hops99
11-07-2003, 08:30 PM
So, I stopped by a convenience store this afternoon a few towns over on my way home from work to pick up some batteries for my kids - and staring me in the face at the checkout was a selection of single-can swill, including PBR. I know we've all been joking about PBR's resurgence lately, and yet none of us has been willing to even buy a sixer (myself included) to give it a shot. Well, I decided that this evening I'd try it, and I'd also try a few other crap beers side-by-side to compare. As such, I also picked up a single can of Old Milwaukee - plus, I had a can of Yuengling Lager at home as well as a leftover can in the bottom of my beer fridge of Old Style, from a Summer cookout where one of my cousins brought some.
Here's my opinion:
The Yuengling Lager was the hands-down winner of the bunch, with an Amber color, light carbonation, good head retention, slightly grassy (but not offensive) odor, and a pleasant enough flavor - with a touch of malt and hop on the back of the tongue. It's a beer that I only have on hand to shove into my golf bag, or stick in the cup holder when I mow the lawn. Still, it's a beer that, if pressed with friends/relatives on a given evening, I could drink more than a few and be just fine.
The Old Milwaukee was miles behind the Yuengling, but definitely more palatable than the other two. I thought it had a sweetness that was again, unoffensive, and the aroma and head retention was slightly better than the other two. I still would never drink this beer unless I absolutely HAD to (i.e. if I was at my grandfather's house and he offered me one, I'd take it. Look, I'd never tell my 86 year old grandpa that his beer isn't good enough for me; even I know where the line is).
The Old Style was simply awful. Very noisy head with no retention. An extremely pungent aroma (somewhere between cooked cabbage and my newborn's messy diaper). It tasted like fizzy corn flakes. Ugh! How the hell do people drink this crap, especially after smelling it? The ONLY time I'd drink an Old Style (other than at my grandpa's) would be if I were at Wrigley Field in Game 6 of the World Series, and the Cubbies were only 5 outs away from the pennant, and I'm celebrating until this foul ball is hit down the left field line....
Which leaves me with PBR. Now, in fairness, I think the can was pretty old - there was some dust on the top of the can when I bought it, and it had a slightly duller appearance than the Old Style and the Old Mil. If this was a VERY old can, then I'll apologize in advance for an inaccurate review. As it was, though, this was the worst of the bunch. While it didn't have as pungent an aroma as the Old Style, and the head wasn't quite as noisy, the taste resembled nothing close to what I'd consider beer. It kind of tasted a little like a fountain soda that's run out of syrup. You know, just a faint hint of sweetness, very fizzy and gassy, slightly sour taste. Blecchhh!
You know, I read the article in Beverage Business about PBR's resurgence, and was interested in the reasons given. Principally, they state that many of the Gen Y'ers on each coast are free thinkers and are resentful of the barrage of marketing and advertising that we all put up with every day. So, PBR to them has become the anti-establishment beer, and it's supposedly popular with the fringe crowd.
Now, I can understand the advertising backlash, and at some level think that's kind of cool, but if you're a free thinker with an open mind, don't you think you'd be inclined to actually LEARN something about beer, and get more involved with craft beer, REAL beer? Can you imagine if just 1/2 of the "Gen Y" crowd drinking Pabst started to aggresisvely drink craft beer - how that would impact the micro industry? Amazing.
Here's my opinion:
The Yuengling Lager was the hands-down winner of the bunch, with an Amber color, light carbonation, good head retention, slightly grassy (but not offensive) odor, and a pleasant enough flavor - with a touch of malt and hop on the back of the tongue. It's a beer that I only have on hand to shove into my golf bag, or stick in the cup holder when I mow the lawn. Still, it's a beer that, if pressed with friends/relatives on a given evening, I could drink more than a few and be just fine.
The Old Milwaukee was miles behind the Yuengling, but definitely more palatable than the other two. I thought it had a sweetness that was again, unoffensive, and the aroma and head retention was slightly better than the other two. I still would never drink this beer unless I absolutely HAD to (i.e. if I was at my grandfather's house and he offered me one, I'd take it. Look, I'd never tell my 86 year old grandpa that his beer isn't good enough for me; even I know where the line is).
The Old Style was simply awful. Very noisy head with no retention. An extremely pungent aroma (somewhere between cooked cabbage and my newborn's messy diaper). It tasted like fizzy corn flakes. Ugh! How the hell do people drink this crap, especially after smelling it? The ONLY time I'd drink an Old Style (other than at my grandpa's) would be if I were at Wrigley Field in Game 6 of the World Series, and the Cubbies were only 5 outs away from the pennant, and I'm celebrating until this foul ball is hit down the left field line....
Which leaves me with PBR. Now, in fairness, I think the can was pretty old - there was some dust on the top of the can when I bought it, and it had a slightly duller appearance than the Old Style and the Old Mil. If this was a VERY old can, then I'll apologize in advance for an inaccurate review. As it was, though, this was the worst of the bunch. While it didn't have as pungent an aroma as the Old Style, and the head wasn't quite as noisy, the taste resembled nothing close to what I'd consider beer. It kind of tasted a little like a fountain soda that's run out of syrup. You know, just a faint hint of sweetness, very fizzy and gassy, slightly sour taste. Blecchhh!
You know, I read the article in Beverage Business about PBR's resurgence, and was interested in the reasons given. Principally, they state that many of the Gen Y'ers on each coast are free thinkers and are resentful of the barrage of marketing and advertising that we all put up with every day. So, PBR to them has become the anti-establishment beer, and it's supposedly popular with the fringe crowd.
Now, I can understand the advertising backlash, and at some level think that's kind of cool, but if you're a free thinker with an open mind, don't you think you'd be inclined to actually LEARN something about beer, and get more involved with craft beer, REAL beer? Can you imagine if just 1/2 of the "Gen Y" crowd drinking Pabst started to aggresisvely drink craft beer - how that would impact the micro industry? Amazing.