tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30743480.post5854394337529808613..comments2023-09-20T12:50:40.208+01:00Comments on Pete Brown: For Christ's sake, cheer up!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03011702209832734676noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30743480.post-65755592299128791692008-01-10T19:54:00.000+00:002008-01-10T19:54:00.000+00:00You inspired another blogger, who inspired me to w...You inspired another blogger, who inspired me to write my own take on the topic.<BR/><BR/>http://brewedforthought.wordpress.com/2008/01/10/am-i-a-snob-are-we-snobs/Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30743480.post-5212073027996145322008-01-09T13:20:00.000+00:002008-01-09T13:20:00.000+00:00Sounds to me like a few people arnt as hot fans fo...Sounds to me like a few people arnt as hot fans for white shield as yourself and you've taken a hissy fit over it. Perhaps you need cheering up, no?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30743480.post-8673931014345614042008-01-09T12:44:00.000+00:002008-01-09T12:44:00.000+00:00I was one of the contibutors to the discussion at ...I was one of the contibutors to the discussion at Ratebeer. The discussion started because Coors had made questionable claims that the White Shield brewery is the oldest in the country.<BR/><BR/>Nobody said that White Shield is shit because it is brewed by Coors. One person said it is mediocre. Each to his own. I happen to quite like White Shield although I have to say it didn't fare too well in a blind tasting of British IPAs I did a years or so back.<BR/><BR/>Since Coors took over they have given a big push to White Shield and increased the output. That has restricted the amount of small batch brewing. P2 and No1 Barley Wine are harder to find. Steve Wellington has less leeway to brew experimental beers and historical recreations (perhaps Coors don't own the rights to the old recipes anyway). Those are facts. And they are facts that I personally lament.<BR/><BR/>And yes I have taken the trouble to visit the brewery. Even poked around inside it. And spoken to Steve Wellington.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30743480.post-56622718219864627892008-01-09T07:40:00.000+00:002008-01-09T07:40:00.000+00:00The second sid boggle isn't me - I dunno who you a...The second sid boggle isn't me - I dunno who you are, poster from 21:50 last night, but kindly change your nickname.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30743480.post-7605541186731902102008-01-09T02:26:00.000+00:002008-01-09T02:26:00.000+00:00Keith: Take trainspotting, remove the train and ad...Keith: Take trainspotting, remove the train and add single portions of beer. Some people take a particular interest in the number of separate beers they have had over time, each one filling an equal space on a form with a check mark (or tick) in the box.Alanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01670495301758701170noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30743480.post-87138091931284507072008-01-09T01:22:00.000+00:002008-01-09T01:22:00.000+00:00Broadly speaking I agree with you on this (see my ...Broadly speaking I agree with you on this (see my contributions to the Ratebeer thread you referred to).Stonchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15927490011165896353noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30743480.post-58207936550656819652008-01-09T00:45:00.000+00:002008-01-09T00:45:00.000+00:00OK, I just have to ask, what is a "ticker"?Google ...OK, I just have to ask, what is a "ticker"?<BR/><BR/>Google searches wouldn't help me (although, they're more than happy to tell me that the stock ticker symbol for Boston Beer Co is SAM), so I just have context to judge. It is frequently used with derision, but as far as I can tell, it just means "expert". Perhaps it is more like a person that portrays themself as an expert but really knows nothing.<BR/><BR/>Help me out here.Keith Brainardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07849611545905792514noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30743480.post-21404300542381399292008-01-09T00:32:00.000+00:002008-01-09T00:32:00.000+00:00I only care about what is in the glass. Unless a b...I only care about what is in the glass. Unless a big corporation is squeezing the boiled fat of baby whales into it, it's beer - bad or good based on its own characteristics.<BR/><BR/>I think, Pete, your observations are really about snobs of any kind. Why anyone would take the time to hate White Shield, tickers, RateBeer or beer bloggers is beyond me. It is just f'ing beer even when it is wonderful stuff.Alanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01670495301758701170noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30743480.post-48198797928870834752008-01-08T22:59:00.000+00:002008-01-08T22:59:00.000+00:00Thanks to everyone for writing (so far), even thos...Thanks to everyone for writing (so far), even those who think I'm the one talking crap. <BR/><BR/>It's a tough issue. I don't want to defend big corporations. I do talk to them from time to time via the marketing consultancy I do and often my main message to them is "don't lose the romance - you can't market beer the same way you can soap powder." Unfortunately many of the guys I say this to have just moved over from marketing soap powder so they tend to disagree, and I don't get as much work form them as I'd hoped. <BR/><BR/>All I ask is that we don't judge pre-emptively, and don't judge everyone the same. I was moved to write this by comments about White Shield that were simply factually inaccurate. <BR/><BR/>Condemn the bad, praise the good.