And that’s an understatement. British IPAs are a mixed lot. I’ve been really surprised when over there what gets called an IPA. Most of the ones I’ve had have been fairly low-alcohol beers (some lower than 4%) with moderate hopping that taste more like an ordinary bitter to me than what we think of as an IPA here in America. But even something like a Fuller’s or Samuel Smith India Pale Ale is quite light in hop aroma and surprisingly malty compared even with an American Pale Ale like Sierra Nevada.
Bud is 30% rice: Budweiser - Wikipedia IMHO, those that swiggle America macrobreweris’ version of beer do so for three reasons: (1) They are cheap. (2) They’ve never tasted real beer. (3) They do so to get drunk, which you cannot do when a bottle costs $7 or more. Moreover, if they tasted a craft beer, they might not have liked it at first since their tastebuds are not used to it. Having not liked one, they reverted to what, to them, is beer.
Raise a glass to Jimmy Carter: If you’re a fan of craft beer and microbreweries as opposed to say Bud Light or Coors, you should say a little thank you to Jimmy Carter. Carter could very well be the hero of International Beer Day.
To make a long story short, prohibition led to the dismantling of many small breweries around the nation. When prohibition was lifted, government tightly regulated the market, and small scale producers were essentially shut out of the beer market altogether. Regulations imposed at the time greatly benefited the large beer makers. In 1979, Carter deregulated the beer industry, opening back up to craft brewers. As the chart below illustrates, this had a really amazing effect on the beer industry: http://www.tnr.com/blog/jonathan-chait/76819/how-jimmy-carter-saved-beer#As an underage beer snob with a fake ID in the early 1980s in the Northeast, my choices were limited to:
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National macrobrews: Bud, Miller, and eventually Coors when distribution in upstate New York began in the late 1980s.
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Regional breweries: Genesee, Matt’s/Utica Club, Rolling Rock, Strohs, Koch’s, Ballantine.
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Early California micros: Anchor Steam, and later Sierra Nevada.
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Low-end “budget” beers from G. Heileman and others: Milwaukee’s Best, Old Milwaukee, Meister Brau, Red White and Blue, etc.
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Cheap “Grandpa” beers: Piels, Hamm’s, Black Label.
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Malt liquor, especially in black and transitional neighborhoods: mainly Schlitz Bull, Colt 45, Olde English 800, Coqui 900, Mickey’s, and Champale. I remember seeing Colt 45 in 64 ounce jugs.
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The most popular products from mainstream Canadian breweries (e.g. Labatt Blue and 50; Molson Canadian, Export and Golden; Old Vienna,; Moosehead). The Canadians were the default in my hometown; go to a bar and order a “beer”, and you’ll probably get a Blue.
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Limited imports, mostly from Germany (Beck’s, St. Pauli Girl, Warsteiner), Holland (Heineken), and UK/Ireland (Guinness, Bass).
You could get oddball imports at ethnic stores, but inventory was hit-or-miss. Polish beers tended to be more plentiful around Easter.
It was brewed under license here in the U.S. (by Miller, IIRC), but they ceased making it in the U.S. about a decade or so ago. When it was popular (in the 1970s and 1980s), it had a (relatively speaking) premium cachet, in an era where there were fairly few premium or imported beers available in the U.S.
The brand still exists in Europe, and is now owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev. Apparently, you can occasionally find German Lowenbrau here in the States as an import.
I live in a small, old, midwestern town. (Near Chicago FWIW) Population maybe 5000.
There is only one liquor store in town, which stocks many Dogfish Head, Sierra Nevada, New Belgium, 3 Floyds, Founder’s, Bridgeport, etc. And of those, there are many varieties always available.
With lesser variety, I can always find Firestone Walker, Green Flash Brewing, Left Coast, Stone, New Holland, Ska, and various imported stuff.
He carries the outrageously expensive Sam Adams gimmick beers, and will make it a point to stock anything you promise to buy.
It sure is a great time to be a beer lover.
(Thanks, Jimmy Carter, I guess.)
And today, beers from New Belgium (Fort Collins, Colorado), mainly Fat Tire, serve the same “forbidden fruit” niche on the East Coast that Coors did in the past. Beers from Bell’s (Kalamazoo, Michigan) and New Glarus (Wisconsin), unavailable in New York State, have a similar cult status; in demand but unavailable in stores and bars. (“You’re going to Ohio? Can you bring me back a case of Bell’s Pale Ale?”)
Supposedly Yuengling is listed after in Western states where it’s unavailable, although I don’t understand the appeal; it’s just a decent regional lager.
Yeah, Yuengling is just a decent beer, but, I confess, when I’m in Yuengling country, I have to have several pints just because I can. It’s a solid, middle-of-the-road beer. As for New Glarus, well, that’s not available anywhere but Wisconsin. They say they can barely keep up with Wisconsin demand. I’m actually a little surprised that they’re that sought after in NY–I didn’t realize their reputation spread far beyond the Midwest.
I drink all kinds of fancy IPAs and Belgian trippels but there’s nothing as refreshing as a draft American macro after a day of physical labor on a hot day, or with a good pizza.
You may just be a snob.
Probably a lot to do with beeradvocate and other beer snob websites. I haven’t had anything from New Glarus (being from Texas), but I’ve been meaning to try some if I ever get close enough to their market.
Well, “close enough” will have to be across the Wisconsin border. Or do an exchange with someone. Their beers are solid, but where they really shine is in the fruit beer category. I am usually not a big fan of fruit beers, but there’s are amazing. Yes, they are quite sweet, but the fresh fruit aroma of the Belgian red, the Raspberry Tart, and the Serendipity (apple, cranberry, raspberry) is something to behold. They really capture the essence of the fruit without turning the beer into a “wine cooler” type drink.
A few years ago, I decided to “come out of the closet” so to speak and started proudly ordering Pabst Blue Ribbon, Coors or even Budweiser when I was in the mood, no matter what the various craftbrew elitists around me (some close lifelong friends, occasionally total strangers) thought.
Life’s too short to worry about what others may think…
You may just be a hipster… 
Truth is, I think that people who really appreciate beer don’t care what others drink. Not everyone likes craft beers. And not everyone likes macrobrews. I actually came around to macrobrews after first going through crafts and micros. When I was 4 or 5, I loved Old Style. Dad couldn’t crack open a can without me begging for a sip. By the time I got to high school, I couldn’t stand beer. Hated the shit. All the American macros tasted like piss to me. Then, one day, I discovered Samuel Adams Boston lager (still my favorite lager.) And then I went through a fun exploratory period through English beers, German beers, Belgians, and finally back through all the extreme American styles. Somewhere in there, I began to appreciate macrobrews again. So, now, while I’m likely to settle down with a nice Bell’s Oberon or Three Floyd’s Alpha King, I’m just as likely to be enjoying an Old Style or Schlitz. And none of my drinking buddies have ever batted an eye. Like you say, life’s too short to worry about what others think, but it’s also too short to worry about what others are drinking. I really don’t think most beer lovers really care what you’re drinking. You might just have asshole acquaintances.
Moved to Cafe Society.
Colibri
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