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Beer thread, what you drinkin..
- Thread starter Liberal Democracy
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EJ3
Master Contributor
But with glucose syrup it is something other than beer, just as Chili with beans is not Chili.It tastes good.
And some is real Pilsen (very good), and some is UK made (generic lager and it tastes different) but all called Staropramen- you have to check the label. It's a nightmare getting authentic things in the UK.
EJ3
Master Contributor
No rules: just definitions pertaining to words and language (I notice that the displayed can of your "beer" meets all the requirements. h'mmm?):
As far as I know, this is the definitive definition of beer (please note that the second paragraph allows for the sale of beer with different ingredients as long as it is NOT labled "beer") :
The revised Vorläufiges Biergesetz (Provisional Beer Law) of 1993, which replaced the earlier regulations, is a slightly expanded version of the Reinheitsgebot, stipulating that only water, malted barley, hops and yeast be used for any bottom-fermented beer brewed in Germany. In addition, the law allows the use of powdered or ground hops and hop extracts, as well as stabilization and fining agents such as PVPP. Top-fermented beer is subject to the same rules, with the addition that a wider variety of malted grains can be used, as well as pure sugars for flavor and coloring.
The law's applicability was further limited by a court ruling in 2005, which allowed the sale of beer with different ingredients as long as it was not labeled "beer". The law thus became a labeling standard.
Exceptions to the current rules can be sought, and have been granted to allow gluten-free beer to be labeled as beer despite the use of different ingredients.
(EJ3): So, perhaps it depends on your personal definition of "beer". I'll continue to go by this one, thank you.
That is not to say other "beers" are no good (although I thought the one with chocolate "over tones" was just horrid), it's just that they don't meet the definition of beer.
I do notice that many say "beer with (whatever)" and that is a great (and legal) work around and let's people know what it is that they are getting, as it will NOT taste like beer.
Calling it a beer without explaining that it is a beer + something is like snake oil in audio circles: false marketing.
Some other companies making craft beers that I know abide by this that you may want to try:
- Bierstadt Lagerhaus in Denver, Colorado
- WEST Brewery in Glasgow, Scotland
- Kloud in Korea
- Gordon Biersch in California
- Red Oak Brewery in Whitsett, North Carolina
- Olde Mecklenburg Brewery in Charlotte, North Carolina
- Schulz Bräu in Knoxville, Tennessee
- Namibia Breweries in Windhoek, Namibia
- Rosenstadt Brewery in Portland, Oregon
- Penn Brewery in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Bitte Schön Brauhaus in New Hamburg, Ontario
- Steam Whistle Brewing in Toronto, Ontario
- Okanagan Spring Brewery in Vernon, British Columbia
- New Glarus Brewing Company in New Glarus, Wisconsin
- Bohemian Brewery in Salt Lake City, Utah
- Chinggis Beer in Mongolia
- Eisenbahn in Brazil
- Brewery Becker in Brighton, Michigan
- Bierkeller Brewing Company in Columbia, South Carolina
- Cedar Springs Brewing in Cedar Springs, Michigan
- Küsterer Brauhaus in Grand Rapids, Michigan
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somebodyelse
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If bought in the UK it was probably brewed in Burton.
Or, more liklely, Bedford or Northampton - centres of excellence in the field of generic, completely fake beers. Max profit, from max advertising, minimum traditional ingredients and minimum brewing time! Most good beer has too much flavour which would upset UK consumers. Super-chilled flavoured fizzy pop with alcohol is the order of the day in the UK!
Anyone remember the TV sketch - "Let's go out for an English.... Give me the blandest thing on the menu!"?
It's not bought in the UK.
I live in Sweden, and the Staropramen we have here is imported directly from Staropramen in the Czech Republic.
somebodyelse
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It is. And so are many other good beers in Sweden.
The UK is almost unique in Europe in its love of fake beer.
Top Tip: I think Lidl here may sell Staropramen that is imported, rather than the usual sad copy you'll find in every pub and in the other supermarkets.
I was thinking of many beers, not just Staropramen.
Dunno where they fake that beer up. But I'm pretty sure lots of volume brands come from Northampton and Bedford.
somebodyelse
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Northampton would be Carlsberg-Marstons. Bedford would be the one that was once Charles Wells, then Eagle. That was also Carlsberg-Marstons, but they seem to have sold it to Damm (who make Estrella) back in 2022. This list (also from 2022) should give you some idea of which brands might have been brewed there, although some bits may have changed hands since 2022 (including Eagle which it lists under its previous ownership.) Damm have recently bought Greene King's Hen brands, but they haven't moved production yet.Just another example of why this sort of thing is hard to keep up with.
As for it only being a UK thing, it's not. A number of brands owned by the major multinationals are brewed in multiple sites, or have been moved from their original brewery. Brands change hands and smaller breweries get bought out just like they do here. The UK being outside the EU does mean they can license the brands to each other in ways they can't inside the EU though.
Eee, I just don't like fake country of origin or fake ingredients in my beers. Most things that were once good in UK have become ensh!ttified - I try to support producers with standards!
I had some Red Stripe a while back. I think it was made in Bedford. Dreadful - I liked it when in the Caribbean though. And many other beers I look at in the supermarket seem to say brewed in Northampton. I don't catalogue all the details, or claim any expertise in corporate shenanigans - I just put them back on the shelf! FWIW, I always read labels on all food and drink, not out of paranoia, but more because I don't like being sold rubbish! Bit don't get me started on nitrates!
I've been mostly off beer since January. By mostly, I was fully capable of drinking a 6pk a day from mid afternoon til bedtime; not getting a buzz, just enjoying good beer. Since January, I've maybe had 6 or 7 beer, total. 
Anyway, I decided after reading a recent article about some of the near-beer options that I'd give some a try. Thus far, I'm dis-impressed.
For my first attempt, I went with Deschutes Fresh Squeezed NA version.
So unsatisfactory that I almost want to dump the rest.
Or go find a bar with a good Pilsner on tap.
But for now, I'm un-joying #3 from this 6pk.
It's kinda like somebody took the very soul of the beer away, what gave it some body, and replaced it with a spoonful of bile. Whee.
Anyway, I decided after reading a recent article about some of the near-beer options that I'd give some a try. Thus far, I'm dis-impressed.
For my first attempt, I went with Deschutes Fresh Squeezed NA version.So unsatisfactory that I almost want to dump the rest.
Or go find a bar with a good Pilsner on tap.
But for now, I'm un-joying #3 from this 6pk.
It's kinda like somebody took the very soul of the beer away, what gave it some body, and replaced it with a spoonful of bile. Whee.
Been out in London, think this is what I had.
Dark star hop head
Fullers London pride
St Peters Gold dust
Harvey's Pells Pale
Harvey's Sussex Best
Badger Fursty Ferret
Something else I didn't remember, and a double brandy.
Dark star hop head
Fullers London pride
St Peters Gold dust
Harvey's Pells Pale
Harvey's Sussex Best
Badger Fursty Ferret
Something else I didn't remember, and a double brandy.
Tornado sirens be damned. I borrowed a glass from the hotel and I'm giving this a try for the first time.
Without the usual Rochefort triple on hand, and going strictly from memory, my impression is this one has a different type of effervescence which strikes me as a tiny bit 'creamy' for lack of a better word. Oh, the subjectivity!
Without the usual Rochefort triple on hand, and going strictly from memory, my impression is this one has a different type of effervescence which strikes me as a tiny bit 'creamy' for lack of a better word. Oh, the subjectivity!
Zero Alcohol for me these days, I forget who recommended Guinness Zero here (thanks), but it's really good!
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