They had a segment on the case this morning on NPR. The NPR folks did something that the lawyers hadn’t bothered doing - they took three random bottles of beer (one Bud, one Bud Light, one Michelob Ultra) to a lab to have the alcohol percentage tested. All three were right where their labels said they were (or within the legal margin of error). The Michelob Ultra was exactly what the label said.
The Lawyers have stated that they aren’t basing this on actually testing the beer, but by former employees coming forward with ‘secret documents’ that prove that watering down is corporate policy.
Worth noting that according to the article in the OP, the alleged watering down started after Budweiser was bought by the Belgian InBev. Damn Belgians! What do they know about making beer?
To my palate, all of them. (Counting St. Bernardus as a close match for Westvleteren, which I’ve not had. Nor the new Trappist, per the wiki, Engelszell) Though Orval is a bit hoppy for my tastes in a Trappist. Achel is quite tasty, Rochefort is amazing, and Westmalle makes the quintessential Tripel. They can be pricey though. But I’d think you’d like all of them. Or be interested in trying them at the least.
You’ve never had St. Bernardus? Oh my! Definitely get the 12, at least. And if they have any of the other ones, it’s worth picking up a bottle of each. Around here, there’s a sampler/gift pack that contains 2 each of the 12, 8, and Trippel.
A local TV station in St. Louis (where they take their Budweiser seriously) did the same thing, except they took several samples, and then tested randomly picked Coors as well. Every sample came out where it should have been.
The TV station then contacted the lawyer who responded that random samples don’t prove anything.
You know, to my taste buds, the New World Belgians (Unibroue, Allagash, Ommegang, and some of the North Coast, Boulevard, and New Belgium offerings) are as good or better than the stuff from Belgium.
I think Inner Stickler hit it on the head. The hate for Bud Light is that it’s all fluff, it’s marketing condensed into a liquid. You’re paying an extra $3 per six pack for a beer that is flavorless but has the right image.
I’m well aware that beer isn’t the only area where people pay more for image, but it’s what we’re discussing in this thread.
And since this has devolved into a beer recommendation thread, my local Trader Joe’s still has 2012 Vintage Ale on sale in 750mL bottles for crazy cheap. It’s a Belgian Dark made by those very Belgish Canadians at Unibroue and it is fantastic.
Speaking of affordable Belgian ales, the ones I think are the best value-for-quality (at least around here) are New Belgium’s Trippel and Abbey. I’ve made no secret that I’m not a big fan of Fat Tire or most of New Belgium’s middle-of-the-road beers around here (most of them taste too cereal-y to me), but these two are solid Belgian-style ales at $8.99 a six pack here. (And I see Bevmo has it for $7.99 a six-pack.) That’s an incredible price for a solid Belgian ale. It’s not quite Ommegang or Unibroue level, but it’s not that far off, either.
They’re not always easy to find, but if you do see them and like Belgian ales, I suggest picking a six pack of each up and giving them a shot.
And the Trippels from New Belgium are bottle conditioned. If you let them sit for a few months they mellow and become incredible. I honestly didn’t like it when I opened the first bottle, too much coriander. So, they sat in the pantry for awhile until beer stocks became low. On the second taste, they were delicious.
If you are somewhere you can get it, Devil’s Backbone from Real Ale is a good Trippel. La Grange from Rahr is a big, fantastic Belgian farmhouse ale. Lastly, It’s not a really Belgian Belgian, but Shiner’s specialty brew right now is an incredibly drinkable Belgian farmhouse ale. It’s a bit light and thin for a farmhouse, almost like a pilsner, but it’s good. Really, it seems like there’s an explosion of Belgian style ales being brewed in America these days. Since I love almost all of them, it’s been a good beer year for me.
Both the Abbey and Trippel are also very good for Carbonnade à la flamande, a Flemish beef & beer stew. (I make mine slightly differently, with a couple slices of bread spread with mustard on top of the step as it’s cooking. That’s how my Belgian friend taught me, and that seems to be a traditional approach. Helps with thickening the stew.) I used to always feel bad about putting good, expensive Belgian beer in the stew. With New Belgian’s Abbey and Trippel (I usually try to do half of each, although either on its own works fine), I can do it guilt-free. And, so far, a mix of those two have been my favorite for carbonnade. Incidentally, Cook’s Illustrated recommends New Castle Brown Ale, which I think is a bizarre choice. I’ve tried it, just to try it, and, while it makes a reasonable stew, it cannot compare with the flavoring a Belgian abbey ale adds.
Wow, I’ve never even heard of the dish before. But I am a complete sucker for beef and onions, so I’ve gotta try it. The linked recipe suggests gingerbread :eek:, which just seems like crazy talk for a savory dish. Lady Scabpicker makes gingerbread every December, so if it ends up in the recipe rotation, I’ll get to try it.
One question, though: The “mustard” ingredient is pretty vague. Do you suggest a strong, fine ground mustard, like Coleman’s. Or, do you suggest something else, a coarse ground mustard? dijon?
I missed the part about gingerbread–that’s not really that weird. Sauerbraten, for instance, has ginger snaps in it. I normally make carbonnade with regular white bread (not Wonder Bread, but a nice non-cottony type of bread) but gingerbread is not unusual, either.
As for the mustard, dijon mustard is what use. It shouldn’t really matter too much, but I prefer something like that, or German mustards.
I found my Belgian friend’s recipe:
It’s a very simple dish, and you can spice it a bit with allspice and thyme if you’d like, but it’s fine the very simple way. I would use a Belgian double (brown ale) for this, so the New Belgium Abbey or Leffe Brune (Brown), Westmalle Doubbel, Chimay Red, something in that general category will do, but it works with a lot of different kinds of beer. It’s pretty good with Flemish sours, as well. I’ve been told that the “correct” beer to use is supposed to be an Old Bruin or Flanders red, which both have a distinct sour component to them. My friend recommends the abbey dubbels. They all seem to work well for me. It’s a flexible recipe. There’s an interesting discussion here about the beer that is supposed to be used.
ETA: Oh, and as for beef, I go for chuck or boneless short ribs, which are my choices for any type of stew.
I just stopped by my local guy and ordered the St. Bernardus 12, the Westmalle Tripel and the Rocheford. I’ll head over to the superstore soon and see what others recommended here I can find. Thanks guys for helping me get my monk on.
