From: binkley@boulder.Colorado.EDU (Jon Binkley)
Subject: Re: Beer fascism?!?! (was Re: BAD PILSNER URQUELL)
Organization: University of Colorado, Boulder
Distribution: usa
Date: 30 Jul 92 17:42:26 GMT

knapp@spot.Colorado.EDU (David Knapp) writes:

>In article <1992Jul24.191153.12529@murdoch.acc.Virginia.EDU>
>rwd4f@poe.acc.Virginia.EDU (Rob Dobson) writes:

>>the spoilage problem is one of many reasons you should avoid beer bottled
>>halfway across the world and buy american. And Im not talking about 
>>budmillcoors, im talking about the many small breweries in the country who
>>produce, IMNSHO, some of the best damn beer in the world. Not only that, but
>>by drinking this beer you are doing your part to support the good ol US
>>economy.....

>Oh, oh. Blind nationalism hits the beer circuit. This is America mister,
>we drink whatever we damn well please here (to be brief.)

[...]

>When America makes good products, Americans buy them.  We participate in a 
>world market *by choice*.  You don't want to imagine our economy suffering
>from isolationism.

I think what Rob was getting at is that many people blindly buy
imports ASSUMING they're automatically better than domestics.
How many times have we all been to parties or at a bar and
seen groups of upwardly mobile types sucking on horribly
skunked beer, like Corona or Heinekin, just because it's
the current import to be seen drinking? Certainly you should
buy an import if it's superior in quality and/or lower in price.
The sad fact is that a majority of imported beer is either
spoiled (or on the verge of spoilage) or wasn't very good to begin
with (i.e. Becks, Watney's).

I agree with the Buy American sentiment; not because of blind
nationalism, but because you're more likely to get fresh, high
quality beer that way.  Additionally, I offer it more as
a rule of thumb for beginners than as an Absolute Law.  There
are a rediculous number of posts to alt.beer which go something
like:

"Beer X sucks!  How could you idiots recommend such swill!?!!?"

where Beer X is inevitably an import bought from a liquor store
of questionable repute.  Look: when you buy an American beer
recommended by this august forum there's a VERY good chance
it will be good.  It will certainly taste like its brewer
intended, good or bad.  When you buy an imported beer it's
an expensive roll of the dice as to spoilage.  And guess what,
kids?  With very few exceptions(*), European imports taste NOTHING
like they do in their homeland- first they're pasteurized, then they
sit around a warehouse over there, then they get a boat ride,
then they sit around a warehouse over here, etc, etc.  Even if
they haven't spoiled yet they're virtually unrecognizable with respect
to the European versions.

If you're sure of its quality, by all means buy an import.  If you're
not positive and you don't feel like gambeling, buy American.

Jon Binkley

(*) One notable class of exceptions are Bavarian Hefe-Weissbiers.  All
of these I've tasted have been great.  I suspect it's because
they're unpasteurized and unfiltered.  Paulaner and Spaten's Franziskaner
are widely available and shouldn't be missed.

Dopplebocks, barleywines, and other high alcohol beers also withstand
importing.  Paulaner's Salvator and Ayinger's Celebrator are wonderful
dopplebocks; I don't care for barleywine, so I'll let others recommend
them. Thomas Hardy Ale gets high marks by barleywine afficiandos- I'll
spare you my reaction to it!!


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