBev fiasco. (bud / busch / labatt / natty / etc.)

Stroh's was a Detroit brand but are now owned by Pabst, which as noted above is strictly a brand holding company now and contracts out it's brewing.

I used to drink Bud/Bud light, but I've been migrating over to Coors Heavy / PBR. At least Pete Coors is still the CEO of the Miller Coors arm, so I'd like to think that hasn't totally gone the way of the InBev stockholder focused up-price and down-grade strategy.

North Coast "Scrimshaw" is a good pilsner. Nothing "fancy" about it. Haven't tried it, but based on everything else they make, I'm guessing Oskar Blues "Mama's Little Yella Pils" is good too.

I think SAB Miller is a South African company. Or was. Before the name change, the SA stood for South African.

Beer has to age. "Fresh" beer is skanky beer.

That article said something about "Heineken would never do that (make beer locally). " Heineken used to do exactly that all over the world, at least in the 80's. Don't know if they do today or not. Haven't traveled the world for a while.

And Toyota is the best car company.

HiTempguy wrote:

Grizz wrote: In reply to HiTempguy: Why's it gotta be coors light though?

Canuckistan

According to the Canukistanis I know, that means you have to drink some form of alcoholic moose piss.

So, is Yeungling still American-owned?

Yes.

xflowgolf wrote: so aside from fancy local brews, what's left out there that's a traditional "American" style Lite beer that's actually still American? As noted, sometimes a good cheap light beer just hits the spot. Any major brands still American?

Was going to say Leinenkugel, but I checked and found out that they're owned by SAB Miller.

There's still Yuengling.

xflowgolf wrote: We already covered the Anheuser Busch InBev fiasco. (bud / busch / labatt / natty / etc.)

... My Blue... is InBev... berkeley

Edit-Labatt shows up on the InBev list, but it is also listed under North American Breweries. Nothing else is on both lists... Now I'm just confused

Double edit- owned/brewed under InBev, sold by in the US by labatt usa, part of NAB.

poopshovel wrote: North Coast "Scrimshaw" is a good pilsner. Nothing "fancy" about it. Haven't tried it, but based on everything else they make, I'm guessing Oskar Blues "Mama's Little Yella Pils" is good too.

skip the Yella Pils. Not nearly worth the going rate. Reminded me of Miller Genuine Draft, and that's not a compliment. Keep in mind I happily drink anything from Miller High Life to Stone Ruination IPA to big barley wines. For Oskar, I was highly disappointed.

When I was in China, all the beer was very light. Tsingtao was the most popular, and not bad. Snow's seemed to be local to the SE coast, but it was a little better.

You can get Tsingtao commonly here, but it's not as good as the stuff on the shelf over there. Must be missing the carcinogens in the local water.

Lately the Kroger where I shop has had 6 packs of Miller High Life tallboy cans 2 for $7. That's good lawnmower / garage beer.

ultraclyde wrote: Lately the Kroger where I shop has had 6 packs of Miller High Life tallboy cans 2 for $7. That's good lawnmower / garage beer.

That is my garage beer.

I never knew Shocktop was inbev. Not that I like normal Shocktop but the End of World Midnight Wheat is pretty decent.

pilotbraden wrote: I have heard the green bottle lets in light for years. But how much light gets through a cardboard box? Is beer stored under bright light?

You would be surprised how fast light will make a beer go off. On a warm sunny summer afternoon a glass of IPA in a clear pint glass that has spent 3 minutes in full sunlight will taste different than a fresh pour.

ditchdigger wrote:

pilotbraden wrote: I have heard the green bottle lets in light for years. But how much light gets through a cardboard box? Is beer stored under bright light?

You would be surprised how fast light will make a beer go off. On a warm sunny summer afternoon a glass of IPA in a clear pint glass that has spent 3 minutes in full sunlight will taste different than a fresh pour.

And thats why I keep all my beer glasses in the freezer.

N Sperlo wrote:

ditchdigger wrote:

pilotbraden wrote: I have heard the green bottle lets in light for years. But how much light gets through a cardboard box? Is beer stored under bright light?

