Question about beer

[Michael Gibbons]

I was wondering, Is the carbonation in draft beer different from whats in bottled beer? Everytime I try to drink draft I get a sledghammer headache and I can't figure out why. The pain starts after about 4 glasses. Bottled beer is no problem unless I drink 20 or so...

[Rich Engelhardt]

Hello,
My solution is to "play through the pain" ;)

Seriously though - yes, I believe there is a difference.
Draft is usually dispensed via compressed CO2 to "push it out" of the spout.
I've noticed that @ a "kegger", where a hand pump and regular air is used, the "headache" isn't there.

I've also noticed different brands can have more or less affect - both during and the "morning after".
I love Labatt's on tap,,,but ,,boy does that stuff "hate" me. Half a glass and my head starts pounding.

Same with "Natty Light". (see opening comment) - but - since the local bowling ally has $.25 night on it and $.25 a game - a "five spot" can get you comotose and pretty bowled out ;)...

[Glenn Clabo]

Normally it's about the chemical that's a natural byproduct of certain strains of brewers yeast not anything added. This chemical...at certain concentrations... causes headaches for about 1 person in every 15. Some brews, sometimes kegged beer that have not been filtered, have higher concentrations of the chemical and the brewers know it but don't want to change the formula because it will change the taste.
The other cause is dehydration. The more beer you drink the more dehydrated you get. If you drink a glass of water between beers...and you don't get a headache...well...besides getting more exercise you won't be hurting the old body as much.

[Thomas Knighton]

The most important thing to remember about beer is what Benjamin Franklin said. "Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy."

I truly believe that is all one needs to know about beer. ;)

Tom

[Keith Cope]

There can be other issues with draft beer--my guess is that the culprit is dirty lines. Not all bars are diligent enough about keeping their lines clean, unfortunately. In some states the beer distributors do that for their customers--MI is not one of them, unfortunately (state laws are fairly prohibitive).

CO2 quality can vary, though it doesn't seem to me that it would cause a headache like that.

To Glenn's point, that chemical can be more concentrated in draft beer--kegs are not often pasteurized and can often resume fermentation if allowed to get warm during storage. Certain brands are much more susceptible to this than others.

As someone who works in the brewing industry, my professional recommendation would be to stick with the bottles if the draft causes problems!

Keith

[Gary Herrmann]

...Benjamin Franklin said. "Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy."

I'm not much of a fan of tshirts with sayings on them, but that one would have merit. ;)

[Glenn Clabo]

There can be other issues with draft beer--my guess is that the culprit is dirty lines. Not all bars are diligent enough about keeping their lines clean, unfortunately. In some states the beer distributors do that for their customers--MI is not one of them, unfortunately (state laws are fairly prohibitive).
Keith

You are sooo right Keith. I can't tell you how many times I've had to send back bad "skunky" beer. Many times the manager comes out and trys to convince me it is okay by saying it's a fresh keg. I always ask...when's the last time you flushed and cleaned the lines which sends them off with their tails between thier legs. Beer it NOT supposed to be skunky!

[Glenn Clabo]

My fav...
"Sir, if you were my husband, I would poison your drink."
-Lady Astor to Winston Churchill
"Madam, if you were my wife, I would drink it."
-His reply

[mark page]

A quick question for all other beer buffs in the world. I drink my fair share of beer, (plus a few other households fair share too, if added up), but is it just me or does beer not taste the same as it used too? If you can think back to when you first started enjoying beer for the taste, and not peer pressure from friends, I think I was around 16 yrs old, and well beer had a hearty, zesty, full, bring your taste buds alive flavor. Anymore it seems that beer is lacking that inspirational taste. Is it just me, maybe I've fried my taste buds out on jalapeno's, spicey foods, too much beer to date, getting old, etc? But how I long for a beer that tastes the same as it did in 1976. I have been in more countries than states, and it seems all the same, other than basic flavors of beer, ales, malts, etc. Where did the zest go. Kinda like a cold bottle of coke on a hot day when your 10 yrs old, enlivens the buds and burns all the way down, makes your eyes water. Oh how I miss those days.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

It still tastes like beer to me.......


Of course, if I drink too many and I've noticed the number required has decreased dramatically.......the next day I have to pay the piper......

But I still enjoy the taste.....one or two....just right.....

Last night went to supper with some dear friends.....had two drafts.....got home.......went on line for a little while...went to bed..slept like a baby!

