This Explains A Lot...

[PostModern]

I just remember years ago, before Boags Draught existed, that there was a rumor that Tasman was just rebadged Boags Original, which I haven't seen or heard of for perhaps 15 years.. and now I just read the reference to the Draught, and it could explain why Tasman tastes so bad.

What specific off-tastes do you get from either Boags Draught or Tasman Bitter? I find them both boring, but they actually have late hops (or hop aroma liquid, and there's nothing wrong with that, *cough*) unlike most megalagers, and there is no off flavour. Whatever, I'm not defending them, but I think the slamming of big branded beers can be just as dogmatic as the brand loyal megaswillers.

 

[buttersd70]

I appreciate the flavour alcohol adds to beer. I like the extra bite. I often find the 3.5% bitters too bland. Although, I've likely only tried "swill" when it comes to that style of beer. I should probably try to taste some decent examples.

Glad to see you haven't closed your mind entirely to the lower alc options, Trev. A lot of the English OB's available here are the English equivilant to our megaswills, and are decidedly sub standard. Smiths and Boddingtons have both been mentioned, and I find both of these to be below parr. (although, I would actually take smiths smooth over boddingtons any day. But saying that, I would take Boddingtons over tetley's.)

Most of the good examples of English beers available here (at least the ones that I've seen), are higher alcohol versions (low 4's, or higher still), which gives a (false) impression that the lower alcohol versions are not as good.

 

[dig]

I think they're referring to the foam magic created during mashing, that needs to stay in the beer to make sure foam is right in the bottle

Ahh, of course. I like to sprinkle glitter in the brewery to attract Foam Fairies. I know of another brewer with a shrine in his brewhouse to the foam god Bubulous.

 

[PostModern]

So much for the campaign helping people understand what's in the beer.

 

[Bizier]

What specific off-tastes do you get from either Boags Draught or Tasman Bitter? I find them both boring, but they actually have late hops (or hop aroma liquid, and there's nothing wrong with that, *cough*) unlike most megalagers, and there is no off flavour. Whatever, I'm not defending them, but I think the slamming of big branded beers can be just as dogmatic as the brand loyal megaswillers.

No particular off tastes besides bad, quickly made "beer-product"

I will happily drink tasman, carlton draught, et al. but I don't strain my brain trying to note the differences between them, to me they all taste similarly crap.

I remember thinking that the Boags Original tasted preferrable to others, but I think it all ended when the company was sold.

 

[Bribie G]

Boags has been sold twice, first to San Miguel of the Philippines, then last year to Lion Nathan which brings us back to the start of the thread!!

San Miguel ..... Red Horse 7% superstrength lager, now there's a thread of its own :super:

 

[goatherder]

OK, so they've got 5 ingredients:

grain, hops, sugar, water, yeast

but they:

"standardise the mineral content"
"clarify ... our beer with a number of filter aids" - "carageenan, diatomaceous earth, silica, PVPP or agarose"
"we may need to add a little extra CO2" which I may add - "This is the only additive in our natural beers."

Not that these are bad things, they just aren't the 5 ingredients they spriuke.

I'd like to see them make natural beer without their SCADA system...





it's a little unsatisfying shooting at such a soft target...

 

[quantocks]

Does the % alc effect your view of beer? 3.5%

it does for me, I wouldn't drink anything under 4% otherwise I wouldn't really bother, I find the low alc beers lack what I am after in a beer.

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

Mmm..... Looks like the marketing boys where getting bored.....

" If we tell them its natural, they will think its better for them and buy more"

Of course they will....same reason as " Crown Lager" is from the top crown of the fermentor , so it must be better.....than the stuff on the bottom......And i knw blokes who actually believe that, and thats why they buy it...

 

[buttersd70]

it does for me, I wouldn't drink anything under 4% otherwise I wouldn't really bother, I find the low alc beers lack what I am after in a beer.

