clark@sdcsla.UUCP (03/08/84)
Home magazine (LA TIMES sunday supplement)
published the results of a beer tasting with a rather prestigious panel.
Using classic wine tasting methodology, they evaluated a number of domestics
and imports. I reproduce the results below. Note that within category and
rating, the beers are listed alphabetically. Also note the lack of real
pejoratives. Final note, one page had certain characters in the names
illegible, I filled them in where possible, others are represented with a
'?'. -- Clark (Quinn)
Domestics
Premium Beers (Home magazine's designation)
Coors Golden Lager Outstanding 6/$2.79
Excellent head that leaves a fine, lacy wake of foam on the bottom of
the glass; clean and mouth-filling body; fine malt.
Schlitz Outstanding 6/$2.58
Fine bead of bubbles stays on and on in this pale-gold classic beer; not
very hoppy, but enough so to satisfy thirst.
Tuborg Outstanding 6/$2.59
Wonderfully complex golden brew with a creamy mousse, a hint of hops
and clean taste; a refreshing beer and a good lager.
Augsburger Good 6/$3.49
German-style, with toasty hops in deeper, golden-hue; fine head and
clean finish.
Budweiser Good 6/$2.81
Brilliant, clean and fresh in taste, with a long-lasting body of rather
bland character; refreshing aftertaste.
Coors Good 6/$2.79
Clean, smooth and mild taste and very subtle hops; leaves a foamy-lace
curtain in the glass.
Miller High Life Good 6/$2.79
Creamy, rich head; still the "Champagne of Bottled Beers," vivid and
alive, long in thirst-quenching taste and flavors.
Pabst Blue Ribbon Good 6/$2.62
Appetizingly bitter brew, with an old-fashioned beer character; fine
head and clean finish.
Super Premium Beers
Anchor Steam Outstanding 6/$5.42
Tawny collar of creamy mousse over a dark, rich body; smooth and mouth
filling taste; always a winner; a beer-lover's brew
Liberty Ale Outstanding 1/$1.09
Marvelously rich and deeply flavored, wholly satisfying amber brew;
creamy mousse with intriguing hops; complex aroma.
River City Gold Outstanding 4/$2.99
Gold as the title declares, in a full-bodied brew in European
style; delicate hops; fine malt in a marriage of flavors that lasts
and lasts.
Sierra Nevada Pale Ale Outstanding 1/$1
Handmade amber brew from finest barley malt, with an inviting creamy
head, fine bead; an almost-butterscotch richness in the taste.
Ballantine India Pale Ale Good 6/$4.90
One brew master declared it "outstanding," while others found it mild,
but still rich in complex and classic flavors.
Heileman's Special Export Good 6/$2.88
Smooth, subtle, clean, almost sweetish; delicate hops, pale golden
color and a fine and satisfying aftertaste.
Henry Weinhard Good 6/$2.97
Deeper gold, with evident hops in this full-flavored and mouth-
filling brew, accounts for its wide popularity.
Lowenbrau Good 6/$3.29
Subtle, but with undeniable hops in a really outstanding balance
of impeccable brewing arts; fine creamy head.
Michelob Good 6/$3.09
Brilliant and pale-gold brew beneath a rich collar of mousse, riding
on a good, clean beer; sweetly neat finish.
Imported Beers
Canada
Molson Golden Outstanding 6/$4.09
From first taste to last, an intriguing delicacy of appetizing hops;
an aromatic beer with a good head and a fine bead.
Moosehead Good 6/$4.38
A more mild, less assertive brew of good clean taste and classic
creamy collar; a beer of deserved popularity.
Yukon Gold Good 6/$4.79
Subtle, clean and dry, with mild aromas; a pale-gold brew that is
essentially light in body for easy quaffing.
Mexico
Bohemia Outstanding 6/$4.53
Subtle and appetizing bitterness; mouth-filling body with a mild
zing. Pale gold, brilliant finish and a fine head.