[Jim Becker]

...is it just me or does beer not taste the same as it used too?

Neither do soft-drinks for the most part. Some of it is the water...in the "good old days" stuff was made locally from well and spring water. That's often not so any more.

But there are very few "mass market" beers that I will drink...Dos Equis is one of them. Otherwise, it's the local micro-brew and their wonderful Belgian influenced brews and other things tasty.

To the original question, there have always been some beers that give me a wicked headache even just having one. (Which is typical for me anyway) Hienken is one of them. Professor Dr. SWMBO can't touch Yuengling (http://www.yuengling.com/index.htm)...the active yeasts give her both a headache and an allergic reaction.

[JayStPeter]

I think little mini Budweiser Clydesdales gallop on my brain the day after I drink Bud. It also happens with some other beers, and seems especially bad if I drink from a can. Fortunately, that only happens when I drink free beer at a party.
Kind of funny Jim, Heiny and Yuengling are two of the ones I seem to be able to drink in quantity.:cool: They are the two brands that seem to be available at establishments with poor beer selections that I can both stomach and survive the next day.

[Steve Campbell]

Did you know that the average middle age male in America drinks about 24 gallons of beer a year. That same middle aged man walks about 950 miles a year for work and fun. Now that works out to be right at 40 miles per gallon. Not bad for us old timers. I'm not a good as I once was. I probably get closer to 20 miles per gallon. Your mileage may very.

Steve

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Just for the record.....I'm a Bud guy......or an Old Style guy.....but before Clabo or Karl jumps in....I'll drink Leinie

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Did you know that the average middle age male in America drinks about 24 gallons of beer a year. That same middle aged man walks about 950 miles a year for work and fun. Now that works out to be right at 40 miles per gallon. Not bad for us old timers. I'm not a good as I once was. I probably get closer to 20 miles per gallon. Your mileage may very.

Steve


Most of that mileage is to the bathroom after drinking that beer Steve!:eek::rolleyes::D

[Keith Cope]

I'm with Ken--a big fan of the Budweiser! (Especially since I work for A-B!)

[Michael Gibbons]

My original post in this thread was about Bud. MY wife and I go to her uncles house and he has a tapper in the basement. He loves Bud. They tend to go through quite a bit of beer on a weekly basis-sometimes a 1/2 barrel worth or more. Like I said the draft kills me but they also have an emergency stash of Bud cans in case the keg runs out. So I drink the cans. He'd really prefers me to drink draft since it's cheaper but then I wouldn't be any fun 'cause I'd end up in the guest room bed after taking a few Excedrin.

[Steve Campbell]

Most of my mileage anymore seems to be to the bathroom weather I drink much beer or not. You did get to me though . Now I think I'll walk back behind the house to one of two bars we have back there and have a good cold mug of Leinie's. Later Steve

[Keith Cope]

Ooh--that doesn't sound like much fun! I'd still look at the condition of the lines. As an experiment, you might try a Bud draft at Applebee's (they typically have very clean draft lines) and see if you get the same results. Good luck!

[CW McClellan]

I'm 65 now --yes the taster changes with age --and so does everything else ya got --enjoy while you can for tomorrow all ya can do is turn wood ha !:eek:

[Glenn Clabo]

Just for the record.....I'm a Bud guy......or an Old Style guy.....but before Clabo or Karl jumps in....I'll drink Leinie


Whew...!!!

[Glenn Clabo]

"People who drink light 'beer' don't like the taste of beer; they just like to pee alot."
-Capital Brewery, Middleton, WI

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

Some years ago I had a spell of years where I was a Beer fanatic and got to brewing my own 'cause the only stuff I could tolerate wasn't sold in the USA. Back then the best available was either Paulie Girl or Becks. So I can tell you that yah there's a difference but it's not in the CO2.

The CO2 used to charge "draft" beer in the SST carboy (keg) is the same chemically pure stuff they put in bottled beer.

When a Big company like Bud or Heinikin Etc makes beer there is no difference between their so called "draft" their bottled or canned beer. Same stuff same process just a different delivery system.

The "draft" isn't even real "draft" it's merely beer that gets charged with CO2 at the time it's pumped into the glass. That's it. End of difference.

On the other hand a beer with yeast in the bottom is a more truely"draft" than the stuff in the big SST carboys. It went through a ferment in the bottle to charge it with CO2 (the by product of yeasts having lunch).

