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?
Beer-drinking European living in 'Murica here. For certain styles, the US has fantastic beers available. In particular IPAs (which don’t always have to be mega hoppy!), pale ales, pilsners, amber ales, and stouts. Plenty of great choices to be found here, if you discover the right breweries. That’s key, because there are a lot breweries with imo questionable taste.
What’s harder to find are good beers of other styles, such as Belgian or German beers. US breweries try, sometimes, but they aren’t succeeding.
That’s kinda the difference - local specialties mostly can’t be beaten on their own turf. Also, in America you’ve got to actually seek out the good stuff and go local, the InBev stuff is meticulously targeted at swine with no taste.
I’m particularly fond of Belgian beers and my partner is fond of German beers. They’re of course not as good in America as the real thing, but there are definitely some solid options. In fact that’s what I will say is nice about American beers: you can find something decent of any style of beer you can imagine, and some truly excellent ones in a handful of styles as you mentioned already.
The Belgian and German styles are largely ignored by the national breweries, but a lot of more local or regional microbreweries are crushing it when it comes to them.
This is the correct answer. Pacific Northwest microbrew is awesome for many styles. But not German/Belgian style beers - you guys haven’t figured them out yet. The big nationally distributed beers like coors and bud are basically horse urine.
I’ll say that you’re generally right that American breweries don’t do Belgian beers perfectly always, but there are a handful that are great. The thing about craft brewing is you have to go around and try new things. There’s so many options, and most are mediocre at best. However, with there being so many options, a small few nail certain things, whatever that may be.
I recently chatted with someone at a party who said “no, all American beers are bad” including microbrewery beers.
That person has not tried “all” American beers. So their view can be safely disregarded IMO.
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.
European here. Germans just think their beer is the best in the world and if you’re not doing it like them, you’re not doing it right.
Don’t get me wrong, the standards Germans apply to their beer production means that it’s rare to get a terrible beer there, but IMO it’s also not that innovative and the range of styles is fairly limited. There is a ton of choice in the US both in terms of breweries and styles. The variation means you get more duds but also more excellent beers.
Yeah no doubt German beer tends to be similar in taste. What is refreshing though is to be able to taste a remarkably distinct beer that still follows the rules. And there are a few breweries that are able to do that
Oh come on. We do have the best beer. And a lot of breweries.
Or so they say about the former.
I wouldn’t know. I don’t even like beer 😁. So I really don’t care what is true regarding this.
Not a European, but i don’t buy that. American mass-produced beers are bad. That used to be all beers, but it’s not anymore. American microbrews have come a long way and frequently win awards, including international awards. The only objective evidence shows good American beers are good.
I think it’s down to history, wounded pride or self-defensiveness, and as someone else mentioned: the aged swill you get from “imports” may not be good.
Personally, I think German beer is awful, and quite a few American microbrews do German styles so much better. But I’m adult enough to understand I’ve never been to Germany and that what we get for imports may not be their best or freshest. I’m willing to give German brewers the benefit of the doubt, despite what I’ve experienced from them
It’s true they really don’t cross the Atlantic all that well but they’re great fresh
One of these days I hope to find out. Several times Ive had internal conversations debating whether it’s reasonable to organize a trip around beer
Most trips are organised around arbitrary goals, why not beer? People want to try pizza in Italy, or see the northern lights, or swim with dolphins - all geologically locked, ultimately frivolous goals. But if it brings you joy and you can afford it, why not?
Had a short conversation on reddit with a guy from Chile (South America at least) that regularly had a German brewery ship him a crate of beer. Maybe you could do that for special occasions, pretty sure quite a few breweries would accommodate you with such a request. If you care, I’ll list some of my all-time favourites:
Störtebeker (basically all of their offers, not much of a Porter/Schwarzbier (stout) fan myself though, so I don’t drink those)
Lammsbräu (especially the Urtyp)
Tannenzäpfle Rothaus
Andechser Klosterbräu (especially the Helles)
Tegernseer Helles
Reading through the first one I see a partnership with Olde Mecklenburg, what do you think: https://www.ombbeer.com/location-overview/
… just a bit over 13 hours drive
Sounds like beer I’d try, though I was a bit surprised to see a beergarden. Mecklenburg, as in the former duchy and now part of the state of Mecklenburg-Western-Pommerania is distinctly northern German with influences from Eastern German and the culture of the former GDR. None of those being Biergarten-Kultur which is distinctly Bavarian- also a 10h drive from Mecklenburg.
