what's next? . . .

R

robert ames

robert ames
some years back all of the sudden the beck's lager that i was getting lost its flavour, and the label went from saying "made in germany" to "inspired by germany" (or some other nonsense) and "made and bottled under license in canada by molson (or some other bulk producer).

last night i ordered a bottle of newcastle brown ale, and after the first few sips, i powered up the flashlight on my phone to read the label and sure enough, "made and bottled by laganitas". shit. it tasted nothing like newcastle.

at least at beck's and newcastle, there is not even any pretense of making the licensed beer taste like the original.

and how long before we see on a bottle of bourgogne blanc from some huge negotiant/great satan saying, "made and bottled under license by gallo/carlo rossi/almaden"?
 
originally posted by robert ames:

and how long before we see on a bottle of bourgogne blanc from some huge negotiant/great satan saying, "made and bottled under license by gallo/carlo rossi/almaden"?
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They have already done that. Sooner or later many or even most get co-opted by the
forces of evil
 
originally posted by mark e:
originally posted by robert ames:

and how long before we see on a bottle of bourgogne blanc from some huge negotiant/great satan saying, "made and bottled under license by gallo/carlo rossi/almaden"?
Click to expand...
They have already done that. Sooner or later many or even most get co-opted by the
forces of evil
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Their response to naysayers will undoubtedly be "What part of Yes don't you understand?"

(but at least Joseph Gallo knows enough to say variety instead of varietal)
 
originally posted by robert ames:
what's next? . . .some years back all of the sudden the beck's lager that i was getting lost its flavour, and the label went from saying "made in germany" to "inspired by germany" (or some other nonsense) and "made and bottled under license in canada by molson (or some other bulk producer).
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The tragedy of brewing by accountant has been present in American beer since the end of prohibition, and has made its way into the craft and import (former import?) market with little resistance over the last few decades. My protests on social media have alienated many. The abandonment of decoction ("our tasting panels couldn't taste the difference"). Cryo-extracted hop oils. Don't get me started on the endless game of musical chairs going on with styles. Pfft. There does not seem to be a Dressner in the beer world. Trying, but I am no Joe. There is a kernel of growing resistance, but it's going to take time and some very clear voices. In the mean time, the seas are as rough in good beer right now as they are in wine.
 
There was indeed something wrong about Hort Town, wrong in the very air, so that one might think seriously that it lay under a curse; and yet this was not a presence of any quality, but rather an absence, a weakening of all qualities, like a sickness that soon infected the spirit of any visitor. Even the warmth of the afternoon sun was sickly, too heavy a heat for March. The squares and streets bustled with activity and business, but there was neither order nor prosperity. Goods were poor, prices high, and the markets were unsafe for vendors and buyers alike, being full of thieves and roaming gangs.
 
originally posted by Jeff Grossman:
There was indeed something wrong about Hort Town, wrong in the very air, so that one might think seriously that it lay under a curse; and yet this was not a presence of any quality, but rather an absence, a weakening of all qualities, like a sickness that soon infected the spirit of any visitor. Even the warmth of the afternoon sun was sickly, too heavy a heat for March. The squares and streets bustled with activity and business, but there was neither order nor prosperity. Goods were poor, prices high, and the markets were unsafe for vendors and buyers alike, being full of thieves and roaming gangs.
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It took me a moment to get this. My only defense is that it’s been a couple of decades since I last read The Farthest Shore.

Mark Lipton
 
"They're strange here," Arren said. "It's that way with everything; they don't know the difference. Like what one of them said to the headman last night, 'You wouldn't know the true azure from blue mud...' They complain about bad times, but they don't know when the bad times began; they say the work's shoddy, but they don't improve it....
 
There is nothing new under the sun. I remember my colossal disappointment post 1975 after having familiarized myself with the real Löwenbräu that year. 25 years of dystopia ensued.

Here's me, bemoaning the evisceration of Löwenbräu in 1977. I wonder what the real beer lovers thought about what happened to American "Pilsner" post prohibition?
 
Welp, I can only get so worked up about Löwenbräu, St. Pauli Girl and Beck's. Most of my favorite German beers were never imported to the US to begin with (Spatenbräu being the only exception that I can think of). On my most recent visit to Munich, I found I preferred the beer and food of Kloster Andechs, which now has an outpost (Andechser am Dom) in Munich, over any of the Big 4.

Mark Lipton
 
originally posted by MLipton:
...Most of my favorite German bears were never imported to the US to begin with ...
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There's a joke in there somewhere. But I'm too tired to formulate it!
 
originally posted by MLipton:
I found I preferred the beer and food of Kloster Andechs, which now has an outpost (Andechser am Dom) in Munich, over any of the Big 4.

Mark Lipton
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Have loved Kloster Andechs since the 80's. Perhaps the best expression of malt anywhere. Had a fantastic liter at Andechser am Dom on my past visit.
 
Back in high school, Löwenbräu Munich was our beer of choice. Yes, one mother of a close friend would buy beer for us once we were in our Junior/Senior year. We were so bummed out when Miller purchased and brewed it for the US market.
 
I have seen Kloster Andechs beer for sale in the US. Bottles, IIRC. Helles and Dunkel. Budweiser Budvar is pretty good too, but I haven't seen that.
 
originally posted by mlawton:
Budweiser Budvar is pretty good too, but I haven't seen that.
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Look for Czechvar, the name it’s sold under in the US because of a trademark dispute with Anheuser Busch. Prepandemic we used to get it from certain beer distributors here in Pennsylvania.
 
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