Old World Brews

All that money spent to advertise, and then it's not even available for me to purchase.

'Round about the same time I was sampling all the regional independent brews my buddies and I were trying to discover the Old World brew that was eminently drinkable, and was meant to be enjoyed frosty cold. Somehow the English notion that beer was meant to be imbibed at the same temperatures as it was later excreted as a bodily fluid just didn't seem palatable. So skip the Guiness, what else you got buddy?

That's when we discovered a wonderful Danish brew - Carlsberg. When I moved to Texas I could never find it in the Beer Barn. After moving back to CT it was one of the things I anticipated being able to enjoy once again -- like hills, and green grass and snow. But silly me, while I was gone the beer disappeared. Haven't seen it since. But rumor has it that it is once again to be found in the states. Gonna hafta google it.

What's your favorite import beer from the old world? Are you a fan of English/Irish style brews, or is the German/Belgian/Czech stuff more to your liking?

¿Cuál es su cerveza preferida?

I promised Mexican beers for the next round, so here goes.

It's only been recently that some of the less well known brands have made there way north to Connecticut, so I have to admit that what I'm drinking when it comes to south of the border brews is comparable to drinking Bud or Miller. The only difference, I think, is that beer in these other countries, even when mass produced by major breweries, is still of a higher quality than that in our national brands. Enough said.

Most common Latin brew in my fridge: Corona. I tend to like lighter beers, served ice cold. Tecate and Dos Equis when I'm looking for something a little fuller. I've discovered Modelo and Superior are now readily available up this way so I'll have to give them a try. I suspect they're to Corona and Tecate (Mexico's Bud and Miller) what Michelob is to Bud. Saw a Brazilian beer, Brahma, that looked about right, but didn't get a chance to try it. Maybe next month.

OK, borderland buddies, since everything we hear about up here is from one of the two big Mexican brew giants, what do you have for good, independent Mexican brews? Or something from a little farther south - Guatemala? Panama maybe? And no, Panama Red is not eligible for inclusion on this list.

In Praise of Local Brews

Most of this blog's readers (all 3 of you) probably are too young to remember when there were local breweries throughout the country producing some admirable beer. They weren't like the microbrews we find today. Just good solid beers, often a step above what the national brewers were selling. Some became famous, drew a following, and even went global -- Coors for example. But most of the good ones disappeared when they were bought up in the 80's by the Big Three. Some of the labels are still around, but the beer isn't the same. Stroh's isn't Stroh's if it doesn't have Detroit River water in it. Same with Pearl out of Texas (and Shiner). Schaeffer is back, but brewed in a Miller plant (or is it A-B) in New Jersey, not in Brooklyn.

BUT

I've found a local brew that survived, is actually quite good, and is still brewed by the same old local brewery. Which means it's only available regionally.

Yuengling

Brewed in America's oldest continuously operating brewery.

As for some of my long gone favorite local brews, some were much better than others. The quality ran the gamut from slightly better going in than going out to some of the better brews you'll ever taste. How many of these do you remember? Any others on your list?

Shiner and Pearl from deep in the heart of Texas. Rolling Rock used to be a local brew. Genesee, like drinking straight from the developers vats at Kodak; Schaeffer - the one beer to have when you're having more than one; Narragansett - hey, neighbor, have a Gansett. Ballantine - famous for its ale.

I know I've missed a bunch. There was a Philly beer whose bock beer my brother drank. And I vaguely remember another East Coast brew, but the name escapes me. In the 70's my friends and I were the champions at finding the cheapest good drinking brews. No Piels or Keystone for us. No Bud or Miller or Schlitz either. If it came from a small brewery and the packie had it, we tried it.

Next time we'll look at our south of the border favorites.