If you ever make it to the UK, give the Great British Beer Festival a miss. All those shitty cask ales that are under 4%. Foul, terrible stuff. Uggh!! Can you imagine the disgust and shame when the results were announced for 2008, and Triple FFF Alton's Pride and Beckstones Black Dog Freddy came in at gold and silver in Champion Beer of Britain, even though they are both 3.8%? Just goes to show that some people have no taste.

 

[kook]

If you ever make it to the UK, give the Great British Beer Festival a miss. All those shitty cask ales that are under 4%.

What about the American bar? :lol: I guess the Utah beers count.

edit - Oops - looking at the BSF website they didn't have any Squatters beers on cask this year...

 

[yardy]

I once spent a whole afternoon throwing up after a pint of a disgusting slop from the cask in Cornwall (St Austell ales) that had obviously gone way past its cask life.

:icon_offtopic: that's a shame, i spent an afternoon there (in the 90s) drinking a Steam Beer, wasn't bad :icon_drunk:


being that bad i'm suprised you didn't notice it from the first mouthful



Yard

 

[quantocks]

If you ever make it to the UK, give the Great British Beer Festival a miss. All those shitty cask ales that are under 4%. Foul, terrible stuff. Uggh!! Can you imagine the disgust and shame when the results were announced for 2008, and Triple FFF Alton's Pride and Beckstones Black Dog Freddy came in at gold and silver in Champion Beer of Britain, even though they are both 3.8%? Just goes to show that some people have no taste.

butters,

the thing is - if I'm BUYING a commercial drop, I'm going for the most bang-for-my-buck. so I'd go for quantity over quality. I guess that will settle the older I get though.

 

[buttersd70]

butters,

the thing is - if I'm BUYING a commercial drop, I'm going for the most bang-for-my-buck. so I'd go for quantity over quality. I guess that will settle the older I get though.

Tastes always change over time.....the main point I was trying to make is that low(er) alcohol beers aren't all bad. Granted, some are completely ferrel, but then again, so are many 'normal' and high alcohol beers. Style is another consideration, not all styles lend themselves favourably to lower alcohol versions, and that is a big part of why, in this country at least, low alcohol beers have such a bad rep imho. Because most (not all) of the (local) mega versions of light are pretty much watered down versions of the commercial lager or faux lager style, which in its lower alc form is like drinking fizzy coloured water. I must admit, that when drinking domestic commercial beer, I invariably always go for the 'full strength' such as coopers sparkling or a black and tan of coopers stout/pale.

 

[Tim]

I like the myth that 'full strength beer' is 5%. The reality is that in general only commercial mega swills are 5%, and its more to do with excise than anything else.
Of the 150 or so beers I have blogged about so far this year, only a small portion of them would be over 5%, with between 3.8 and 4.3% being the average.
When making all grain beers, it is universally considered that you can brew a full flavoured beer from 2.5% abv onwards. It just depends on your grist, and the varieties of malt that you use in your grist.

 

[Blackfish]

I like the myth that 'full strength beer' is 5%. The reality is that in general only commercial mega swills are 5%, and its more to do with excise than anything else.
Of the 150 or so beers I have blogged about so far this year, only a small portion of them would be over 5%, with between 3.8 and 4.3% being the average.
When making all grain beers, it is universally considered that you can brew a full flavoured beer from 2.5% abv onwards. It just depends on your grist, and the varieties of malt that you use in your grist.

Geez Tim, thats quite an insight given the time of posting! Cant sleep mate? or do you have a newborn too?

I get it re expecting a certain ABV when buying beer. I find myself liking beers mostly between 3-4% nowdays. Sessionability is king in my book. I just hate having to "put up with" bad anything. Like VB mid strength or some of my early attempts at 7% Belgians. Tastes change I guess

 

[Tim]

I sleep just fine> I am posting from London!
It's been a slow week here

 

[trevc]

the thing is - if I'm BUYING a commercial drop, I'm going for the most bang-for-my-buck. so I'd go for quantity over quality. I guess that will settle the older I get though.

mmmmm.

 

[Tim]

mmmmm.

Ok, well if we are going to play that game, lets get into some special brew tramp juice!

And only at 9% abv, but at 60p for a pint sized can.

edit - fixed link