It is however, possible that you can get a SST carboy and a bottle from the same company and the Beer in them can be different. But, it'll be by accident either because one batch was made wrong or differently (another world for wrong) or the storage of the Carboy or the Bottle was bad - OR - that SST carboy you are calling "draft" was not cleaned well and there are wild contaminants spoiling the beer. That latter is the most probable reason why there might be something off about the beer in the keg.

So I'm guessing you got a dirty keg.



When Bud was still using real sugar I liked it as a nice light traditional American Rice Beer. Good for a summer picnic where there would kids and women and a lighter easier beer was more appropriate. Then they went with Corn syrup and now it's got a mouth feel that I can only describe a gluey. The flavor got cloying too. Can't drink it any more.


I pretty much can't drink anything with HFCS the stuff is like elmer's glue with bad sugar in it.

On passover you can get Kosher Coke made with real sugar in the large bottle with the yellow cap. Try it next to a regular Coke. The difference will slay you. One will be gluey the other crisp and clean.

[Kevin French]

I think little mini Budweiser Clydesdales gallop on my brain the day after I drink Bud.

Jay, Life is TOO short to drink Bad Beer:p:p

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g179/sweeper54/double_bag.jpg



Did you know that the average middle age male in America drinks about 24 gallons of beer a year. TSteve

Steve, Here in NH the number is closer to 50 gal/pr. "And I hellpp'd."

We are #2 to Utah thou. :mad:

[Dan Mages]

Some years ago I had a spell of years where I was a Beer fanatic and got to brewing my own 'cause the only stuff I could tolerate wasn't sold in the USA. Back then the best available was either Paulie Girl or Becks. So I can tell you that yah there's a difference but it's not in the CO2.

The CO2 used to charge "draft" beer in the SST carboy (keg) is the same chemically pure stuff they put in bottled beer.

When a Big company like Bud or Heinikin Etc makes beer there is no difference between their so called "draft" their bottled or canned beer. Same stuff same process just a different delivery system.

The "draft" isn't even real "draft" it's merely beer that gets charged with CO2 at the time it's pumped into the glass. That's it. End of difference.

On the other hand a beer with yeast in the bottom is a more truely"draft" than the stuff in the big SST carboys. It went through a ferment in the bottle to charge it with CO2 (the by product of yeasts having lunch).

It is however, possible that you can get a SST carboy and a bottle from the same company and the Beer in them can be different. But, it'll be by accident either because one batch was made wrong or differently (another world for wrong) or the storage of the Carboy or the Bottle was bad - OR - that SST carboy you are calling "draft" was not cleaned well and there are wild contaminants spoiling the beer. That latter is the most probable reason why there might be something off about the beer in the keg.

So I'm guessing you got a dirty keg.



When Bud was still using real sugar I liked it as a nice light traditional American Rice Beer. Good for a summer picnic where there would kids and women and a lighter easier beer was more appropriate. Then they went with Corn syrup and now it's got a mouth feel that I can only describe a gluey. The flavor got cloying too. Can't drink it any more.


I pretty much can't drink anything with HFCS the stuff is like elmer's glue with bad sugar in it.

On passover you can get Kosher Coke made with real sugar in the large bottle with the yellow cap. Try it next to a regular Coke. The difference will slay you. One will be gluey the other crisp and clean.

He pretty much nailed it on the head.

I brew a little at home and can clarify on a couple of things he mentioned. After I brew the beer, it goes into a 7 gallon glass carboy with a specific strain of yeast that matches the style I am brewing. After about 7 days the yeast is exhausted from a long drunken orgy of converting sugars into alcohol and lies, for the most part, dead at the bottom of the carboy. Next, a quick shot of corn sugar or dried malt extract is boiled in some water and added to the bottling bucket, which is nothing fancier than a 6 gallon bucket with a spigot. The wort (young beer) is poured vigorously (to help oxygenate the beer) through a strainer to catch any remaining particles and into the bottling bucket. This small amount of sugar will perk up the yeast and allow a secondary fermentation to take place in the bottle, giving you a real beer with natural carbonation.

Home brewing may scare some, but it is much easier than it sounds. Respectable homebrew stores will sell you full equipment kits and clone kits so you can reproduce your favorite beers. You can also convince LOML that it is worth while because it is much cheaper than buying it from the store and makes a wonderful gift at dinner parties!

