Don't Be Too Hasty

As a brewer of all grain beer recipes and a lover of beer, I tend to get into many discussions about beer and as a result, I hear a lot about how Coors and Bud are not really beer, but water--especially from my relatives in Germany when they express their scrutinizing whiffs of a Coors so everyone can see.

I say, "don't be too hasty" for several reasons. First of all, most of the time my specialty beers that I myself brew finish differently from the last batch in a way, some subtle, and some not so subtle. Scratching my head a bit then resting my hands on my hips, I ponder. I used the same grains, hops and yeast, but still they differ somewhat. All good mind you, but different none the less. Is there a quality found in consistency? There is. I mostly brew in 5 gallon batches like a lot of home brewers, and a lot can happen between 5 gallon batches. If you brew in metric tons, like Budweiser (US), you can rely that your truckloads of beer will be consistent with the last truckload every single time. They are extremely consistent. That's a quality too. It has to be. When someone opens a Coors, it better taste like a Coors. So, praise them for their consistency. Second, Bud and Coors are less expensive. $8.99 for a six pack of Bass! Ouch.

Another thing to consider right off the top. Yes, Fat Tire tastes much heartier than Bud Ice, but remember that the style or categories of beers range greatly like wines do. Buds and Coors fall into the Lager/Pilsner type, lighter beers that require a softer water to begin with. Porters and Doppelbock like to be made with a harder water with more dissolved solids in the solution and so on. Furthermore, some German/Austrian brews are not that great in comparison. Traveling to both Germany and Austria, I tried many a beer, and some stood room for improvement in my opinion. Augustiner Bräu, on Lindhofstrasse 7, the oldest working brewery in Austria, wow, could have had a better Pilsen. Just say'n!

Do not misunderstand either, some beers really are awful, but let's not be too hasty when it comes to the big guys. So the next time you're offered a Coors or a Bud do not sniff contemptuously, but rather tip your glass and salute the chemists in the back of the lab who ensured it be the same year after year.

In my next blog, I will write about why German beers are not very hoppy. Is there a reason?

"You can't be a real country unless you have a beer and an airline. It helps if you have some kind of a football team, or some nuclear weapons, but at the very least you need a beer."--Frank Zappa