Mass produced lagers

[rstarobi]

Inspired by the French beer thread:

Are there any mass produced lagers worth drinking out there? In the US, Sam Adams is the closest to respectable, but their lager is still fairly dull. Budweiser, Schlitz, etc. are not even worth mentioning.

[LiquidBread]

You're being very harsh on Sam Adams. I'm not even a big Sam Adams fan but I would never call the beer "dull." It tastes nothing like any mass produced beer in the America. I wouldn't think that someone would find that dull. I can't think of any other American mass produced lager that is as good as Sam Adams unless you call Yuengling "mass produced."

[Stone]

I think you're being hard on Budweiser. I admit that I don't think highly of lagers, but I think Bud beats Becks and Heinekin any day. And if Stella Artois were American instead of Belgian, I doubt it would be more than a blip on anyone's radar screen.

I think I'll arrange a blind taste test for lagers with the following:

Bud

Sam Adams Lager

Stella

Becks

Heinekin

Pilsner Urquell

Rolling Rock.

Anyone think anything else needs to be on the list?

[rstarobi]

Don't get me wrong - I like some of the varieties of Sam - the lager doesn't do it for me though. All my experiences with Bud have been unpleasant.

The taste-test sounds like a good idea though. Maybe throw in one of the godawfuls - Keystone or Schlitz or something to balance it out. Maybe a wild card from the high end, like Weihenstephan lager? I haven't tried it yet, but it could be an interesting (semi) mass produced lager.

Edited March 12, 2003 by rstarobi (log)

[Stone]

Hey, I like Schlitz. I was thinking of adding Corona, but it's too obvious -- "that clear stuff there with the lime in it is Corona." Pacifico, on the other hand, is a pretty good beer.

(Wait, no Schlitz, it's Schmidts that I like.)

[guajolote]

Stroh's won a ntional competition a couple of years ago.

[ctgm]

I think you're being hard on Budweiser.  I admit that I don't think highly of lagers, but I think Bud beats Becks and Heinekin any day.  And if Stella Artois were American instead of Belgian, I doubt it would be more than a blip on anyone's radar screen.

I think I'll arrange a blind taste test for lagers with the following:

Bud

Sam Adams Lager

Stella

Becks

Heinekin

Pilsner Urquell

Rolling Rock.

Anyone think anything else needs to be on the list?

How about the "original" Budweiser or Budvar or whatever it goes under? Seems to be one of the better massed produced beers from the Western world.

If you want good massed produced lagers I think you have to go east or to Africa.

Tusker

Cobra

Castle

Singha

etc

etc

[jonp]

think I'll arrange a blind taste test for lagers with the following:

Bud

Sam Adams Lager

Stella

Becks

Heinekin

Pilsner Urquell

Rolling Rock.

I'd skip the Heineken and Beck's; they don't seem to survive the trip overseas.

In fact, Heineken can only be drunk in the Netherlands. As soon as you cross the border, the quality drop is extraordinary. Of course, when in Holland you're guaranteed more interesting things to drink; so perhaps my assertion should be that you shouldn't bother with Heineken ever.

When I'm after a clean German lager, I usually have good luck with Warsteiner.

[Craig Camp]

You're being very harsh on Sam Adams.  I'm not even a big Sam Adams fan but I would never call the beer "dull."  It tastes nothing like any mass produced beer in the America.  I wouldn't think that someone would find that dull.  I can't think of any other American mass produced lager that is as good as Sam Adams unless you call Yuengling "mass produced."

The Sam Adam's brand used to be good - no more! Today it is just mass produced swill. The stuff is almost undrinkable tasting of cardboard had leaving an awful off flavor in the aftertaste.

Edited March 29, 2003 by Craig Camp (log)

[Craig Camp]

Stroh's  won a ntional competition a couple of years ago.

I think that was a couple of decades ago.

[Jason Perlow]

My vote goes to Czechvar (aka Budweiser Budvar) from the Bohemian region of Czechoslovakia. Its one of the most popular beers in that country and you can get it here, so it counts as mass produced.

I also like Tsingtao. Presidente from the Dominican Republic, when ice cold, is good too.

[Craig Camp]

I think you're being hard on Budweiser.  I admit that I don't think highly of lagers, but I think Bud beats Becks and Heinekin any day.  And if Stella Artois were American instead of Belgian, I doubt it would be more than a blip on anyone's radar screen.

I think I'll arrange a blind taste test for lagers with the following:

Bud

Sam Adams Lager

Stella

Becks

Heinekin

Pilsner Urquell

Rolling Rock.

Anyone think anything else needs to be on the list?

Are you serious? Really? Budweiser beats Becks or Heineken? Try comparing them when less than ice cold.

Budweiser is flavorless and over-processed crap. The perfect match for cheap frozen pizza.