3 cents... adjusted for fuel surcharges

Dan

[Hank Phillips]

I'm also in the crowd that thinks the taste of some has changed. I drank my fair share of Bud decades ago, but now just one makes my head pound, that is if I can manage to swallow it and keep it down. Now I go for more full bodied beers, Sam Adams Black Lager being a current favorite, or the home brews one of my buddies makes... he usually has 3 or 4 different flavors going at a time. Had some nice nut brown and hefeweizen over the weekend, and a little blueberry wine. Not being one to drink too much anymore, I go for quality over quantity. Nothing like a good hearty beer on a cold winter night with the fireplace going, in my chair with my feet up and the rodeo on the tube. :D

[Pat Germain]

When a Big company like Bud or Heinikin Etc makes beer there is no difference between their so called "draft" their bottled or canned beer. Same stuff same process just a different delivery system.

I'm wondering about this because my dad, who literally grew up around the liquor/beer/bar business, has told me otherwise. He said lower end beers, like Budweiser, do indeed vary between bottle and keg. Dad claims the keg stuff is brewed for beer bars for maximum profit. Thus, it's of even lower quality than the bottled stuff. I admit I can't verify this, but I think it's interesting. Dad claims the premium beers do not vary in quality between bottle and keg.

I don't mean to slam Bud, or any other beer. Personally, I can't stand the stuff, but if you like it, you like it. :) Colorado has an endless selection of great local brews. If you see Fat Tire or Avalanche in your area, I highly recommend them. I don't know anyone here who drinks Coors.

The sugar issue with cola is also interesting. Most people, including me, claim Coke and Pepsi made with cane sugar tastes much better than the corn syrup stuff. Yet, both Coca-Cola and PepsiCo insist they've done extensive research and concluded there's no difference in taste. Personally, I think the profit margin for the corn syrup stuff is so much higher than the cane sugar version, they don't care and will say anything to keep the corn syrup flowing.

FYI, I'm told by locals if you visit a Mexican market, they almost always sell Coke and Pepsi in the small glass bottles and it's the good stuff made with cane sugar.

[Jerry Olexa]

Drink more than 4 draft beers and you'll be OK.:D Only joking. I love beer on tap better than bottled..Guess I'd stick to bottled if i were u...
Remember the old joke: what's the difference between a hot babe and a ugly pig? 6 Beers..

[Joe Mioux]

I'm with Ken--a big fan of the Budweiser! (Especially since I work for A-B!)


Ooh--that doesn't sound like much fun! I'd still look at the condition of the lines. As an experiment, you might try a Bud draft at Applebee's (they typically have very clean draft lines) and see if you get the same results. Good luck!

A good friend of mine is an AB wholesaler and I know that his salemen clean the on-premise draft lines on a regular basis.

AB is also very good at getting rid of older beer from the shelves and replacing it with fresh beer.

joe

[Jim Becker]

IIf you see Fat Tire or Avalanche in your area, I highly recommend them.

Fat Tire is one of my favorites when I'm working in the Denver area...good stuff.

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

I'm wondering about this because my dad, who literally grew up around the liquor/beer/bar business, has told me otherwise. He said lower end beers, like Budweiser, do indeed vary between bottle and keg. Dad claims the keg stuff is brewed for beer bars for maximum profit. Thus, it's of even lower quality than the bottled stuff. I admit I can't verify this, but I think it's interesting. Dad claims the premium beers do not vary in quality between bottle and keg.


I rather suspect that the costs involved in brewing different batches wouldn't be worth the trouble. It'd cost more & require different processing for the batches. So much easier and cheaper to just run the plant at full capacity all the time.

[Jason Roehl]

The sugar issue with cola is also interesting. Most people, including me, claim Coke and Pepsi made with cane sugar tastes much better than the corn syrup stuff. Yet, both Coca-Cola and PepsiCo insist they've done extensive research and concluded there's no difference in taste. Personally, I think the profit margin for the corn syrup stuff is so much higher than the cane sugar version, they don't care and will say anything to keep the corn syrup flowing.

FYI, I'm told by locals if you visit a Mexican market, they almost always sell Coke and Pepsi in the small glass bottles and it's the good stuff made with cane sugar.

I'm positive I could tell you the difference between them in a double-blind test. The sugar cane has a much better taste.

