Whats In The Glass (commercial)

[white.grant]

Hope you enjoy it because you will never see it again. I was at the brewery yesterday for the garage sale and looked at buying their leftover malt.

Would love to have the recipe for their dark ale :chug:

So no-one bought the brewery then? Shame....

 

[manticle]

Coopers stout - a reliable winner every time and I get to keep the bottle for my own.

Tried chimay cinq cents for only the second time last night and it sits with westmalle dubbel as being my current favourites.

Also sampled unibroue maudite and saison dupont for the first time the other evening. The maudite reminded me (almost too much) of duvel - a lovely drop but I was chasing a little more individual character. The saison was lovely. Nice, very mild sourness towards the end.

I also picked up 4 free crown lagers from work last night. I'll drink almost anything, especially if it's free, but this is one beer that made me scratch my head even before I knew anything about beer or brewing.

Premium what? It tastes like carlton draught with a hint of egg sandwich. I'd be surprised if many people could pick the difference in blind taste testing, especially served at 2 degrees. Drank 2 and had to go to the shop to buy aforementioned coopers and a duvel to wash the anger from my tongue. Free beer is free beer but I struggle to keep a straight face when someone gets excited about a crownie.

I'm all out of my own bottled brews so it's commercial for me for at least three more weeks.

 

[Muggus]

Premium what? It tastes like carlton draught with a hint of egg sandwich. I'd be surprised if many people could pick the difference in blind taste testing, especially served at 2 degrees. Drank 2 and had to go to the shop to buy aforementioned coopers and a duvel to wash the anger from my tongue. Free beer is free beer but I struggle to keep a straight face when someone gets excited about a crownie.

By the sounds of it, you're become the sort of beer snob that we appreciate on this site.

 

[bum]

Premium what? It tastes like carlton draught with a hint of egg sandwich. I'd be surprised if many people could pick the difference in blind taste testing, especially served at 2 degrees. Drank 2 and had to go to the shop to buy aforementioned coopers and a duvel to wash the anger from my tongue. Free beer is free beer but I struggle to keep a straight face when someone gets excited about a crownie.

I could easy pick the two in a blind taste test.

Crownies (which "everyone" loves) and Fosters (which everyone hates) is a different matter entirely. Cannot split them.

 

[manticle]

Always hated crown lager, even before I started brewing, on account of the fact that they charge through the nose for a product that tastes exactly like cheaper versions made by the same company and yet people lap it up. Rip off attempts and dishonest marketting annoy me but what annoys me more is when people fall for it.

I love good beer, whisky and wine (and food) and always have tried to experiment with my tastebuds and new flavours. At the same time, I can happily down cheap stuff because it has a context and a place and sometimes it's all I can afford. Melbourne Bitter is a rubbish beer but I have a place for it in my life. Finish a hard days work, go to the pub with work colleagues to wind down, jugs of Carlton on the table, no worries.

Something like crown on the other hand is designed to appeal to people with more money than sense. It makes me grit my teeth. It's up there with some of the higher end Johnny Walker whisky range (crap blended whisky at higher than good single malt prices). Yuppie priced Carlton Draught in a fancy bottle? It's an insult.

I don't know what's wrong with the world.

Lucky it was free.

 

[manticle]

I could easy pick the two in a blind taste test.

I was talking average punters but you've set yourself a challenge now.

You must buy:

1 Melbourne
1 VB
1 Carlton draught
1 Crown
1 Fosters

Put them all in the fridge for 2 days.
Pour each one into the same type and style of glass which has been chilled for at least 1 hour.

Blindfolded and with the help of a friend or partner, taste each and record your answer (friend or partner can obviously write it down).
Drink some water in between to cleanse your palate. Make sure all glasses are labelled correctly.
Let us know how you go.

 

[bum]

Have you tried Crown Gold (mid-strength)? I am not joking, btw. It is real. "Yeah, I want to appear very fancy-pants but would like to slam down as many as possible. What would you suggest Mr Bartender?"

 

[manticle]

No, but I found out today they make a pilsner too.

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

 

[bum]

Throwing the MB in may muddy the waters somewhat but the Vic would stick out like dog's balls.

 

[bum]

Holy shit! I wish I could cut and paste from their flash site but you'll just have to take my word for it: Crown Lager claims to be responsible for the creation of the premium beer market in this country.

 

[manticle]

I'm not suggesting they're all exactly the same but it makes more of a challenge just picking crown from carlton (50/50 chance of guessing).

To me carlton and MB are reasonably distinct, VB is distinct (and horrible - never liked the stuff) but all of them have the same basic flavour. Are you up for the challenge?

 

[bum]

Theoretically.

But in actual fact I'd be more inclined to buying 5 good beers that I've never had before. I already have enough average beer in the fermenter, thank you very much!

To me carlton and MB are reasonably distinct

Yes, but think once you're adding so many of these beers together they're beginning to be pretty much evenly spaced in terms of flavour (if that makes any sense - and I suppose it does that is why they you selected them).

 

[manticle]

Well the second part of the challenge is this

I buy:

1 westmalle dubbel
1 Hoegaarden grand cru
1 aberlour a'bunadh
1 Chimay white
1 Holgate stout

And just drink them and think how good life is.

 

[bum]

I'm not qualified (ready) for that one. I'm pretty much strictly ales right now. Every time I step beyond that I get confused and wonder why my beer tastes burned.

Baby steps.

 

[manticle]

You are never not ready for chimay white (like oranges) or westmalle (like raisins and whisky on a frosty eve) or arbelour (single malt whisky that tastes like toffee).

Get into it.

 

[bum]

I've had a different dubbel, the hoegs and one of the Chimays (Blue, I think, was in a restaurant and never got the bottle so can't remember).

I'm testing myself by working my way through the wall of beers at my locals so I'll work out what is for me and what isn't eventually.

 

[manticle]

I'm not qualified (ready) for that one. I'm pretty much strictly ales right now.

By the way - they are actually all ales except for (obviously) the whisky.

I was just kidding around but that is a list I recommend you try.

 

[bum]

I will get through them eventually - but I'll probably hold off on the stout for now. I'm really not feeling them yet.

Actually, can anyone recommend a good entry-level stout for people (me) who've been burned by bottled Guinness?

 

[manticle]

Coopers stout but if you're finding stout a bit much maybe start with a couple of porters? James Squire Porter is easily found and a good drop. Has the roasted barley flavour of stout without being quite as thick.

Otherwise Holgate and Coldstream both make nice stouts but I'm not sure how readily available they are.

 

[petesbrew]

I discovered the Baltika #4 Dark a few months ago, and really enjoyed it, so the other week I grabbed #8, the Wheatbier.

Oh man, this was AWESOME!
Can't really describe wheat flavours too well, but it wasn't too out of place in the Hoegaarden Glass.