Carta Blanca Outstanding 6/$4.08
Rich, gold and creamy, with lingering subtle hops of elegant
complexity; ever-popular and deserving of its fame.
Dos Equis Outstanding 6/$4.22
A fine amber brew of intriguing complexity and good toasty flavors;
appetizing and refreshing finesse.
Carta Blanca Special Good 6/$4.08
An amber brew of sweetish finish, staking its claim on another
category of beer aficionado who appreciates its milder zing.
Tecate Good 6/$3.91
One of the best beers in popular pop-top cans on which to float that
squeeze of lime. Ole! Good creamy collar when poured.
Superior Standard 6/$4.22
Bland beer, usually popular in Mexico, but gave a less-than-exciting
showing here; almost oxidized in taste.
China/Japan/Phillipines
Kirin(J) Outstanding 6/$4.85
Delicate brew, perhaps with some rice in its malting to lightly
intrigue the taste; mild hops in its clean finish.
San Miguel(P) Outstanding 6/$4.75
A really wonderful beer; clean, golden brilliance, and good, hoppy
aromas in a splendid balance of brewing-craft elements.
Sapporo(J) Outstanding 6/$4.50
A slightly sweet finish, with good hops character and a vigorous,
bubbly collar of foam, but with larger bead.
Tsingtao(C) Good 6/$5.23
From the People's Republic of China, a rich and creamy beer, clean,
and thirst quenching.
Australia/New Zealand
Foster's Lager(A) Outstanding 6/$4.98
Traditional taste from Down Under, where this leader is held in high
esteem for its good zing in taste and rich collar of suds.
Leopard Lager(NZ) Outstanding 6/$5.08
An equally superior brew, equally fresh and clean; excellent delicacy
in its balanced components; a beautiful beer.
Steinlager(NZ) Outstanding 6/$6.10
Hoppy, clean, fresh and thirst quenching, and as refreshing as the
snowy sights of the Milford Sound; really super suds.
Tooth's K.B. Lager(A) Good 6/$4.98
One brew master declared its sweetish, perfumy aromas "odd,
interesting, intriguing;" it certainly casts its own spell for the
thirsty.
Africa
?UL Brew Lager Outstanding 6/$6.59
Truly an Old World lager beer, of Gold Medal-winning status, from
Gambia, West Africa, with a refreshing, clean, Pilsener-style
lightness.
England/Ireland
Bass Pale Ale(E) Outstanding 6/$6.38
Fine amber color, inviting fragrance and an aroma of traditional depths
from its well-malted components and brewing style.
Samuel Smith's Pale Ale(E) Outstanding 6/$7.49
Amber-bright, with centuries of tradition behind this brewery's proud
offering; rich complexity in a fine lager beer.
Watney's Beer(E) Outstanding 6/$6.32
Toasty-bronze color, and butterscotch-rich in taste; a fine, clean,
big brew you might even bring on with the roast beef.
Harp Lager(I) Good 4/$3.54
A good lager brew, with little or no hops evident in bouquet, making
the taste bland and mild but otherwise refreshing.
France
?sher La Belle ?rasbourgeoise Good 3/$3.30
Creamy but light, almost bland, possibly from aged inventory; again,
the problem of limited shelf life; better in France.
Kronenburg Good 6/$4.89
From Alsace, this is a creamy-smooth, almost luxurious brew, with
subtle hops, a fine head of rich foam and a clean bouquet.
Germany
Beck's Beer Outstanding 6/$4.39
A truly marvelous beer; connoisseurs agree on its singular excellence,
subtle hops and long finish; favored for good reasons.
Dortmunder Kronen Outstanding 6/$5.99
For many of the tasters, the No. 1 beer in this group for its direct,
clean address of fine hops, delicate finesse and fine taste.
?olsten Outstanding 6/$4.99
A truly classic "bitter brew," with well-balanced, nicely evident
hops that give it an appetizing, refreshing savor.
St. Pauli Girl Outstanding 6/$4.98
Subtle European hops, clean brew, gentle and refreshing, with a
good head and a fine bead of tiny bubbles.