[Anthony Anderson]

I did not drink beer for taste when I was 16. For that to have happened, I would've had to start drinking beer when I was 5, and had money to burn, as the better beers definately cost more when you are a teenager. My parents just wouldn't allow it, no matter how hard I tried to convince them to let me start drinking:D. I couldn't imagine drinking beer for taste when I was 16, as I would now, more than likely, have a problem, along with my own tap in the basement:D, though headaches would no longer be a problem as most of the cells that make it possible for me to feel headaches would be numb from all that beer.

I did not start drinking beer for taste until 22 or 23, and can now enjoy and appreciate a good beer. Thanks for all the input here, as I never took the time to learn the finer points of how beer, and the different types are brewed. Draft beer does give me a headache, I never questioned the cause, and just avoided drinking it. I had two glasses of Scottish Ale with my dinner, at a local micro brewery last Saturday night, and it was truly a great beer. The lesser known, smaller breweries, I have found, offer the best beer. The wife drove home. Not because I was drunk after two beers, but because it was the smart thing to do:). Hope you all keep safe. Regards, Bill

[Greg Narozniak]

I have had (and still do) have a draft beer system @ home since the early 90s. My main stay is Miller Lite and Yenuling and Bass (if I have extra $$$ :) ). The biggest thing I have found is that cleaning the lines makes a WORLD of difference. When I moved and finally set my Kegerator back up I went through 2 kegs with Mostly foam in every pour. After researching the issue, I found that cleaning the lines was needed. The taste afterwards was night and day to what it was before. I now clean mine lines, Tap, and spout after 2 or 3 kegs.

I may be wrong on this but I am one of the people who cannot drink any Bud product. I was told a long time ago that Bud is the biggest selling beer in the world and to keep up they use a chemical that speeds up the aging process and some are allergic to it hence 1 bud = Huge Headache even with plenty of water.

[Kevin French]

Not to stir up a bees nest, but if you take that 'Good' beer and let it warm up a bit you'll find it has more favor.

Bad beer, (A.B., Lites, etc...) allegedly taste 'Ice Cold' because they have no real favor.

The Long Trail, Double Bags I drink taste best, IMHO, between 45 and 50F

[Jim Becker]

Good point, Kevin. Beer, like wine, does have ideal temperatures for flavor, depending on the particular product.

[Jason Roehl]

Yes, that is a good point. Different compounds have different evaporation vs. temperature curves, so at different temperatures, there are different balances to the various flavor notes in a given beer. Going colder mutes all of the notes, which is why I suspect so many Americans like their beer very cold--got to get that bad taste down any way they can. :D

I've gotten to the point where all the American macrobrewery lights taste the same, especially cold--they all taste like water to me. I also can't say I'm a true beer snob, I've realized. To be a true beer snob, I think you have to be able to come up with a description of all the individual flavor notes, and I don't have the time or patience for that. I just settle for "degrees of good" among the beers I drink--I have my everyday beers (Sam Adams Light), better ones (Newcastle Brown, Dos XX Amber), and the special occasion ones (Guinness, various Sam Adams flavors). Only in the heat of summer will I drink something like MGD, and I tend to drink more of them then, too. Otherwise, I typically have about a beer a day, 2-3 if I'm watching a game or something, but I rarely go beyond a light buzz.

Jason

[Kevin French]

OK that went well. Another thing about beer is 'Drink it from a glass' not out of the bottle. And going back to my last post pour it in a WARM glass not a FROSTED glass. I get a lot of 'looks' at chain restaurants and others that don't know about warmer beer.

Not sure of the mechanics involved, but pouring a beer into a glass equalizes the carbonization of the beer and producing a 'Head' helps also, again not sure why, not a beer geek, I just know what I like.

[Jason Roehl]

Drinking from a glass works because as you always hear, "taste is 90% smell". A glass allows you to get your nose closer to the beer and get a good whiff as you're drinking it. A bottle allows no such opportunity. Plus, as you say, the head has something to do with it, but I'm not a big fan of a big head, and actually tend to prefer a shallow, creamy head like stouts often have. I definitely don't care for a thick head of cheap fizz (back to that bad light beer stuff...)

