Not to be a party pooper, but the US has been producing the best beers in the world for a while now.

Which is not to take anything away from the Belgians, who make a very good product. But just that in terms of quality and quantity and variety, the American craft brew market is simply the single best producer of beer in the world.

Beer sucks.

/oblig
//For the record, no, I have never actually tried any; the smell makes me gag.
///Don't actually drink at all, really.
////Nothing against it, just not for me.
\/Used to do 5 slashies, then I took a backslash in the knee.

"Aw, Belgium man!"

Something something Oregon something something something.

knifeyspoony: Something something Oregon something something something.

I came here to say this.

Thank God I'm going to Belgium in February

As I'm reading TFA all I can think is "I want another beer" therefore all I am reading is "go get another beer". Maybe after another beer I will finish this article.

/drunk and farking. Uh oh.

If beer were actually any good, then non-alcoholic beer would be just as popular, if not more so, than regular beer.

Beer is gross.

namatad: lambic
peche, kriek
mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Came here to say this, see that it was covered, will see my way out.

/don't forget the raspberry and apple
//have a bottle in the dining room, it's a bit late for me (had rum earlier, shouldn't be drinking in the first place so I won't risk mixing) but methinks tomorrow's dinner will involve said Lambic

Benevolent Misanthrope: ArkAngel: Unfortunately for subby and the author, the best beer will always be Czech Trappist, and unavailable for general sale.

/Protip: they export the lowest-common-denominator stuff
//Trappist Insider Tip: No Trappist has actually touched Chimay beer in decades. They just own the brewery.

I don't care. I love Chimay Grande Reserve.

You can get it fairly easily here in the States, and it's a great thing to give to some Budweiser-swilling fellow who has never had good beer in his/her life, and the widening of their eyes as they finally taste something decent....

Precision Boobery: If beer were actually any good, then non-alcoholic beer would be just as popular, if not more so, than regular beer.

Beer is gross.

I hate beer as a general rule (cue the people cursing my name), but I love lambic. Have you ever tried it? While technically a beer, I do think that it doesn't have hops, so it is fruity and tastes nothing like the beer you can find in the states.

Been there. Done That. Leffe. Can now get it here in the Ole US of A. Cheaper than an air ticket. Sometimes a Shocktop is OK for lunch - burger or fried tenderloin sammich.

CultureVulture: Been there. Done That. Leffe. Can now get it here in the Ole US of A. Cheaper than an air ticket. Sometimes a Shocktop is OK for lunch - burger or fried tenderloin sammich.

Leffe is the lowest common denominator of belgian beer. It's alright, but nothing special.


AverageAmericanGuy: Not to be a party pooper, but the US has been producing the best beers in the world for a while now.

Which is not to take anything away from the Belgians, who make a very good product. But just that in terms of quality and quantity and variety, the American craft brew market is simply the single best producer of beer in the world.



Yeah, not so much.

There is good beer in the US now, and the variety of styles is impressive, but they do not match the beer that comes from the countries they imitate. There are now some great American styles, of course, that stand on their own as good things, but they aren't everything. FWIW I don't think Belgium or any other single country has this in the bag.

There is a time and a place for all sorts of different beer in the world. Even Canadian...

FTA: "A barman who neglects to inquire whether you prefer your bottle of Duvel shaken slightly to mix in the yeasty lees shouldn't expect a tip."

On occasion, yes...But I have found after a goodish long evening of ales, all those yeasty lees can make for some spectacular toiletry thereafter.

this thread needs pics.

Currently going, from left: WeeSB, Gumballhead clone, Old Lazarus Barleywine


And, some backyard Magnum for ya:

Gothnet: There is good beer in the US now, and the variety of styles is impressive, but they do not match the beer that comes from the countries they imitate. There are now some great American styles, of course, that stand on their own as good things, but they aren't everything. FWIW I don't think Belgium or any other single country has this in the bag.

I would have to agree with you, with one stipulation: Homebrews. I have tried some truly nasty swill produced by people I know and love, and I have also experienced some of the best beers I have ever had out of basements and closets. When done precisely and with enough care to procedure and sanitation, a home brewed beer can blow the socks off any factory produced classic style.

Of course, if you screw it up royally, you end up with this:


"Oh, I shouldn't need to worry about sanitizing the weeeeee little corner of the hop sack I was holding, I'm sure it'll be fine!"

I grew up in Belgium and Holland, and I was always convinced that Belgium had the best beer in the world. Only later I've come to appreciate British beers as well, but since a few years the U.S.with all its top-quality micro-breweries, produces the best and most diverse range of beers in the world.

tinfoil-hat maggie: croesius: FTA: "A barman who neglects to inquire whether you prefer your bottle of Duvel shaken slightly to mix in the yeasty lees shouldn't expect a tip."

