Keg origins?

[goose5]

I am getting older so this summer I cut back on the beer by about 40 percent. A recent trip to the doctor has my triglycerides up and naturally the 40 percent went up to 95 percent. I currently have had a 1/2 barrel key of Fosters in the frig. Since I am drinking a lot less I can afford some of the really expensive stuff. I like Fosters since the stuff sold here is brewed here. Canada I think. What other really good "imports" are brewed on this continent?

[jesskidden]

Originally posted by goose5
What other really good "imports" are brewed on this continent?

Well, there's all the Canadian and Mexican brands. <g> "Good" probably disqualifies a lot of 'em, tho.

Actually, we discussed this a few months ago in this thread
http://www.realbeer.com/discussions/showthread.php?s=&threadid=14261&highlight=imports
so you can read through that and get an idea of the current situation with those "fake" imports while you wait for the other responses (me, I've got to leave soon so I can't participate in this one right now, interesting as it may become).

There are also a few foreign brands now contract brewed in the US, i.e., so they don't say "IMPORTED" on the label- Kirin out of Anheuser-Busch's L.A. brewery, a German brand out of Berkeley, CA (doesn't make it to my area, so I forget the name) and Miller is scheduled to soon pick up the contract for Fosters in the US.

But since you're in Colorado (one of the great beer areas in the US), if your looking for "expensive stuff" I'm sure there's a better selection available if you drop the desire to have an imported name on a beer brewed in North America.

(Edit- So, I'm having my last cup of coffee before I leave and thinking about this post and a few other recent threads. Did I get taken in by this guy? Should I have just told him to try the "new" Beck's brewed by Anheuser-Busch but ONLY in a true 20 oz. pint glass.?)

[HogieWan]

Originally posted by jesskidden
Should I have just told him to try the "new" Beck's brewed by Anheuser-Busch but ONLY in a true 20 oz. pint glass.)

lol - thanks for that

goose, this most people on this board don't consider Foster's to be much better (even worse) than water.

As jesskidden mentioned, your area opens up a wide array of great beer brewed locally.

Most of the smaller brewers will offer 1/6 barrel kegs (aka sixtels) and the beer will be much more flavorful than anything "imported" from this continent.

Find a place that will let you mix six packs and try some single bottles of brews that are available to you in kegs before buying too much of a beer you may not like.

[Richard English]

I would consider Foster's to be nearly as foul as Dudweiser. Try some of the new US craft breweries' products and discover just how good beer can be.

Or if you want an import, try some of the British imports by the likes of Fullers. Young's or Hop Back.

[goose5]

No I am not trying to hoodwink anyone here. I find Fosters very tasty really. I used to drink Coors Original. Out of the keg it is tasty as well. My best friends Dad was born and raised, and now again lives in Austria. It always amazed me when he would sit down and his first drink of Coors would always follow him saying, "That is good beer."

I would just be amazed. This man comes from a place were the beer is just plain amazing, and he comments on Coors this way.

Trying to figure this out I figure that if a beer is brewed close by, and kept refrigerated it is going to be a lot better than one that has a nice hot boat ride across an ocean.

My main brew used to be Lowenbrau when Miller had the brewing task. Now that is no longer the case. That is when I switched to Coors and then Fosters. Are some of your saying that I should look for local microbrewery kegs?

Thanks for the linky. I will read and learn.

[Richard English]

Let me get this clear. You are saying that, of Coors, Miller, Lowenbrau and Fosters, you like Fosters the best. Have I got that right? You are also saying that your best friend's father lives in Austria and also likes Coors - and from these data you are suggesting that these are fine brews. Correct?

Can I suggest that, so far, none of you have yet tried a wide enough range of beers. Austria does have some good beers (although it is far from being the "beer paradise that some imagine. It is far below Belgium and the UK, for example), as do both the USA and Britain. And all these countries have a lot of real rubbish. To my mind, and with half a century's experience of drinking beers in many countries of the world including the USA, Austria and Australia (whence hails Fosters) all the beers you cite are at the real rubbish end.

In the UK we brew around 3,500 different beers; in the USA the figure is around 10,000 - but the beers that the majority know and drink are those produced by the fizz-beer factories since it it they who can spend mega-money on promotion, both above and below the line. The mega-breweries beers all have one thing in common: they are bland, usually expensive for what they are, frozen to death, fizzy and have the ability to engender a fearsome headache.