[Glenn Clabo]

If you drink beer out of a glass...and if you want to try something...get yourself a Sam Adams glass. It was designed to show off their lager beer. There are many things within the design that make it worth the money. I've bought a bunch and given them out as gifts. Reluctants is overcome by results.
http://estore.samueladams.com/product_details.aspx?item_guid=45f013f8-7d56-4853-8136-cfd1c3ea3a45

[Michael Hammers]

I started homebrewing several years ago and cannot even drink a "rice" beer.
Contamination, chemicals, poor quality ingridients, how dehydrated you are, allergies at times being on meds. There are a myriad of reasons beer can lose it taste and give ya a bonker of a headache. Bottled beer is carbonated with sugar added to it for priming. Kegs rely on CO2 to pressurize it through the lines, personally I like a bottle better than a draft, except when I have to bottle! Right now my favorite is a cold Newcastle though.
Except for my beloved Belgian wit, summer soother and Bud's Berry Sudz.
We did try brewing a Smoked Cherry Porter. It is still ageing though...I will let ya know!

[Brian Weick]

I like Becks Oktoberfest, Becks dark, St, Pauly Girl ,Guinness and Samuel Adams Lager,and may of their other brands with the exception of the cranberry and Cherry wheat, I drink these on draft as well sometimes but it all depends on how well they maintain their feed system- I have had beer on draft and sometimes it would give me a headache as well, just after one draft beer, I really think it may have to do with the Line system maintenance- they can get pretty bad if not cleaned appropriately :eek:
Brian

[Pat Germain]

I used to have a friend who was a real beer snob. He claimed American beer was served ice cold because it was so awful, British beer was served warm because it was just as awful and German beer was served at the proper, cellar temperature because it was actually good beer. ;)

Jim, next time your in Denver, you might try Avalanche. I think it's even better than Fat Tire.

It's apparent AB and other brewers are well aware that people are wanting to drink higher quality beers these days. They keep launching various "premium" brews in an attempt to complete with all the microbrews, and such.

[Kevin French]

I learned what good beer was while stationed in Germany. Up until then I was a "Mick" drinker, When I was stationed in CO (in Pat G's hometown) and couldn't get any 'Gansett', (Narragansett Lager out of RI). In Germany I had the fortune to have between my duty station and my quarter "The Worlds Largest Beer store". 935 different beers from all over the world!!!!:D:D:D

A whole isle of German Wheat Beers:D:D:D.

I gave it a good shot but didn't get thorough half.

After getting back to the "Real World" 'The Land of Round Door Knobs', I found myself in 'BEER HELL' EVERYTHING tasted like water. Then my cousin and went out one night and he asked me if I'd tried a beer call 'Sam Adams'

YES! SCORE!~

Then along came the march of micros to include 'Lucknow', a local NH Brewer and a Porter that was incredible. Since then I've turned from the Germans and moved to the English heavy brews and of course my 'Stickebier' (Secret Brew) Double Bag.

Last fall we spent 3 weeks in Central Europe, (Amsterdam to Venice and a lot more in between) The germans have added a lot more dark beers, (and more Red Wines). My beer store no longer has 900+ beers, more like a few hundred from Europe.

As I said above "Life is too short to drink Bad Beer" and to that I'll add 'There are enough GREAT Domestic Beers to bother with imports.'

The opposite of an English Porter:D, is a Belgian White:eek:

[Mike Minto]

She: You, sir, are drunk - VERY drunk

He: Madam, you are ugly - VERY ugly. In the morning, however, I shall be sober

- Mike :)

[Mike Henderson]

She: You, sir, are drunk - VERY drunk

He: Madam, you are ugly - VERY ugly. In the morning, however, I shall be sober

- Mike :)
Actually, that's a Winston Churchill quote. See here (http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Winston_Churchill)and here (http://thinkexist.com/quotation/-you_are_drunk_sir_winston-you_are_disgustingly/264030.html).

Sometimes given this way:

Bessie Braddock: Sir, you are drunk.
Churchill: And you, madam, are ugly. But in the morning, I shall be sober.

Another good Churchill quote is:

Lady Astor: Winston, if I were your wife, I'd poison your tea.
Churchill: Nancy, if I were your husband, I'd drink it.

Mike

[Rob Russell]

My fav...
"Sir, if you were my husband, I would poison your drink."
-Lady Astor to Winston Churchill
"Madam, if you were my wife, I would drink it."
-His reply

The other one I like that's attributed to Sir Winston went something like:

-Lady Astor to Winston Churchill
"Sir - you are drunk!"
-His reply
"Yes, Madam and you are ugly, however in the morning I shall be sober."

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

beer had a hearty, zesty, full, bring your taste buds alive flavor. Anymore it seems that beer is lacking that inspirational taste. Is it just me, maybe I've fried my taste buds out on jalapeno's, spicey foods, too much beer to date, getting old, etc?