On occasion, yes...But I have found after a goodish long evening of ales, all those yeasty lees can make for some spectacular toiletry thereafter.

this thread needs pics.

Currently going, from left: WeeSB, Gumballhead clone, Old Lazarus Barleywine
[img696.imageshack.us image 640x480]

And, some backyard Magnum for ya:
[img220.imageshack.us image 640x480]

Is that truly hops growing in N'ville? I've been wanting to start growing it here (Huntsville).

Yeah buddy! get 'em in early, fertilize properly, and a good hot summer can really produce! That was off a first year rhizome...and people said I wouldn't have any production the first season.

However, a good moist winter coupled with termites (really, really?) will result in you finding hollowed-out, rotten stumps when you uncover them for the spring. In Huntsville, you should be able to do just as well if not better due to your southernness.

croesius: Gothnet: There is good beer in the US now, and the variety of styles is impressive, but they do not match the beer that comes from the countries they imitate. There are now some great American styles, of course, that stand on their own as good things, but they aren't everything. FWIW I don't think Belgium or any other single country has this in the bag.

I would have to agree with you, with one stipulation: Homebrews. I have tried some truly nasty swill produced by people I know and love, and I have also experienced some of the best beers I have ever had out of basements and closets. When done precisely and with enough care to procedure and sanitation, a home brewed beer can blow the socks off any factory produced classic style.

Of course, if you screw it up royally, you end up with this:
[img844.imageshack.us image 640x360]

"Oh, I shouldn't need to worry about sanitizing the weeeeee little corner of the hop sack I was holding, I'm sure it'll be fine!"

EWWWWWWW. That looks disgusting.

And yes, homebrew is entertaining. I have produced both nasty swill and some outstanding beer from the closet in the spare room in my house.

Turns out that anything dark and strong flavoured (oatmeal stout in particular) I can make a pretty good job of. It's when it comes to lighter colours and more delicate tastes that something goes horribly. horribly wrong and you end up with crystal clear, sparkling golden ale that tastes like earwax :(

Gothnet: EWWWWWWW. That looks disgusting.

yeah, Mrs. Croesius and I ended up dragging it outside in the middle of the night and unceremoniously poured it down a storm drain. Had a friend who insisted "it just needs more time to process out the funk!".

My eye. I was NOT about to bottle that shiat.

As someone who brews himself, and has made a few Belgians...

The USA is currently the best beer producing country in the world if you want good Beer as Beer. Sorry, Canada, Germany, Czech, Poland. I love your stuff, but for pure variety and quality of the micro/mini stuff the US is unbeatable. Just Dogfish, Alesmith, Deschuttes, Goose Island, Lost Abbey alone, and I could literally go on for multiple lines here.

If you want beer that's been treated like wine, laid down lovingly and fermented in the bottle, perhaps with multiple yeasts and even wild yeast... Belgium is still Nirvana. Unibroue in Canada does a good job, but the sheer number of farmhouse beers like Phantome makes it real tough.

CAN'T WE JUST ALL GET ALONG DRUNKENLY?

oldtaku: CAN'T WE JUST ALL GET ALONG DRUNKENLY?

Well, maybe, if you hadn't said this -

oldtaku: The USA is currently the best beer producing country in the world


Now we need to have a noisy and badly coordinated fight, possibly ending with tears and declarations of love.

Gothnet:
Well, maybe, if you hadn't said this -

oldtaku: The USA is currently the best beer producing country in the world

Now we need to have a noisy and badly coordinated fight, possibly ending with tears and declarations of love.

I do believe that. I am also totally up for counter-examples to drink in the FULL sentiment of congeniality. :) And I've mostly drunken my way through Holiday Wine Cellar. Please! Give me some new things to drink to disprove it!

My Brother gave me his home brewing kit, looking forward to trying it out, and as i can see from upthread, sanitizing is important. Is darkness necessary? or just cooler temps? The basement is kinda scary and funky, but upstairs the wall w the sliding glass door is very chilly, and i could throw up a curtain or something. Tips?

Belgium Beer Weekend 2011 in Tokyo. 62 varieties and not too expensive, 500 yen to fill a tulip glass. Some were more expensive. I highly recommend it if you're a Tokyo farker and it comes back next year.

I had a Maredsous Brown, Duchesse de Bourgogne, Satan Gold (didn't like), Westmalle Tripel and a Vedett Extra White. I sampled some others that my friends bought but I can't recall the names.

What's with the smart and funny crap? Change. I don't like it.

Moonk: My Brother gave me his home brewing kit, looking forward to trying it out, and as i can see from upthread, sanitizing is important. Is darkness necessary? or just cooler temps? The basement is kinda scary and funky, but upstairs the wall w the sliding glass door is very chilly, and i could throw up a curtain or something. Tips?

