# Fosters Lager -v- Crown Lager



## deebee (10/4/07)

Yesterday a few brewing mates participated in a triangular taste test featuring Gods own Fosters Lager (retail $44/carton) and Australias finest premium beer, Crown Lager (retail $58/carton). I thought I would post the results here.

Each brewer was presented with three cups, one containing either Fosters or Crown and the other two cups containing the other beer. The test was blind so no-one knew which cup contained which beer or which cups contained the two identical beers. And each taster got a different mix so one might have two Fosters and another might have two Crownies. Lucky devils. The idea was to pick which cups contained the same beer and whether one was preferable to the other.

I did prepare scoring sheets with room for comments, but we were all kinda full by the time we got to this taste test (there were some good beers to be drunk as well) and they pretty much went by the wayside, a few indecipherable scribbles being scratched on a couple of sheets. The general consensus was that these beers were very similar to the point of being almost indistinguishable. Most tasters could tell the beers apart, but mainly by differences in appearance and aroma rather than flavour.

Adjectives used for flavour applied to both beers: grainy, bready, metallic, mild, subdued, bland. Fosters aroma was described as: lacking and bland. Crown aroma was described as bland shit but fruity. I particularly liked that description. One brewer found a difference in mouthfeel with Fosters having a bit more body than Crown.

Conclusion: these beers taste the same. Crown has a pinch more fruit on the nose, is possibly lighter-bodied and has bigger bubbles. I think most people kind of expected this result so its not exactly scientific, especially since all tasters knew which two beers were involved. But everyone approached it with sincerity and I trust the palates of those involved. It would be interesting to repeat the test with a few average Crown lager drinkers and not tell them which beers were involved.


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## FazerPete (10/4/07)

I'm assuming that your tongue is firmly planted in your cheek there deebee. :blink: 

I've actually done something similar years ago before I started brewing. I used to play golf once a week with a bunch of blokes and one of them would always have a Moosehead at an exhorbitant premium whilst the rest of us would have something local (usually Coopers). One day we challenged him that he couldn't pick it in a blind tasting and the challenge was on. We had 7 beers lined up that all looked about the same and the 7 of us were supposed to identify them (we were shown the empty stubbies). I won the challenge with a score of 4 and that was mainly blind luck. The funniest thing though was the Moosehead bloke couldn't pick it even though he'd been drinking it 5 minutes before. He still insisted on buying it after that though so there's no getting through to some people.


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## Weizguy (10/4/07)

_*Fosters Lager -v- Crown Lager?*_

*I was hoping that it was a fight to the death! * :beerbang: 

I'm sure it was mentioned on this forum that Crown is bottled from the better batches of Foster's.

Who's crying now? Prob anyone who drinks either of these bland Oz lagers.

Seth's 2 cents


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## tangent (10/4/07)

i read that the Crownie is lagered for a little longer, although i think the extra price is for the extra fancy glue under the label.


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## Kingy (10/4/07)

i hate crownies.... but its funny how i always end up with a carton from someone who thinks there buying me the top of the range beer. 

and i say yea thanks mate (and think to myself, geez i cant even force that shit down)


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## lucas (10/4/07)

wtf, crownies cost how much now?!?! My god, that's just silly to spend that much money on shitty beer


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## randyrob (10/4/07)

tangent said:


> although i think the extra price is for the extra fancy glue under the label.



haha rofl... they are one of the worst labels to remove if u want to re-use em for homebrew arent they?

"get off, get off!!! i'm putting decent beer in you now!"

Rob.


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## discoloop (10/4/07)

I've done something similar with a bunch of mates and a several middies of VB and New. I swore black and blue I could tell them apart. Alas, it appears I could not. Once again getting it right was just down to blind luck.

Retried the experiment out of the bottle at a later stage. It was easier to tell them apart, but only just!


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## randyrob (10/4/07)

Next up, Corona vs Cat Piss


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## tangent (10/4/07)

i always love the guy in the suit in a restaurant waving a crownie around like beer bling
"look everyone, i just got shafted on a beer and i'm loving it! next up, a stale corona with some lemon! they're the most expensive beers on the list so i am therefore successful and happy"

always makes me laugh my arse off


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## Tyred (10/4/07)

I seem to recall reading somewhere that in blind tests most people couldn't tell the difference between similar types of beers, even to the point of not being able to identify 'their favourite brand' of beer.


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## ben_sa (10/4/07)

crownies are actually cheaper than coopers in Adelaide atm, $38.99 for crownies, and coopers full price is $41.50 (the most expensive ive EVER seen)

BJ


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## tangent (10/4/07)

pah! i missed the 2xCPA's for $70 but just bought one not-on-special for $39 (down to 2 kegs of a batch i'm not fond of)
I recently saw CSA for $40 as well.
Crownies could be $10 a carton and only then would I buy them as Xmas presents for idiots.


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## jupiter (10/4/07)

ah, crown lagers. the taste of VB without the working class overtones.


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## blackbock (10/4/07)

My neighbour had crown lager and corona in his fridge. When his wife asked him which one to give to a guest he replied: Corona! giving away Crownies is like throwing pearls to swine"! 

I must say that I prefer both Crown and Fosters to Tooheys New. That stuff is just plain nasty.


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## tangent (10/4/07)

yeah, TN did have a particularly foul element to it!


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## MHB (10/4/07)

From what I have heard, they are the same beer, the Crown is just a tighter specification, if the brew can't fit the speck it goes into a blue can.

Marketing Works

MHB


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## matti (10/4/07)

snob there aren't any bad beer <_< unless infected... :blink: 
but there are beer that doesn't taste as great as others :huh: 
You know what I mean...  
Isn't Crown skimmed Foster krausen that is then lagered?
i knooooo noooooothing i em fro barcelona,,,


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## Thirsty Boy (10/4/07)

In pretty much all ways that matter. MHB is correct. Same brew, tighter QA/QC specs.

TB


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## Gerard_M (10/4/07)

Tyred said:


> I seem to recall reading somewhere that in blind tests most people couldn't tell the difference between similar types of beers, even to the point of not being able to identify 'their favourite brand' of beer.



I once got stuck shouting a round for 3 CUB reps. Naturally I got them 3 schooners of Tooheys New. They knew instantly, but they were smart enough to cop it sweet.  
Cheers
Gerard


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## brendanos (10/4/07)

Kingy said:


> i hate crownies.... but its funny how i always end up with a carton from someone who thinks there buying me the top of the range beer.
> 
> and i say yea thanks mate (and think to myself, geez i cant even force that shit down)



Yes!! This has happened to me a few times, when people know that I brew/am a huge beer fan, they think they're doing me a favour. I do try, but struggle even to feign gratitute. What's harder is explaining to someone at a bar why you don't want them to buy you a beer "when they have crownies", and the subsequent questions like "well what's wrong with crownies?!"



Gerard_M said:


> I once got stuck shouting a round for 3 CUB reps. Naturally I got them 3 schooners of Tooheys New. They knew instantly, but they were smart enough to cop it sweet.



Hahaha love your work Gerard


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