Prolly not dead buds. My bro has the same problem. He's a world traveler and a beer connoisseur too. I rather suspect it's just that you are bored with the flavor. Time to explore snooty French whites - I say. Stay away from CA wine they only make alcoholic grape juice - and lousy juice at that.

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

"People who drink light 'beer' don't like the taste of beer; they just like to pee alot."
-Capital Brewery, Middleton, WI

I drink nothing but light beer. It only weights 12oz per serving. That's light. Isn't it?

[Kevin Arceneaux]

As I get older I have moved from quantity to quality. Making more money helps with that also. :D

I can barely force a Bud down. When home I have been drinking Warsteiner Dunkel. It has some bottom to it and taste.

In Hawaii, I was sampling a few of the local brews and hit on Longboard. It beats Primo in my book.

[mike roe]

A quick question for all other beer buffs in the world. I drink my fair share of beer, (plus a few other households fair share too, if added up), but is it just me or does beer not taste the same as it used too? If you can think back to when you first started enjoying beer for the taste, and not peer pressure from friends, I think I was around 16 yrs old, and well beer had a hearty, zesty, full, bring your taste buds alive flavor. Anymore it seems that beer is lacking that inspirational taste. Is it just me, maybe I've fried my taste buds out on jalapeno's, spicey foods, too much beer to date, getting old, etc? But how I long for a beer that tastes the same as it did in 1976. I have been in more countries than states, and it seems all the same, other than basic flavors of beer, ales, malts, etc. Where did the zest go. Kinda like a cold bottle of coke on a hot day when your 10 yrs old, enlivens the buds and burns all the way down, makes your eyes water. Oh how I miss those days.


There is awesome beer out there and even more if you make it yourself. Ive been brewing at home for years and honestly i dont need to buy beer unless i find something crazy. You can make it better at home. But there is some great beer out there - just gotta look. if you want zest look for some genuine Lambics - not the one Sam Adams makes. you gotta find the real belgian true lambic.

As far as the headache - crappy beer causes a different form of alcohol to form which gives you a headache. Good quality beer or liquor has less of that. but if you drink enough anything will give you a headache.

[Richard M. Wolfe]

It seems that there are as many different good and bad beers as there are taste buds. I have an acquaintance who has (or had as it's been a long time since I asked) a different take on his favorite. Ever had a Pearl Lite? His quote, "That's the most next to nothing I've ever had. But I like it."

[Scott Shepherd]

I learned of the German Purity Law of 1516 in regards to beer many years ago. Since sticking to it, it's severely decreased my headaches. If you're not familiar with it, it basically says that all beer can only contain 3 items, water, barley, and hops.

I know there have been some changes, but there are many beers who will print on their packaging that they follow the German Purity Law of 1516.

No additives or preservatives, which, in my opinion, is what causes the headaches more than anything else.

[Jerry Olexa]

To cure a headache, drink more beer.....Just joking...Think I'll have one. PS:
WC Fields also said: 80% of my money I spent on women and drinking. The other 20% I wasted.

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

There is awesome beer out there and even more if you make it yourself.

Indeed. My nephiew has tasting parties occasionally where he gets beers from all over the world and made from with all manner of ingredients. He's had Hemp beer, chocolate beer, beer made from mushrooms - you name it.

I rather like La Fin Du Mond from Canada.
Chimay is pretty nice.

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

I learned of the German Purity Law of 1516 in regards to beer many years ago. Since sticking to it, it's severely decreased my headaches. If you're not familiar with it, it basically says that all beer can only contain 3 items, water, barley, and hops.

They added yeast to the list of allowable ingredients.
Good thing huh?

[mark page]

Jeez, I forgot I even posted in this thread. But I still feel that mass produced beer has lost its fortitude on the taste buds. I did have a pretty good tasting beer at the last Creeker meeting. You'll have to ask Greg Cole what the mix was, IIRC it was a 50/50 mix of light & dark beer. The brands may have been proprietory to Granite City. Now with Bud selling out & Miller/Coors sold out, I may have to switch to Molson's or Moosehead just to keep the purchases on the same continent. (I'll really still drink what appeals to the taste though), although whoever bought stock in A. Busch made a fortune off of me throughout the years:D. Somewhere there's a few of those horses with "donated by Mark P." placards on them!!!:D

[Mike Minto]

Oops, Mike, you're right. As they say, 'my bad'. Mike M

(Re WC Fields, 'anyone who hates children and dogs can't be all bad...)