Fortunately you are in a good position to discover, as most of those who post here have discovered, that all beer is not ice-cold, yellow, fizzy and dyspepsia-promoting. Just go to a decent liquor store (and I am sure that there will be recommendations available from the American enthusiasts who post here) and check. Walk past the serried ranks of Dudweiser, Curse and Swiller (all placed near the front of every liquor store in order to maximise the owner's profits) and prowl around the shelves in the dark recesses of the store. There you will find beers you have never heard of - and you can be reasonably sure that, if you've never heard of a beer, it will be a better beer than any of the products of the fizz-factories.

Then, like others who have made the same discovery, you will say, "I never realised beer could taste so wonderful". And then you, like other enthusiasts, will embark on a life-long evangelistic mission to let others share what you have discovered.

[jesskidden]

Not to thread-jack... well, maybe I *DO* want to thread-jack- - it could be I'm just suspicious after the "Beck's" and "20 oz." threads, but, 'c'mon, as if the preference for Canadian (or *any*) Fosters and Miller Lowenbrau wasn't enough, there's "Are some of your saying that I should look for local microbrewery kegs?"

Anyway...

Originally posted by Richard English
Walk past the serried ranks of Dudweiser, Curse and Swiller (all placed near the front of every liquor store in order to maximise the owner's profits)

Obviously, this is going to be different based on the country, region and store, but I noticed the other day that this is NOT the case in many stores I frequent (a dozen or more in a 30 mile radius). Maybe one factor is, if I'm a regular in that store it's got a good a good selection of beer beyond BMC, but more and more I notice that the Bud, Miller and Coors is at the farthest away cooler door (often in the farthest corner of the store), and in many cases one has to walk *through* the craft beer/import warm section of shelving and then past all the craft cooler doors to get to the BMC area. Now, once there, they each take up one door each, in every variety and size container and often even feature cold cases on rollers, as well as six- and twelve-packs.

I suppose it's similar to the way grocery stores are set up, so one has to walk through the "impulse/treat/expensive" aisles to get to the staples of bread and milk. While beer retailers obviously make a large percentage of their total income on selling the big brands, on an individual "six pack" basis they obviously do better if someone buys a 6 of a craft brew than a 6 of a BMC brand and may even make more than against a 12-pack of BMC (competition keeping those prices low). But they'd sure like it if someone impulsively grabs a bomber or a 6 of some "strange" new beer that catches their eye on the way to also gets their standard purchase of an 18 pack of Coors Light.

Anyone else notice this? Or is it just the stores I frequent? It may also be based on living in a "no grocery store beer sales" state.

It's funny, but as I was thinking about this phenomenon, I thought "Gee, I really can't think of where the BMC is in such-and-such a store..." then I thought of where I often stand for many cumulative hours a year, and realize the BMC is obviously in the "other" spot. <g>

[Richard English]

Interesting.

When I was in Hedley (British Columbia) earlier this year I arranged a party for some locals and visited a couple of local liquor stores in Princeton and Penticton, where I was able to get a reasonable selection of decent beers.

When I served the beers, to the universal acclaim of the guests, they all wanted to know where I'd bought it, assuming it was from England. Indeed, on taking her first sip of one of the best and brightest from Unibroue, one girl said, "Hey, I'm emigrating to England!" - not realising that Unibroue is from Quebec.

To a man (or woman) they were all amazed to learn that all the beers had come from one of their two nearest small towns - from liquor stores that they all knew. But none of them had ventured past the piles of cans of chemical fizz! I had, of course - indeed, I had taken the trouble to track down a member of staff and asked where the proper beer was kept.

All seeking good beer should make sure they don't give up too early.

[jesskidden]

Yeah, I think we've ventured into consumer psychology territory here. I think a lot of people are just creatures of habit (hey, that might be a good name for a macro beer -"Creature of Habit Lager") and don't really "see" what they're *not* looking for. All those other beers might just as well be Campbell Soup cans, tube socks or fan belt hoses for all they realize.

My in-laws (and I have a lot of 'em) are mostly BMC types and I've long ago settled on "byob" those parties, and when I arrive with my little 6 pack (and there's no room in 'frig or the exposed to the sun tub of ice on the deck and they're shocked when I saw "Oh, I don't need it ice cold...") I'm often greeted with the somewhat-sarcastic "Where do you *find* all these weird beers you drink?". I then say, "Uh, I just bought it on the way over, at store around the corner where you bought all that Coors Light..." *

I think another aspect of this is the converse- the "vacation beer" syndrome. We've all seen the posts of "I went to ________ and was drinking ________ and it's the best beer I ever tasted!". Two things are going on- one, being away from home, they are drinking in places that aren't their "regular" spots, so have to read the menus and/or are often more willing to splurge or experiment. (I like it when folks ask me, "I had XYZ beer while I was on vacation, it's great. Can I buy it mail order?" "Well, yeah, or you could drive over to the liquor store and buy it...".)

