Jeff (Hootowl, on the left) knows whereof he speaks regarding the Golden Nectar of the Gods. He has donated and serviced a number of memorable hangovers at el ranchito...
Yabbut if you look at the picture, It looks like he's loosing at solitaire Rock Paper Scissors
A very light, crisp American Lager wouldn't be true to style if they only used malt.
True, but it still tastes like dog shit if it gets just a touch warm, whereas an all malt beer will not. All of the off flavors that you mentioned do not exist at 32 degrees come shining through at much above 40 degrees.
I know that stuff is tough to keep consistent with every batch. I have also met AB tasters at a beer judging class I attended, and they definitley know what they are talking about, with very discerning palates.
Why do we drink red wine at room temp? Because your palate cannot pick up sweetness at cold temps and the tannins are magnified rather than balanced. Same with a good IPA, the hops are over powered at cold temps because the sweetness can't come through to balance the hops. This is why so many Americans think Euro beers are too bitter. They put the damn ales on ice and the hop/sweetness balance is wrecked. If they let it get 5 to 10 degrees warmer the whole thing would come together properly.
I just figure that if it has to be ice cold to be good, then there is something there that ain't so good underneath.
I also believe that "Light American Lager" didn't exist in it's current mass produced forms until after prohibition when there were only a few large brewers still in business, and they could add more adjuncts due to lack of competition. Seriously, at 3.2% alcohol, do you really need to increase alcohol with rice or corn syrup to keep it light? That is a very low gravity beer. I think it was about $ and the American public adjusted to the beer that was availble for them to buy. Now that "light crisp" flavor at 32 degrees is just what people expect because it's all they ever knew.
HOLY S**T.....Thanks for wasting 8 minutes of my life Not purple s2! I had to watch the Chappelle clip 4 times....back to back to back to back!!! That edit is hilarious!
when out of home brew it is time to switch to great grandpappi's recipe for white lightning. Corn Grain smash a generous addition of watermelon to cut the burn.
And if the mood and time is there I will do a nasty samogon with a sweet potato
No arguments there. I just wanted to point out that the rice and corn are there for a reason, and it isn't simply to make it cheaper. That's just the style of beer it is. The reason that style became what it is, is of course as several have pointed out, prohibition and the resulting mass-appeal-market-it-to-women style of beer that came out of the nearly bankrupt breweries that survived the ordeal.
Oh, and for the record, I DID lose that game of rock-paper-scissors. My opponent seemed to be able to guess my every move.
It kills me how much talent goes into producing that stuff, as I know it could be put to better use.
At least we had a great beer awakening in the US a few years back.
Michael Jackson (the English beer expert, not the freak singer) said that he used to travel Europe when he wanted to find interesting new beers. He said now he comes straight to the US.
I prefer Spatten or St. Paului over becks but the Zwiviecz or whatever the F it is is a very very good beer I believe that is from Poland but I am not positive
Okanagon Springs Lager, small BC brewery, less than 50000 bottles a year, worth the commute and the line at the boarder. Two years ago, my truck got broke into, they took the beer, left the cd player, the cds, the camera in the glove box and my sunglasses alone.