You would be surprised how fast light will make a beer go off. On a warm sunny summer afternoon a glass of IPA in a clear pint glass that has spent 3 minutes in full sunlight will taste different than a fresh pour.

And thats why I keep all my beer glasses in the freezer.

This demands research.

Grizz wrote: According to the Canukistanis I know, that means you have to drink some form of alcoholic moose piss.

We have delicious beers up here, sans Molson Canadian (that stuff is garbage).

I like to buy a 6 or 12 pack of random beers every two weeks just to see what I am missing out on. Usually it's not much IMO. Then again, nobody has ever claimed my palette to be that cultured.

In reply to HiTempguy:

I wish we could this down here.

Sorry for taking a bit to respond. I was out in Fort Bragg yesterday looking at housing.

Ahem... I berkeleying hate InBev. I think they are the most evil, monolithic, soul-sucking mega corporation there is. InBev is not a brewing company. They are an acquisition company that acquires brewing businesses and restructures them. They care about market share and profit, not what the product is.

A buddy of mine at school worked for Anheuser-Busch. When InBev purchased them, they majorly trimmed costs and cut the labor force... you know, because AB was such a poorly managed company. They have been working to remove the sense of tradition and history that AB cared about (e.g. the largest Clydesdale breeding program in the world). They have been purchasing some significant craft beer labels, such as Goose Island. I am really really really nervous to see what they do with those.

I'm not sure what will happen with the future of the brewing industry. I hope that larger, more business-minded craft brewing companies such as Boston Beer Company (aka "Sam Adams"), New Belgium, and Craft Brew Alliance (Widmer, Red Hook, and Kona) become the companies to acquire smaller, but solid brewing companies as their founders get ready to retire.

As for brewing Beck's in the U.S., I actually do not believe that is inherently a bad move for the beer. I think the quality will be higher if it does not have to be shipped across the ocean, presuming they follow the same recipe and protocols (although, that will certainly not be the actual case, since they will use American malt, which I do not think is as high quality as German). I still don't like Beck's either way.

HiTempguy wrote:

Grizz wrote: According to the Canukistanis I know, that means you have to drink some form of alcoholic moose piss.

We have delicious beers up here, sans Molson Canadian (that stuff is garbage). I like to buy a 6 or 12 pack of random beers every two weeks just to see what I am missing out on. Usually it's not much IMO. Then again, nobody has ever claimed my palette to be that cultured.

I really like Molson Export. For some reason I can't get it here, even though the name would suggest I could.

MadScientistMatt wrote:

xflowgolf wrote: so aside from fancy local brews, what's left out there that's a traditional "American" style Lite beer that's actually still American? As noted, sometimes a good cheap light beer just hits the spot. Any major brands still American?

Was going to say Leinenkugel, but I checked and found out that they're owned by SAB Miller. There's still Yuengling.

And PBR, IIRC.

93EXCivic wrote: In reply to HiTempguy: I wish we could this down here.

Rickard's Red is deeeeelish. I'm also partial to Sleeman's Honeybrown (but it has some MAJOR inconsistencies batch to batch, same reason I stopped drinking Coors Light), and can't complain about Keith's India Pale ale.

Okanagan Springs is a pretty good brewer, same with Grasshopper.

BTW, I'll always take a surefire bet over what a beer tastes like (consistency) vs a beer that can be delicious but can also taste horrible.

Edit- As for Molson, I am referring to strictly Molson Canadian. I hate it, like, I'd burn their brewery to the ground. Any of their other products are ok.

Another, Labatt, I never see anybody order, even though Edmonton has a friekin' brewery for it here off the main highway into town. I do like Labatt, but only when I'm in Quebec so I fit in And it ain't half bad.

Mt. Carmel, Abita, Bells...theres plenty of medium sized merkun brewers out there doing just fine...let the big guys off themselves with greed...leaves more of the good stuff for the rest of us who care enough to vote with our wallets.

My go-to garage beer for years was Rolling Rock. I notice they've been bought by Anh-Bu/InBev as well. Anyone had one lately? Have they changed?