Sanitizing is very important but easy - just use iodophor rinse. Once the yeast starts going it'll usually eat any bacteria alive (literally). But there's a sweet spot for them before fermentation really kicks in.

Darkness is important because light will split the hop molecules and you will get the exact same chemical as in a skunk's ass. No kidding. This is the taste of Corona - skunk ass. But you can wrap a towel entirely around the thing and keep it out of the flourescents, which are the worst possible things for beer.

Temperature is important because once you get above 80F with most yeasts they will go hogwild and start shiatting complicated alcohols that will rip the lining off your throat, give you incredible headaches, and the worst case of gas you've ever had.

So if you can keep them chilly and shielded from the light by whatever method you should be okay.

oldtaku: I do believe that. I am also totally up for counter-examples to drink in the FULL sentiment of congeniality. :) And I've mostly drunken my way through Holiday Wine Cellar. Please! Give me some new things to drink to disprove it!

Heh...

I can tell you one thing I have discovered, being a British ex-pat - British Beer does not travel.
I'm not going to claim British beer is the best in the world, but proper British beer is cask (not bottle) condition and *never* force carbonated, so you can only really try it in the UK. I've travelled the US quite a bit and never seen a cask beer, even though I have sought out bars with a good selection of stuff. It certainly doesn't make it here to Australia. British Beer is not anywhere near the same when bottled, and some of the brands that are 'real ale' back home are shipped to other countries are shipped under forced-carb and it changes them again.

Cask-conditioned ale is one of the things that's probably going to make me move back 'home' in the near future.

Damn, it's thirsty in here . . .

Benevolent Misanthrope: /Protip: they export the lowest-common-denominator stuff

The best Czech beers aren't exported either and can only be found in the area where they're brewed. Though one of the best was exported to the US for a while, it sadly no longer is.

And besides awesome beer the Belgians also make the best chocolate on Earth.

oldtaku: Moonk: My Brother gave me his home brewing kit, looking forward to trying it out, and as i can see from upthread, sanitizing is important. Is darkness necessary? or just cooler temps? The basement is kinda scary and funky, but upstairs the wall w the sliding glass door is very chilly, and i could throw up a curtain or something. Tips?

Sanitizing is very important but easy - just use iodophor rinse. Once the yeast starts going it'll usually eat any bacteria alive (literally). But there's a sweet spot for them before fermentation really kicks in.

Darkness is important because light will split the hop molecules and you will get the exact same chemical as in a skunk's ass. No kidding. This is the taste of Corona - skunk ass. But you can wrap a towel entirely around the thing and keep it out of the flourescents, which are the worst possible things for beer.

Temperature is important because once you get above 80F with most yeasts they will go hogwild and start shiatting complicated alcohols that will rip the lining off your throat, give you incredible headaches, and the worst case of gas you've ever had.

So if you can keep them chilly and shielded from the light by whatever method you should be okay.

Gotcha, thank ya much for the explanation, will schlep on down to the library to get some reading material first.

Gothnet:I can tell you one thing I have discovered, being a British ex-pat - British Beer does not travel. I'm not going to claim British beer is the best in the world, but proper British beer is cask (not bottle) condition and *never* force carbonated, so you can only really try it in the UK.

If you ever make it to San Diego, let us know how it is at Churchill's. I have thoroughly enjoyed their imported CAMRA beer, but I know it's a rare thing. This is is the one of the few places in SD you can get it unbastardized. Maybe Liar's Club. But the travel might be fatal to the quality.

Okay, is it tiems for drunken tears and hugs all around yet? Or another 100 comments first?

This is mai waifu.

Belgium is also, as far as I know, the only country in the world where the entire process of beer brewing - from harvest to bottle - has become completely economically fungible. That is to say, you can rent, lease or buy each aspect of the production chain from private parties, down to individual kettle-slots, bottling-capacity and lagering, even for very small quantities. Met a guy at a fair in the Netherlands the other day; he'd left everything in California behind just to become a 'producer' of his own beers.

I brew my own, and am not all that great at it, but I know a bit about what a beer should taste like. I think that as a national whole, the beers coming out of Germany have to be the best of any single nation of the world.

oldtaku: If you ever make it to San Diego, let us know how it is at Churchill's. I have thoroughly enjoyed their imported CAMRA beer, but I know it's a rare thing. This is is the one of the few places in SD you can get it unbastardized. Maybe Liar's Club. But the travel might be fatal to the quality.

Huh, interesting.

You're probably getting the closest to the real thing I've heard of outside the UK itself. Travel that far is not likely to help matters, but if it's given adequate time to resettle it's probably still fine.

Haven't been to SD in a couple of years, next time I'm in Southern California (seems to happen every few years) I'll have to check it out.