Czechoslovakia/Poland/Switzerland
Lowenbrau Zurich(S) Outstanding 6/$6.59
Superb! Beyond "outstanding" for the elegant, appetizing balance of
all components in a most refreshing zing; a great lager beer.
Pilsner Urquel(C) Outstanding 4/$4.56
The ideal Pilsener of classic and judicious hops; the world's standard
for fine lager beer; smooth, creamy and appetizing.
Krakus(P) Standard 6/$3.49
Suggestions of caramel and some oxidation, possibly from inventory
age and overcooked mash; acceptable as a curio, but certainly not
exciting to the taste buds.
Denmark/Norway
Carlsberg Lager(D) Outstanding 6/$4.83
A long time favorite of millions all over the world for its reach,
creamy, satisfying wholeness of taste; very, very fine beer.
Elephant Malt Liquor(D) Outstanding 6/$5.64
One of the finest beers in this collection; a big brew of creamy
taste and mouth-filling satisfaction; real body, almost chewy.
Frydenlund(N) Outstanding 6/$3.99
Mildly sweetish, fresh and delightful; of certain appeal to a wide
audience of thirsty beer drinkers.
Giraf Malt Liquor(D) Outstanding 6/$5.53
Honey-colored beer with full body, appealing freshness of taste
and mild hops; very appetizing and thirst quenching.
Holland
Brand Beer Outstanding 6/$7.17
Here's the new one in the porcelain-white bottle; it pours a fine
collar of mousse, resting on a fine and appetizing body; a clean,
refreshing brew.
Heineken Outstanding 6/$4.98
For decades, the leading imported beer; it's always dependable, always
fresh, clean, balanced and creamy smooth; gentle to bland in character.
Orangeboom Good 6/$5.69
The nose sets it apart-good for some, not for others; but its fine
lacy patterns gliding down the side of the glass speak of its
traditional brewing.
Grolsch Standard 6/$4.85
Slightly oxidized and rather thin in body, with an almost fruitiness
in taste; a light kiss of hops.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
rebbs@bbncca.ARPA (Robert Ebbs) (03/09/84)
The glitch in the beer listed under France can be repaired to read "Fischer LaBelle-Strasbourgeoise" and I have to disagree with the findings of the judges. The beer comes in 3-packs (around here, anyway, in Cambridge, MA) of bottles of (I think) .85 liters each. It's an Alsatian beer which I find full-bodied, slightly bitter (as beer should be) and, even after long shelf-life, much better than any American beer I know of (Olympia being my favorite American tho no contest). Other favorites? Grolsch and San Miguel.
djl@fisher.UUCP (Dan Levin N6BZA ) (03/10/84)
I find it hard to believe that beers like Schlitz can compare
to Foster's, Anchor Steam, or Sierra Nevada Pale Ale (my favorites).
Let's hear it for local but awsome breweries.
--
***dan
{ihnp4 | decvax | ucbvax}!allegra!fisher!djl
The misplaced (you call *that* a mountain ?!?!?) Californianrcd@opus.UUCP (03/10/84)
([{<>}])
The aforementioned article, citing a long newspaper Sunday supplement, is
unfortunately not much of an "evaluation". I don't fault the poster of the
article, but the ones who wrote the newspaper item (LA Times) don't appear
to have had anything serious in mind. This is the sort of inept rating of
beer that repeatedly convinces everyone that Americans, as a whole, don't
know anything about beer (which may be true, but we don't have to advertise
it!) Some of my criticisms...
> Home magazine (LA TIMES sunday supplement)
> published the results of a beer tasting with a rather prestigious panel.
Who? That is, who is prestigious in the beer world, and why? My doubt is
based on the fact that there aren't more than a few well-known, respected,
prestigious beer connoisseurs.
> Using classic wine tasting methodology, they evaluated a number of domestics
> and imports.
But the comments on the beers clearly show that the tasting was not blind...
you don't conclude that Miller is "still the Champagne of Bottle Beers" in
a blind tasting. You cannot evaluate accurately if you know the brands.