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03011702209832734676noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30743480.post-42129731939867402652008-01-08T21:32:00.000+00:002008-01-08T21:32:00.000+00:00sid boggle, they haven't brewed Courage Russian St...sid boggle, they haven't brewed Courage Russian Stout since 1993 (bastards). <BR/><BR/>My point was that it was always a big brewery beer. In the early 1800's Barclay Perkins was the largest brewery in London, so the largest brewery in the world. And they brewed the original Russian Stout. <BR/><BR/>To be honest, after the Free Mash Tun Act of 1880, Barclay Perkins beers look a bit dodgy, laden with sugar and maize. Except for the Russian Stout, that is. They never skimped on the ingredients for that. Though, of course, they brewed bugger all of it. Mostly not more than a couple of brews a year.<BR/><BR/>I never drank a Russian Stout from the Barclay Perkins brewery. But the versions I had - Horsleydown and Tadcaster - remain the best beers I've ever tasted.<BR/><BR/>One of the world's greatest beers was brewed in breweries whose other beers were mostly mediocre at best. <BR/><BR/><BR/><BR/>On your other point, yeah, bloggers what do they have to contribute? Egomaniac wankers, the lot of them.Ron Pattinsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03095189986589865751noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30743480.post-19630963115597002492008-01-08T21:05:00.000+00:002008-01-08T21:05:00.000+00:00There’s something, something I should also say….As...There’s something, something I should also say….<BR/>As bad as any of these people are there’s nothing, just nothing worse than the self appointed rulers of all thing beer…<BR/>The beer bloggers.<BR/>What is it about writing a couple of paragraphs of nothing on Blogspot that gives people the impression that they know anything? Truly give me that silent ticker in the corner any day..Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30743480.post-40739867688926815392008-01-08T20:50:00.000+00:002008-01-08T20:50:00.000+00:00Hmmm. Interesting, and lots of food for thought he...Hmmm. Interesting, and lots of food for thought here...<BR/>Ron, is Courage still brewing their Imp Stout? Last time I saw it was in 2003 at Olympia - a farewell effort? Sure, a fantastic beer, but who brews Courage beer now? Not ScotCo or however they were calling themselves once they de-merged brewing from pubco...<BR/>Pete, paint a pig as a cow, but it's still a pig. While I don't jerk my knee in indie fashion at all global brewer activity around the 'craft beer' sector, they see beer as brands produced in units to be shifted using market forces they influence with marketing and promotion. Occasionally, they do it by removing competition. Where's the love? I can live and let live to some extent, but I remain suspicious of global brewing and it's motives, which are counter-intuitive to the interests of beer tradition, in my view.<BR/>Then we come to the beer ticker communities. A lot of misinformed, narrow-minded geeks who share a hive mind which hovers around the single-digits in shared intelligence. There's room for 'em, but if we ignore 'em they might go away. I write this having been on BA for a long time (but never... Ratebeer [shudder!]) and realising that for every one insightful, knowledgeable beer 'enthusiast', there are 50 sad point or 'karma' obsessed tickers who take their puritan zealotry to absurd lengths. I've seen 'em on both sides of the Atlantic, and try to steer clear at all costs. Give me CAMRA any day...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30743480.post-66379846870531921172008-01-08T20:11:00.000+00:002008-01-08T20:11:00.000+00:00Actually I'm a big fan of Blue Moon. It is also a...Actually I'm a big fan of Blue Moon. It is also a great beer to get the uninitiated to try. I usually introduce the BMC crowd to that beer, and then tell them about Belgian Wits, Hefeweisens, and such. That helps to wean them away and gets them to try new beers!Deegehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10330220032640774634noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30743480.post-36748961686165678002008-01-08T13:19:00.000+00:002008-01-08T13:19:00.000+00:00Pete, I think you are wrong when you say that ther...Pete, I think you are wrong when you say that there is an immediate dislike of anything brewed by the big breweries. Artois Bock I am afraid is NOT a good beer, but I am certain we will not come to agreement on this. There are, however, several respectable Interbrew beers that rate highly on that particular website. Look up Leffe Radieuse, Hoegaarden Forbidden Fruit and standard Hoegaarden. These three beers are all by Interbrew and all rated in the top 20% of beers.<BR/><BR/>Some other big brews also score highly.<BR/>Courage Russian Imperial is 98%<BR/>Bass Number 1 is 99%<BR/>Bass P2 is 94%<BR/>Fuller’s London Porter is 99% (ok so not a multinational but it is an example of a beer of moderate alcohol content from a large regional scoring highly)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30743480.post-46698361853293407092008-01-08T11:39:00.000+00:002008-01-08T11:39:00.000+00:00One problem with Beer forums is that they make you...One problem with Beer forums is that they make you thristy, I now want a pint of tetley mild and I'm approximately 210 miles from a decent glass of the stuff and it's only 11.30 am!! :)BLTPhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06564846497205095201noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30743480.post-26702703786290292212008-01-08T11:02:00.000+00:002008-01-08T11:02:00.000+00:00I have three words to say to anyone who thinks big...I have three words to say to anyone who thinks big breweries can't brew great beer: Courage Russian Stout.