But hey keep the coops coming, everyone can only improve
Thanks. I’ll take a look
I took one of those once. I think at least. I can’t actually remember…
I’m curious what they have available over there. Most of our microbreweries don’t reach outside of their own state, let alone internationally.
I’m confident that we have some brews that could go head to head with their best, and I bet they have some that could compete with our worst.
There should be a beer equivalent to the movie “Bottle Shock”
I would question your friend on what they are drinking and where.
The easiest to find Australian beer in the US is Fosters. But go to Australia and few people there actually drink it because it’s not good and there are so many better options.
I once traveled to the UK and had a Newcastle Brown straight from the tap and it was delicious. Went back home to the US and picked up some bottles, it was old and tasted like barely a shadow of the fresh UK stuff.
If I judged Australia or UK beers on what I can find easily in the US, I would also think their beers are ass.
So if he is trying only what he can get in his country, 1) it’s probably old and 2) it’s rarely the “best” a country has to offer.
It’s funny as I was reading the comments and I was actually thinking about fosters specifically and how ass nasty it is
I have had a good Newcastle and boddington’s and Sammy smith on tap in the states at a Irish bar so frigging delicious although Sammy smith is good in general but probably some of them are too sweet to be considered beer.
Not as bad as American “chocolate” .
American here: American Light Lagers, like those of the BMC brands, are both one of the hardest styles to brew well and one of the worst crimes ever committed against brewery. They’re hard to brew because there is so little flavor that the slightest off-taste can ruin a batch. That’s also the reason that they are so terrible; they are little more than ethanol delivery systems that have enough malt proteins to sometimes have a head.
Want to get fucked up without tasting much? They’re probably the next best choice after a very neutral vodka. If you have interest in anything beyond intoxication, like actually enjoying the beverage, then, pretty much any other American or European style is a better choice.
The fuck? American craft beer is absolutely delicious. A lot of light beer brands are also good. Who’s saying American beer sucks?
The big US and Canadian brands all taste like ass but there’s thousands of small breweries that make very yummy nectar. Personally I prefer German and Belgian brews.
Quebec has some pretty sweet crafed beers. We also have the generic crap but it’s not really popular. It wasnt always like that, the offer kept getting better and better over the past 15 years or so.
Yup, pretty much every province now has a good choice of local brews. It’s sad we have stupid interprovincial trade barriers because I wouldn’t mind a case of Boréale or Quidi Vidi once in a while, although we have choice too in Ontario. Beer is proof the universe loves us.
Beer is good only in Belgium.
- An Italian
Belgian beer is good but it is so heavy I can only drink one before I feel off.
Heavy in taste or heavy in abv? We have both light in taste and light in alcohol beers, sometimes even both at the same time :)
Heavy in taste/texture. It feels like a rock in my stomach. They still taste good!
They are heavy in both really. In Amsterdam I had my first quadruppel though and now my threshold for heavy in taste is much higher.
Are you south-tirolian or why do you have a German nickname?
That is called a nickname, it has nothing to do with my real name. I am originally from Rome.
Just curious, how did you come up with that nickname?
I was studying biology, and I would sell my soul for a passing mark on my exam.
Belgian beer is sooo good, but your local (southern) german beer is always better
You Italians have a beer up by Lago di Como called “Spluga” or something like that. It was damned good especially with the wood fired pizza I had there.
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.
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.
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’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.
yes.
I’m an american who lives in france, and i brew my own beer. American beer tastes like shit, even the microbrewed stuff. Everyone wants to make an IPA, and they all taste over hopped. It’s either that swill or the staples of the American frat party: bud light, miller light, coors, etc.
Best beers are hands down made in Belgium, and i will throw hands.
Alright, let me finish my beer and then we throw hands. Belgian beer is meh.
come at me bro
IPAs suck, it’s true.
the thing is, pale ales don’t have to suck. with the right hops and the right amount at the right time, it can be almost pleasant. Not my favorite, but i could understand the appeal.
However, you want a good beer, check out a lambic.
Or gueuze. They tend to be a bit hard to find in the US. Sour Flanders red ales are another good style, and also difficult to find.
IIRC, a proper lambic is made with spontaneous fermentation, which makes each batch slightly different.
Meh, I prefer Pilsener. Either the Czech stuff or from Northern Germany. Sometimes a nice wheat bear is good too. The only beer one can drink in Bavaria, the rest tastes like shit.
I do like a Grimbergen Blonde every now and then though.
Stella Artois