Also, the comments are organized in a way which suggests that beers were
not tasted in their proper categories. By analogy to wine tasting, you
don't taste Cabernet with Zinfandel - yet some of the groups in this
article are on the order of grouping Sauternes with Burgundy.
<<Interjection>> I'm not flaming - or at least not trying to flame per se.
However, I think that moderately serious beer drinkers might learn a lot
from first reading the article, then seeing where it goes wrong, then
re-reading it. If you want to know about beers, do a properly designed
tasting in your own home, with your own friends. It's not that hard, it's
educational (surprising, if you let it be so), and a lot of fun. You don't
need to be cowed by the pretentious effusiveness of these authors.
> Also note the lack of real pejoratives...
...which, in itself, should make you suspicious. There are many good
beers, but there are some really bad ones which sell, and some which are
mediocre (to the point of giving mediocrity a bad name) which sell very
well.
Have you ever read a popular audio-equipment magazine? How many components
do you see given poor ratings? Very few. Why? The authors can't afford
to insult a manufacturer by saying anything bad; the best they can do is
say things that are less good than usual.
Let me illustrate some of the problems, and thereby point up some of the
things to watch out for in beer ratings...
> Augsburger Good 6/$3.49
> German-style, with toasty hops in deeper, golden-hue; fine head and
> clean finish.
There are at least a dozen "German styles" - the (often Americanized)
ordinary lager, the German variant of pilsener, Kolsch, Weiss and weizen,
etc. Each is quite different. And what in the world is "toasty hops"???
You don't "toast" hops even a little bit, and hops don't contribute
anything to color (thank heaven; they're a gaack yellowish-green).
> Miller High Life Good 6/$2.79
> Creamy, rich head; still the "Champagne of Bottled Beers," vivid and
> alive, long in thirst-quenching taste and flavors.
By this point, I'm wondering what the obsession with "head" might be. (I
could answer that! Never mind; it'll die with me.) But ask yourself how
much this evaluation tells you about the real character of the beer. It
reads well; it's nice prose, but...
> Super Premium Beers
>
> Anchor Steam Outstanding 6/$5.42
> Tawny collar of creamy mousse over a dark, rich body; smooth and mouth
> filling taste; always a winner; a beer-lover's brew
>
> Liberty Ale Outstanding 1/$1.09
> Marvelously rich and deeply flavored, wholly satisfying amber brew;
> creamy mousse with intriguing hops; complex aroma.
Here, the writers are getting confused, and the neophyte reading the
article will be moreso. Somehow, we've just mixed steam beer (a
unique style) and ale in with lagers - if this is greek to you, it's like
mixing red and white wine in a rating.
What's "dark" about the body of Steam? It certainly doesn't have a
dark-beer taste (it's mostly a crystal malt, if you can get past the
arresting, but outstanding, hop character). Worse, "dark" with Steam and
"amber" with Liberty certainly confuses the nomenclature since Steam is
amber and Liberty is obviously a pale ale. Omitting mention of hops on
Steam (which has twice the hops of most American beers), and calling
Liberty's hops "intriguing" is almost hyperbole.
> Sierra Nevada Pale Ale Outstanding 1/$1
> Handmade amber brew from finest barley malt, with an inviting creamy
> head, fine bead; an almost-butterscotch richness in the taste.
Again, how does a pale ale come out "amber"? And I've never heard ANYone
call this ale "butterscotch" - a term very specific to people who taste
beer. The most common tag is "fruity", in response to one of the unique
hop characters you'll find. SN Pale Ale IS an outstanding brew, but not
for the reasons given; this rating will only confuse the neophyte trying to
calibrate taste buds.
> Ballantine India Pale Ale Good 6/$4.90
> One brew master declared it "outstanding," while others found it mild,
> but still rich in complex and classic flavors.
Actually, it has an incredibly hoppy bite (coupled with a taste of wood
that oenophiles recognize but which baffles beer-lovers) - "mild but
rich..." is completely off-base.
