[TR] Lucas - BEER?

[Glenn A. Merrell]

Ian wrote:
> When I first started drinking in the UK, Watney's Red was the "beer" of
> choice to us kids, which as any older Brit listers will tell you was just as
> bad as some of the watery beers around now.
>
> Yuengling is my local beer as the brewery is in our region and I always have
> a case of it in the house.  In our town there is the Victory Brewing Company
> supplying, amongst others:
> HopDevil at 6.7%
> Golden Monkey at 9.5%
> Old Horizontal at 10.5%
>
> None of those are close to water and have some real taste to them.  Other
> listers will have their own fine local brews.  Many people don't like strong
> flavor in their beer and that's OK; there are many "designer" beers with
> flavors that don't work for me.
>
> I know that there will be replies that such and such a beer beat a European
> beer at a festival, but the original joke, that is told around the world (I
> certainly didn't make it up) is really a comment about the bland McDonalds
> style crap that we are brainwashed into believing is good by the big
> corporations.
>
>
> --
> Ian
> 62 TR4
>   
Oh, you have Victory Brewing in your home town!!  Cool!

But WAIT!!!  You drink microbrew,  then you have the nerve to classify 
swill like Bud as an "American beer"!?!  Shame shame SHAME!! 

When you compare the hand crafted beers in North America, they also have 
equivalent ABV (anywhere from 5% to 15%) to the nice local hand crafted 
brews anywhere in the world.  When I was in Belgium, I tried the red cap 
stuff that was 18%.  Far too alcohol astringent for my taste, and in a 
little pony bottle, you could only drink two of them.

I have been a craft brewer for over 20 years.  I drink high quality hand 
crafted beers for one reason, the taste!  And I also like the quality 
hand crafted beers of the Triumph Brewing Company in New Hope 
Pennsylvania.  I really appreciate the uniqueness and full bodied taste 
of many of the hand crafted American Stouts. And I appreciate the 
different tastes each batch produces.   But as my unscientific taste 
test proved, Guinness is now to a standard where it also tastes the same 
just about anywhere in the world.  Fortunately, it still has actual flavor.

Here in Colorado, we host the Great American Beer Festival, venue to:

411 Breweries represented on the festival floor
(27 more than last year)

1903 Beers on the Festival floor
(Yikes! 250+ more than last year)

470 Breweries in the competition
(20 more than last year)

2815 Beers entered into the competition
(405 more than last year)

Who really cares about Miller or Budweiser.  When I am offered one of 
those mass produced beers, I "just say no" thanks - unless of course the 
only  alternative IS water!  Then most of the time I'll take the water.

-- 
Glenn A. Merrell
Chairman, Triumph Stag Club USA (2007-2009)
The best trophies are miles on the odometer, stone chips in the paint, dead bugs on the windshield!