[Craig Summers]

The best beers are the ones in Germany ..... Tastes Great !!!!
"Eine Grosse Bier Bitte"

My particular favorite is the Rauchbier (http://www.schlenkerla.de/rauchbier/beschreibunge.html) or Smokebeer from Bamberg Germany

http://www.schlenkerla.de/rauchbier/schlenkerla-rauchbier.gif

I have seen it imported into the USA at "Total Beverage" a supermarket of only beer and wine, and the website (http://www.schlenkerla.de/verkauf/haendlerint/retailer-us.html) mentions "Wholefoods" as another source

Overheard in an Irish pub, when discussing the shipping methods of Guinness
"Stop it, Stop it, Im working up a terrible thirst"

[Al Willits]

The best beer is the one you like the best....:)

I don't drink much anymore, but I don't drink anything I have to develop a taste for, tasted better after the third one, or was THE drink to drink.

For years the beer of choice was a 16 gallon keg in the shop, either Miller or Mick draft, reasonably priced, easy to drink and at 34 degree's went down well on a hot summer afternoon or a snowy evening.
I also drank Grain Belt Premimum, and that's the beer I usually go to now.

Warm may be the euro way to drink beer but its not for me, cold and smooth, different strokes for different folks.

Al

[Angus Hines]

WOW and I was hoping you worked for the largest AMERICAN Brewery in St. Louis Schafly(sp). So I could beg for good tickets to the oyster party this March.



I'm with Ken--a big fan of the Budweiser! (Especially since I work for A-B!)

[Joe Chritz]

Draft beer has the same CO2 as bottled beer. CO2 is CO2 but it can have more of it depending on a lot of factors. Generally with mass produced beers there isn't any difference.

I keg almost all my homebrews now and I haven't noticed any difference between those bottled and those served from the tap.

At least with homebrew the beer is bottled flat and then a little sugar is added before capping, usually to the entire batch. That sugar then acts with the yeast left in the beer to generate a tad more alcohol and CO2 as a by product. Eventually the pressure deactivates the yeast limiting how much is produced.

Joe

[Tim Lynch]

Joe, do you prime your kegs with sugar too, or force carbonate? I like force carbonating... beer is ready to drink later that day! Hey, why wait? Plus, shaking a 5 gallon keg around is good exercise and helps work up a thirst.

My understanding is that the commercial brewers capture the copious amounts of carbon dioxide produced during fermentation and then reintroduce it to the beer after filtering. A similar process really.

And no one has touched on "beer gas," which is the blend of nitrogen and carbon dioxide that is used to power Guinness drafts and the like. Much smaller bubbles that are harder to knock out of solution. Less carbon dioxide "bite" so you get a softer taste along w/ the different head. Fun stuff. I switched over to beer gas for my kegs of homebrew and it's been an interesting change.

Filtering is also a very variable part of the process... from what I've read you can filter large particulates (yeast) all the way down to a level that will strip out proteins and even color from the beer. Seems like that would have an impact.

As far as spoilage... I've never met spoilage in a homebrewing environment that wasn't dramatic... like completely undrinkable, disgusting, slimy, ropey beer. It ain't pretty, and it ain't subtle. It's hard to imagine beer rocketing through a dirty dispenser line to your glass to your palate being changed much. But then, I'm not sure I'd want the first glass of the day out of there! Light-struck (skunky) and oxidized (sort of a wet cardboard taste) can happen reasonably quickly, but you'd probably know it and pour it out.

[Joe Chritz]

Tim, I do force carbonate when I have an open tap or will need the third keg soon. (I only have two taps) I actually prefer to force carbonate since it is ready pretty much overnight once it is kegged.

I know all about the different gas for Guiness but only from drinking many of them during hockey games, birthday celebrations, days ending in Y, etc.

I would be curious to get some for here. Did you get it mixed for you at fill or is it a special thing to find. We are short on homebrew supplies in the area so any gas fill is done at an industrial gas supply and cooking supplies are purchased about 25 miles away.

Joe

[Tim Lynch]

Hi Joe,

I went for a refill at my usual CO2 place -- AirGas? ProGas? ... an industrial gas place with a name like that -- I asked about it and he basically said here you go and traded tanks. There may have been an adapter or something, but it was easy.