> ..., accounts for its wide popularity.
"Popularity"?!?! Are they evaluating taste per se, or only as a guide to
market potential? Seriously, what does this have to do with the taste?
> Kirin(J) Outstanding 6/$4.85
> Delicate brew, perhaps with some rice in its malting to lightly
> intrigue the taste; mild hops in its clean finish.
"...rice in its malting..." - perhaps lightly fatuous; this is a barely
meaningful phrase. And what does the whole rice business mean - do YOU
know the taste of rice in a beer? (In other words, does the comment tell
you anything?)
> Traditional taste from Down Under, ...
But, in fact, it's mostly an Americanized lager which almost always suffers
badly in shipping...
> Samuel Smith's Pale Ale(E) Outstanding 6/$7.49
> Amber-bright, with centuries of tradition behind this brewery's proud
> offering; rich complexity in a fine lager beer.
OK, I admit it. This one got my goat. <<flame on>> An ale is not a lager,
and anyone who has spent more than an hour studying what beer is will know
that. They're different yeasts and completely different fermentation
processes, and they produce entirely different beers. <<flame off>>
> Creamy but light, almost bland, possibly from aged inventory;...
Irresponsible. If you suspect a bad sample when tasting, you have to
discount your rating until you get a good bottle. In any case, DON'T
publish an opinion like that...
> Here's the new one in the porcelain-white bottle;...
There were a few times that I wondered if this article had been written
under the auspices of the importers of beers. A "porcelain-white bottle"
is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING other than an advertising gimmick.
> Grolsch Standard 6/$4.85
> Slightly oxidized and rather thin in body, with an almost fruitiness
> in taste; a light kiss of hops.
This is one of many places in the article where it becomes evident that the
authors couldn't muster the distinction between "this is poor" and "I don't
like this". Grolsch rarely arrives in this country in bad condition, at
least where I live (>2000 miles from east-coast seaports), probably due to
extreme care on the part of its importers. It has a characteristic FRESH
taste which, combined with its unusual hop character, makes it quite
different from standard fare. You may like it or not; that's your choice.
However, it is a well-made beer.
If you want to get started on some no-nonsense beer comparisons, the best
buy is Michael Jackson's "Pocket Guide". (No, the other Michael Jackson!)
It dispenses with most of the flowery prose, and he isn't afraid to call
swill by its name, although he handles it diplomatically by not saying much
about (and not rating) any beer he doesn't consider at least reasonable.
We've found his book reasonable by doing blind tasting and then afterward
comparing our notes with his. It also helps if you know some (home)brewers
who can help out by showing you ingredients and helping show where the
tastes come from.
--
{hao,ucbvax,allegra}!nbires!rcdmsc@qubix.UUCP (Mark Callow) (03/11/84)
When I saw Budweiser labelled as outstanding, I thought the referenced
article might be guilty of gross overrating. But, as a Briton,
I thought it might just be my different taste.
But when I saw Watneys and Bass also labelled as outstanding, I knew
the article was guilty of overrating the beers.
--
From the Tardis of Mark Callow
msc@qubix.UUCP, decwrl!qubix!msc@Berkeley.ARPA
...{decvax,ucbvax,ihnp4}!decwrl!qubix!msc, ...{ittvax,amd70}!qubix!mscjohnl@haddock.UUCP (04/12/84)
#R:sdcsla:-52400:haddock:17000002:000:576 haddock!johnl Mar 10 23:43:00 1984 I'm with bbncca!rebbs -- the LA times beer tasting panel must inhabit a different inertial frame than mine; anybody who rates Schlitz better than Ballantine IPA or Grolsch has strange tastes. Also, in wine tastings it is customary not to rate wines that have obviously spoiled in the bottle. The LA times panel seems not to have such compunctions and rated the spoiled beers "standard." By the way, here in Boston you can now get Rolling Rock in the traditional long-neck refillables with a horse on the bottle for ten bucks a case. Don't miss it. John Levine, ima!johnl