<BR/><BR/>While large concerns do, over time, tend to mess up the beers in their care, it's not necessarily the case. My example here would be Tetley's Mild - a beer unchanged for decades and eminently drinkable. I was shocked when (on one forum or another) people seemed quite pleased that the Leeds brewery might close, because the assumption weas that a berwery that large must just brew crap.Ron Pattinsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03095189986589865751noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30743480.post-17671831122440625472008-01-08T09:28:00.000+00:002008-01-08T09:28:00.000+00:00Actually Bock isn't a "Lager" it's a lager beer. A...Actually Bock isn't a "Lager" it's a lager beer. A lager is somewhere to keep tanks. Anyone seen my tankard.BLTPhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06564846497205095201noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30743480.post-36029342942982878022008-01-08T08:25:00.000+00:002008-01-08T08:25:00.000+00:00Keith, thanks for the very eloquent comments outl...Keith, thanks for the very eloquent comments outlining the beer geek's dilemma. I do have a lot of sympathy with the suspicion of big brewers' motives - I guess the problem is that many beer geeks don't wait for the evidence, and simply decide that their motives are malign and their beers watered down before actually waiting for the facts, or sometimes even tasting the beer.<BR/><BR/>Anon, if you're wondering what was incorrect I recommend you read my post again, particularly para 5, which lists the things that were incorrect, and para 6 and 7, which explains why they are incorrect. You are of course right about Artois Bock - being a lager that is. I know a lot of beer fans who don;t think it is a great beer, but by saying Tennent's Super is better you've demonstrated the attitude I was complaining about better than I ever could.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03011702209832734676noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30743480.post-51636336739380493402008-01-08T01:40:00.000+00:002008-01-08T01:40:00.000+00:00Oh, and unless something is very wrong then Artois...Oh, and unless something is very wrong then Artois Bock is no Belgian Ale. Bocks are of course lagers, and Artois Bock tastes just like a canned super strength lager. Personally I would prefer a can of Tennents Super.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30743480.post-62583477914607595212008-01-08T01:37:00.000+00:002008-01-08T01:37:00.000+00:00Actually this blog makes me sad. It's all very wel...Actually this blog makes me sad. It's all very well calling people you don't agree with ignorant but if you had even attempted to point out what was incorrect then this might make a little more sense. Sorry.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30743480.post-13791318103558169472008-01-08T00:15:00.000+00:002008-01-08T00:15:00.000+00:00Referred here by Stan - glad he showed the way, as...Referred here by Stan - glad he showed the way, as this is a great summation of today's beer enthusiasts, generally of course. It doesn't just land on large brewers though, this is same community that assumes more alcohol = better beer. I would suggest that this isn't confined to the beer industry. I've been chided for asking for mild salsa when those in a restaurant all believe it's best to feel your food more than taste it - you see it in coffee crowds and even organic foods made by large companies.Rick Sellershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09382485679681997941noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30743480.post-71719163553509360842008-01-07T17:39:00.000+00:002008-01-07T17:39:00.000+00:00fight, fight, fight, fight, fight,fight, fight, fi...fight, fight, fight, fight, fight,fight, fight, fight, fight, fight,fight, fight, fight, fight, fight<BR/><BR/>sorry I'll stop soon I promise, it's the new year and that. <BR/>Can I just say I like white shield (i'm a recent convert) and although I can understand that certain flavours only come about from cask or bottle conditoning I am more interested in what stuff tastes like and not who and how it was made. Having said that I prefer my beer local.<BR/>Partisanship is fun you can't be a Durannie and love the spandaus as well, or indeed like Bury and Barnsley black pudding (Barnsley clearly better)but a lot of this sniping is just self defeating. where was I, oh yes.<BR/>fight, fight, fight, fight, fight,fight, fight, fight, fight, fight,fight, fight, fight, fight, fightBLTPhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06564846497205095201noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30743480.post-72154781210432871492008-01-07T16:15:00.000+00:002008-01-07T16:15:00.000+00:00I think that people get scared when they see big b...I think that people get scared when they see big brewers famed for making bland piss-water getting involved with higher quality beer. It could be perceived as the first step on a slippery slope towards degradation of the qualities that make the original small brewer's beer the great beer that it is.<BR/><BR/>This is, I think, the dilemma of the "beer geek". We are comfortable as outsiders, sneering up at the big guys with their glossy marketing campaigns. Yet, at the same time, we want everyone to believe in the virtues of the beer we love. However, as soon as Anheuser-Busch makes an effort to get a slice of the "craft beer" pie, everyone turns on the hate rays.<BR/><BR/>It's a push and pull that won't soon fade away. Some brewers might dumb down their products to gain a more broad appeal once they get to a certain size. But on the other hand, some may use size as an opportunity to take even crazier detours along the way. The market will determine who is successful and who is not.<BR/><BR/>In the end, even if something like Blue Moon or even Sam Adams Boston Lager are fairly tame on the craft beer spectrum, wouldn't we all rather see our father or college buddy drinking one of these rather than a can of Natural Light?Keith Brainardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07849611545905792514noreply@blogger.com