The other aspect is the "beer/fun" aspect. You're on vacation, all your cares are, at least, put on hold- sure you're going to enjoy that beer more than the stuff you chug from a can in the front of the TV after work. Notice that no one ever asks if anyone knows where they can find the beer that they were drinking the day their dog died, do they?

__________

* Even more off topic, but it's a story I enjoy. Went to a summer party at the in-laws "down the shore" and brought a six of HopDevil (I often only bring 2 or 3 bottles, so I can drive home OK, otherwise my wife might say, "Oh, let's stay over tonight..." ugh). But, this party was at the rich relatives, where beer's "uncouth" and the expensive wine flows freely, even tho' more than half the family are beer drinkers. And this time they didn't even buy the "usual suspects", no Bud, no Corona, no Coors Light.

It soon dawns of me that my HopDevil is the only beer available. After a while, I look around and all the beer drinkers have a HD in the their hands. A panicked look comes over my face, I shoot a "What the f@#$?" look to my wife, she returns a "Ah, what can you do?" expression back.

An hour or so later, I venture into the kitchen hoping to find *something* to drink, find nothing and pour myself a small glass of wine, and, being a nice guy (or just avoiding the crowd?), do a little straightening up, dishes in the sink, un-eatened food in the garbage, bottles in the recycling...wait a second, this bottle of HopDevil is half full, that one is 3/4 full, that one *might* be missing a mouthful...Hey, there's still beer left for me! (Somewhat second hand tho' it was...)

[Richard English]

If anyone comes the "wine snob" bit with me I tell them that beer is a far more complex and interesting drink than wine and that it is genuinely my preference. My own rich relations know full well of my quirk and always have decent beer available.

Last week, while the rest of the party were drinking champagne, I was drinking Forest of Dean Gold Miner". A fabulous beer that, sadly, is not available in the USA (but is available in my local village shop!)

By the way, you can tell any of your champagne-drinking friends that bottle-fermented sparkling wine was invented in England, fifty years before Dom Perignon spuriously claimed the honour for France. England still makes superb sparkling wines along with its wonderful beers.

[corkybstewart]

We had a family birthday party at my parents house this summer, July 14(my father's birthday). Also Bastille Day which was great since my French wife had 4 family members there with us, my 50th, and a nephew's 22. So my sister showed up with 2 cases of Miller Lite, Dad had his Miller High Life, and I bought an assortment of Brooklyn, Sierra Nevada, Terrapin and some imports(all under AL's 6% cap). My sister had run into some friends I hadn't seen in 30 years so she invited them, and a cousin I hadn't seen in years was also there. The next day there were still coolers of Miller, both the High Life and the Lite, but there were about 100 empty bottles of the goodstuff. These people had never seen these beers and didn't know where to find them if they had even known they existed, but they damn sure loved them.

[jesskidden]

Originally posted by Richard English
If anyone comes the "wine snob" bit with me I tell them that beer is a far more complex and interesting drink than wine and that it is genuinely my preference.



Yes, most of my in-laws have heard that rap from me- in fact, I'm sort of tired of hearing *myself* give it, so I'm always a bit surprised when the subject comes up- again. I always think to myself "Do they *really* want to get into this again?" <g>. And, I've got to say that the wine drinkers are often the most open to new beer styles, as opposed to the Coors Light and the Bud contingents. At the one event held at my house, we wound up with lots of unopen wine, since I had most of the wine drinkers cleaning me out of my stock of Belgian and Belgian-style and other US craft beers.

Originally posted by Richard English
My own rich relations know full well of my quirk and always have decent beer available.



Gotta say that this particular party without ANY beer was unusual. Most parties are "everybody bring something" and sometimes, as the beer "expert", I'm given the task of buying the beer and I beg off. "Please don't make me do that! I feel so dirty buying all those cases of Corona, Bud, Miller Light and Coors!"

I bring my own and have long passed the age where I'm trying to prosilitize or be some kind of a good beer missionary. (Ask me a question and I'll talk all day, but I'm not out to change anybody who's happy with what they like.)

