I wouldn't classify Guiness as a 'high quality stout' - it's very, very mass produced, and actually pretty characterless and bland compared with most other stouts and porters. It's brewed for the mass market, and tastes like it. It's not actually 'bad', but there are much, much better stouts around.
I agree, but only if you're referring to the bottled and canned stuff. I don't believe Guinness can be enjoyed that way, it's go draught or go home in my opinion. Have you tried the Milk Stout by Left Hand?
Most 'draught' Guiness is the 'creamflow' stuff now, and usually served far too cold, so it's not much better. Proper draught Guiness (on a hand-pull), served at proper cellar temperature, isn't very common at all. It's better, but still not great. I had a couple of bottles of it for Christmas last year, as it happens. Not bad at all. Nowhere near as good as this stuff, though: http://www.rhymneybreweryltd.com/our_ales/rhymney_dark.php but it's not widely available outside Wales. This is another particularly good stout (from Scotland): http://www.cairngormbrewery.com/index.php?app=gbu0&ns=display&ref=permanent&sid=ov60c06v2bie2ta4705197rasj4omc69
Sadly you're right, I'm fortunate enough to live near a pub that does it right, but for the most part us yanks get the short end of the beer stick. I'll have to try to find it, I have a place near buy that sells unique brews, I'll request this.
You won't go far wrong with any of the beers from either the Rhymney or Cairngorm breweries - if you want something unique, though, see if they can get hold of Cairngorm's 'Blessed Thistle' - one of my favorite beers: http://www.cairngormbrewery.com/index.php?app=gbu0&ns=prodshow&ref=bt
Or there's this stuff, of course: http://www.williamsbrosbrew.com/beerboard/bottles/fraoch-heather-ale That's quite interesting stuff, too - brewed with heather and bogmyrtle.
Budweiser is good, its not a great taste, but it tastes like beer should, made from hops, and accomplishes the goal of bringing on a nice buzz.
Isn't Guinness still brewed at ONE Brewery in Ireland.That's kinda important. But I will concede their Draught is absolutely awfull.Especially those cans with the plastic ball inside for freshness/consistency. When I think of Guinness is think ORIGINAL EXTRA STOUT.
Not quite. The Guiness sold in North America, the UK and Ireland is all brewed in the one brewery in Ireland, but it's also brewed in about 50 other locations worldwide. That might suggest something about the possible implications of such ingredient and process standardisation requirements of such ongoing massive bulk production. It also suggest something about the character of the beer, or lack of it - mass market products like that tend to be somewhat bland to appeal to the most number of people possible. I think of Guiness as being a bit like something like Abbot Ale - reasonable enough if there's nothing better on (and much better than the nasty, half-frozen, chemical fizz, mass-market lager stuff), but really kind of 'lowest common denominator' versions of what a stout (or Ale) should be.
Budweiser is very much 'lowest common denominator' lager-beer, designed to be flavourless and inoffensive so that the maximum number of people will find it acceptable. That not only maximises sales potential, but allows them to use a significant amount of cheap, pointless and flavourless filler ingredient in their recipe (rice, in their case, I believe), where other beers have to use more expensive things to make better quality beer - that allows them to produce very cheaply, and sell very widely, which in turn allows them incredible economy of scale (and consistency of produce is relatively easy to control in that with the ingredients they use and the result they need to get - just in case, though, they suggest it is served at a temperature low enough for the human tastebuds to not actually physically work properly!) - big, big profits. What they also try to do in the UK at least (and I suspect elsewhere) is to then plough those profits into marketing campaigns to suggest that their beer is a 'premium' product, and charge higher 'premium' prices to reflect that status they have given to the product themselves, giving them even greater profits. The result of that is that you can go into any UK pub and you will find a small bottle of Bud or similar being sold at a much higher price than a pint of ale (often more than 50% higher, for about 2/3rds of the volume), despite the fact that the local ale is much more expensive to produce, uses better quality ingredients, and requires more care and attention to brew (in particular, care and attention to flavour balances and the like). People still buy it, though, because it is bland and inoffensive for them to drink, is freezing cold and easy to drink in large enough quanities to get them drunk, is a brand name they know off the telly (so it sounds 'proper', and they know it's 'safe'), and they believe they are getting a 'premium' product. I often thing that the money:sense ratio must be somewhat out of kilter for mass-produced, 'premium' lager drinkers!
Ironically, Buttwiper isn't all that inexpensive here either. About eight bucks a six pack for bottles. My favorite, Sierra Nevada Pale, is nine bucks a sixer (about fifteen for a twelve pack). Kind of a no brainer, eh?
I live in one of the best beer states in the country. Right next to one of the best American breweries in the country. And my favorite beer is made by that brewery. That's a real beer, sir. You can keep your green bottles and silver cans.
What you just stated is Pure Beer Propaganda.And I can prove it. I dare say I've drunked a lot more Beer than you ... Pally.I have moved on to Red Wine almmost exclusively. Having gone thru a vast number of Beer YouTube I can say with certaintly that they to a Beer snob follow a pattern.They ALL use the same exact way to test beer and also wording to describe beer being reviewed.It's like a Fraternity.Same exact words and methodology.But what gave the little Beer snob away wasn't how they all spend actuallly minited smelling and commenting on the Aroma of any one beer but that they actually take themself seriously.TOO serious.THe last straw was the way Bud is now being portrayed.That Bud especially Bud Light is now " Dirty-tasting ".That doesn't make sense.Most IPA especially Boutique Brewery have Unfiltered Beer that does in fact Taste " Dirty ".ALL Homebrew will certain degree taste " dirty ".Budweiser and those " Non-craft style or ADJUNCT Beers ' spent years learning the art of Beer that is CLEAN and Refreshing.NOT DIRTY> Now the Nazi Beer Snobs are using the term " Dirty " on beer that is impossible to be accurately described as " Dirty ".If anything an adjunct beer like Miller or Bud or Coor's is immature.Meaning it needs more fermentation time.But time is money. A dirty beer would be one that is funky or musty and slightly cloudy like a Homebrew. Or a lot of craft brews {small batch from Boutique Brewery },sold thru brewpub.Some Microbrewery as well.Certainly Not any Premium American Beer makers like Coor's or Miller and now the latest American beer Villain or Brew Boogeyman ... Bud. Bud's Michelob Original Lager is exceptional. I just proved the scandal behind Beer Nazi Reviews.
Bud doesn't have a taste. Except when it's warm. Then it taste like vomit. A good beer tastes good warm or cold.
Bud definitely has a taste.....and it's NASTY. One American beer that truly doesn't have a taste, and is therefore drinkable in a pinch IMHO is Coors Light. Which is properly pronounced "Currs Lite".
I love hops too, but for me there's a limit. Here's one that's too hoppy even for me. But I'd still drink it over Buttwiper. How do you attach larger images on this forum?
Your one-upsmanship is impeccable, sir... However, that doesn't change the fact that Budweiser and the vast majority of its relatives taste terrible...
I certainly never described it as tasting 'dirty', nor would I - I described it as tasting 'bland' and 'characterless', which it is.