[guajolote]

Stroh's  won a ntional competition a couple of years ago.

I think that was a couple of decades ago.

No, it was two years ago. My father in law cut it out of Men's Journal or some other crappy magazine. It did suck because then he always had Stroh's at his house, instead of Pilsner Urquell or Heinekin.

[Craig Camp]

Stroh's  won a ntional competition a couple of years ago.

I think that was a couple of decades ago.

No, it was two years ago. My father in law cut it out of Men's Journal or some other crappy magazine. It did suck because then he always had Stroh's at his house, instead of Pilsner Urquell or Heinekin.

IMHO Pilsner Urquell is the finest mass produced beer in the world.

[pixelchef]

In Canada, Moosehead.

[Stone]

I think you're being hard on Budweiser.  I admit that I don't think highly of lagers, but I think Bud beats Becks and Heinekin any day.  And if Stella Artois were American instead of Belgian, I doubt it would be more than a blip on anyone's radar screen.

I think I'll arrange a blind taste test for lagers with the following:

Bud

Sam Adams Lager

Stella

Becks

Heinekin

Pilsner Urquell

Rolling Rock.

Anyone think anything else needs to be on the list?

Are you serious? Really? Budweiser beats Becks or Heineken? Try comparing them when less than ice cold.

Budweiser is flavorless and over-processed crap. The perfect match for cheap frozen pizza.

Oh, dear me.

[Craig Camp]

Stroh's  won a ntional competition a couple of years ago.

I think that was a couple of decades ago.

No, it was two years ago. My father in law cut it out of Men's Journal or some other crappy magazine. It did suck because then he always had Stroh's at his house, instead of Pilsner Urquell or Heinekin.

Bad luck. You can't believe everything you read. Do they still make Stroh's? We used to buy huge volumes very very cheap when we were in college. We were doing serious comparative tastings of mass produced lager beers.

Edited March 30, 2003 by Craig Camp (log)

[ctgm]

I like Castle from South Africa.

[Andy Lynes]

Mass produced lagers make life worth living. However, I avoid Bud and the UK version of Miller as they go straight through me for some reason (you really wanted to know that didn't you?). Any below around 4.8% are also to be avoided as you might as well be drinking lime cordial for all the difference it makes on your outlook on life. Favourites are any that are on offer at the supermarket, which seems to be Grolsch at the moment.

[Elissa]

In the USA, I'd vote Bud: with closed eyes it tastes like cheap champagne. Veal-fresh (Buds have 'born on' dates) bottles almost go down in single sips. Of course ten or twelve of these sips, I would caution, alter typing ability. Don't bother with the cans and I wouldn't recommend Bud Lite, but do go with Bud over Becks or Heineken. This in spite of Heine's compelling ad campaign: "Heineken: Seek the Truth."

I implicitly trust Czech beer. What's exported has little relation to what you find in Bohemia, but compared to everything else, Czech beer's chock full of flavour. Don't mind Stella on tap but do you imagine taps ever get well cleaned? I do not. Can't stomach Rolling Rock or what's the one in the NW, with a bear perhaps? and to Sam's, which was maybe tasty for its first two years, I prefer tap water.

Rotten though it is to say: MGD isn't that much worse than Bud. At first Coors isn't either, but its metalic aftertaste has a high pitched ring. I hardly ever touch either though, since in my experience* Bud, Chevy and the Yankees make me part something greater than just myself. (insert waving flag w. hillbilly soundtrack)

*now that I'm older, But Weiser Czech beer

Edited April 2, 2003 by lissome (log)

[Craig Camp]

with closed eyes it tastes like cheap champagne

You have to start drinking better cheap champagne.

[maggiethecat]

Pilsner Urquell .

Geez. Nothing else easily available is close.

[Craig Camp]

Pilsner Urquell .

Geez.  Nothing else easily available is close.

You have my vote.

[Nick]

Pilsner Urquell .

Geez.  Nothing else easily available is close.

You have my vote.

Same here. And I'd almost drink dishwater than Sam Adams. But, maybe it's gotten better in the ten years since I last tried it..

[tighe]

Stroh's  won a ntional competition a couple of years ago.

I think that was a couple of decades ago.

No, it was two years ago. My father in law cut it out of Men's Journal or some other crappy magazine. It did suck because then he always had Stroh's at his house, instead of Pilsner Urquell or Heinekin.

Vindication! I've been arguing ever since college that Stroh's was the best mass-produced American lager. Don't get me wrong, I wont touch the stuff now, but in the hypothetical "someone has a gun to your head and you have to choose a mass-produced American beer" scenario, its Stroh's hands down!

I'm a big fan of Prajdroj (Pilsner Urquell), especially when I can find it on tap.

Edited April 1, 2003 by tighe (log)