As for them having the "decent" beer available for me- well, I've run into too many "mistakes" on that front- old beer (Easter '05 beer still in the frig for Thanksgiving '06), strange styles for the meal/occasion, macro imports, fad beers, etc. I'll just bring my own- thanks.

[Richard English]

Well, the late, great Michael Jackson was a month younger than I am - and he never stopped evangelising! All the time I'm young enough to enjoy good beer I shall continue to support the cause.

Indeed, even after I'm gone I shall still do so since my will states that the first call on my estate is for all present at my wake to have a great party at my expense and that the drink will be good old English beer!

Oh , and a jazz band - that's one American custom I fully approve of.

[zoom6zoom]

The only thing I can add to this thread is:

Listen to Richard.





And that I'd love to attend his party, but hope it's many many years from now.

[goose5]

I will certainly agree that Lowenbrau, Fosters, and Coors are not really top shelf beers. Out of the can or bottle not that great of a beer. Out of the keg is another matter. All are different and much better out of a 1/2 barrel keg, and I purchased them due to economical reasons as well. I have been instructed to listen to Richard. Well, I am willing to listen to anyone who will mention a brand name. What is good in a 1/2 or 1/4 barrel keg available in the United States?

[toneyc]

Say what you want, but I really enjoy a Foster's Special Bitter once in a while. I also like a cold Corona in a salted glass with a slice of lime.

Goose, A couple of my favorites are from your neck of the woods. New Belgium's Fat Tire and Sunshine Wheat. Other good keg beers are Sierra Nevada's Pale Ale and Summer Wheat. I like every North Coast beer that I've had. I also like every beer I've had from the Widmer Bros.

As for bottled beers, you can't go wrong with 1845, Chimay, Duvel, Maudite, Trois Pistoles, the list goes on!

Damn! I done went and drooled on myself.

:)
Toney.

[jesskidden]

Originally posted by Richard English
Well, the late, great Michael Jackson was a month younger than I am - and he never stopped evangelising!

Well, I should have used the word "era", rather than "age", I suppose when I said that I "have long passed the age where I'm trying to prosilitize or be some kind of a good beer missionary...".

I suppose I'm more of a "Beer Freemason" (they don't recruit- one has to approach them and ask them to join) that a "Beer Seventh Day Adventist" or "Beer Hare Krishna".

I guess it's just part of my pessimistic, misanthropic nature. But, ask me a question about beer and you can't shut me up- it's even better [or worse?- depending on one's point of view, I suppose] if beer is being consumed at the same time.

[Richard English]

I am not fully familiar with US container sizes or style. In the UK we have no such thing as a "half-barrel keg" - but from my experience of drinking US beers I would assume it is a container that contains pasteurised beer under carbon dioxide pressure, dispensed from a font. I have never drubk a beer from such a container that has been anything but ordinary.

For British style ales (and there are now many brewed in the USA) the best way of dispense is from a cask in which the beer is conditioning (cask-conditioned beer). Such casks are the usual way of dispensing good beer in Britain and are becoming more common in the USA. In pubs such casks are usually Kilderkins of 18 Imperial gallon capacity, but for home consumption the better beer shops will sell Pins of 4.5 Imperial gallons or mini-pins of around 20 Imperial pints. I do not know whether there are any US outlets that sell beer in this way.

If it's not available as cask-conditioned, the best way to buy beer is as "bottle-conditioned" (BCAs). There are many fine US and imported beers sold this way in the USA and this site gives many examples. I have found Goose Island, Dogfish Head and Sierra Nevada to be excellent US examples and, as I mentioned, Fuller's 1845, Young's SLA and Hopback Summer Lightning are superb British BCAs that are readily available in the USA.

I have never drunk a beer in a can that is better than very ordinary and believe that this is because canned beer, like any other canned foodstuff, must be sterile before it can go into the can. In the case of beer this usually means that it is pasteurised and it cannot therefore develop and mature.

I cannot comment about costs but understand that the macro brews tend to be cheaper than good beers in the USA; in the UK this is not the case; proper beer costs less than Dudweiser. But regardless of cost, I would never buy other than good beer. For me beer is a drink to be savoured and enjoyed, like a fine wine (which good beers resemble).

There are, I know, those who drink simply to get drunk and they might just as well buy the cheapest alcohol they can get hold of. Fortunately I suspect that there are few of those types on this board.