this post was submitted on 03 Feb 2025
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I usually assume when Europeans complain about American beers, they just are complaining about our "domestic" beers like Bud Light, Coors, PBR, etc. which makes sense, they are our bottom shelf beers.

I recently chatted with someone at a party who said "no, all American beers are bad" including microbrewery beers.

I've never been to Europe so I wouldn't know, but I do like my Left Handed Milk Stout, NWPAs, and hell even the hipstered out IPAs.

Are these what y'all are referencing?

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[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 day ago

I tried a Budweiser once. Once was enough.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 day ago

When asking the waiter for a local craft beer, got pretty decent ones.

Stuff like Miller like is just a less sugary alternative to cokeà or to pretend your drinking during a business event

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Not a European, but a well traveled person who has drunk beers in Kenya, Ethiopia, South Africa, Botswana, Senegal, UK, Poland, China, and the UK, as well as drunk beers from Belgium, Germany, Czech Republic etc, I stopped drinking beer when I drunk American beer. Sure, there are some good microbrews, but holy moly, there are some questionable things that pass for beer in America.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Long time American beer drinker here. The craft breweries here brew some strange stuff these days. There are sooo many breweries now it's hard to stand out brewing something as simple as a porter. Now it has to be chocolate pecan graham cracker infused porter.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (2 children)

American. I visit Germany once every few years. Each time, I see American beer get better and better. I think, this time when I visit Germany I'll finally be able to say "Yes, you do beer incredibly well, but American beer has gotten much better, come visit me, I can't wait to show you."

I have one sip of German beer and all my hopes and dreams are shattered. We cannot make a beer as good as Kölsch, it seems. Tbf there's cheap German beers that taste like swill, but it isn't hard to find just amazing Kölsch in Köln.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Really? I've had lots of excellent Kolsch in USA . Try Rosenstadt in Portland for example.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I think this brings up another good point- some states do MUCH better than others. From what I've seen, the best beers come from the West Coast (especially the Northwest), the Mountain West, Midwest, and Northeast.

Someone here said they hated the beers in Texas and yea, like don't expect a great authentic taco scene in North Dakota. The worst beer I've ever had was from Florida.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Part of that probably has to do with agriculture. A substantial share of the world hop supply is grown in the Willamette Valley.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (2 children)

75% in fact!

Full disclosure, I'm a Seattle born beer enjoyed so I mainly drink microbrews, or what some folks have told me is "fancy beer".

My parents moved to the PNW from California in the 80s, and they were amazed at the sheer amount of options. Back then it really was just Bud, Coors, and PBR, but even back then the microbrew scene was budding in Portland and Seattle. My dad would tell me how when they would go back to visit old friends in California, it was either amazing wine of shit beer. People's minds were blown when they would bring some stuff down from up north to the party.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Originally from the PNW as well! I have chosen "fancy beer" most of my life. When I was younger and looking to get trashed, the higher ABV and better flavor made due a good bargain. Now that I don't really tend to get trashed, I like to drink "fancy beer" because I enjoy the flavor still.

A little tip, if you still live in the area:

If you homebrew and have soda kegs, February is about the optimal time for "no-chill" brewing. Just rack the hot wort into a corney keg, seal, and flip it to ensure pasteurization. After letting it sit for a few mins to become sterile, flip back upright and put outside in the cold (ideally in a bit of snow if available) and you get a bit of a cold crash while still not needing to use a chiller.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Ooooh I want to get into home brewing! I joined the Lemmy community a few weeks ago.

I moved the Chicago for the entertainment industry, and I was pleasantly surprised by the beer here. I would say the difference between PNW and Midwest beers are that PNW likes to go big and bold- high ABV and IBUs. The Midwest likes to make beers that you can drink a lot of (Alagash White is a good one)

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 day ago

Ooooh! I like that approach. I used to get half-pints in brewpubs specifically so that I could drink more varieties. For homebrewing, I really recommend the looking into Milds and Bitters. If going full-grain for your wort, you can pack a ton of flavor in at a low ABV.

Alagash White is great. Have any other suggestions?

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[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 day ago

Personally, I’ve had plenty of good American Kolsches

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 day ago (8 children)

American beer that is sold in Europe? All the ones I tried, yeah, absolutly.

And most of that microbrew shit doesn't even count as beer under the Reinheitsgebot.

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 day ago

I'm from the Netherlands, and we say the same for Heineken and also for the Belgian variant Jupiler. The truth is, at a party or festival it's mostly these or Bud that are available, and people drink a lot of it. At home I'll mostly drink Krombacher, or some other German brand since I live close to the border.

I've been to the US once, and stayed in the Boston area. I drank a lot of Sam Adams lager there, which was decent enough for me. I'd assume every region will have it's own decent brand of lager, just as it is here in Europe.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (2 children)

American, but I enjoy beer and have tried hundreds. I tend to like sweeter or richer Belgian and German ales the most. Things like König Ludwig, Tripel Karmeliet, Augustiner, Weihenstephaner, Ayinger, Paulaner, and St. Bernardus will always top my list.

If you like those, here are some US recommendations that are also damn good. Note, some of these are quite regional.

  • Tröeg's - Mad Elf
  • Fat Heads - Alpenglow
  • Boulevard - Bourbon Barrel Quad
  • Royal Docks - VLAD
  • Dark Horse - Scotty Karate
  • Descutes - The Abyss
  • Fat Heads - Goggle Fogger
  • Sierra Nevada - Kellerweiss
  • Terrestrial - Blue Dream
  • Thirsty Dog - Irish Setter Red
  • Penn Brewery - Penn Weizen
  • Ommegang - Manhattan Shine
  • Sibling Revelry - Lavender Wit
  • Ithaca - Apricot Wheat

Also, shoutout to almost anything by Unibroue - They're from Montreal, but hey that's not Europe.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 day ago

Glad to see Tröeg's in that list! Their Perpetual IPA has been my favorite beer for years.

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 day ago

I've not tasted many American beers so I could not tell if they all taste like crap, and I also do not drink at all anymore. But being French, I can say that our Belgian neighbors have some exceptionally good beers, as well as Germans do. I loved a few of those, back then. But then they may also be a tad too... tasty for an uninitiated palate ;)

I'm pretty confident there must some local breweries in a few US places that can make quality beer too, the issue would then mostly be to find enough customers willing to drink it because it's no use to make the best beer ever if most your customers prefer Budweiser or stuff like that.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I really liked the Red Stripe and Abita when I visited the US. Don't come near me with a Bud or a Coors through

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Isn't Red Stripe Jamaican?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 day ago

Possibly, it was sold where I was

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I'm a big fan of Blue Moon for a witbier.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Try to find Allagash White by Allagash Brewing. Much nicer.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Going out on a limb and saying "Midwesterner spotted"

Chicagoan checking in- I love that beer

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 day ago

New England. Even closer to Allagash 🙂

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 day ago (4 children)

Some are okay-ish. But there is nothing compared to european beer. German especially.

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[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 day ago (2 children)

As a commonwealther who has tried American beer when she turned 21, I can tell you the complaints are just Europeans making a big deal as Europeans do. Err, I should clarify; American beer is an acquired taste, yes, but all beer is an acquired taste. I didn't like European beer any more.

Rule of thumb, if a European is complaining about American customs, it's most likely their pessimism for the sake of it. They hate American beer. They hate velveeta and decry it as fake cheese even though fake cheese wouldn't cause an allergic reaction. They hate that Americans put dressing on salad, saying "why don't you want to taste the salad". They hate Americanized spaghetti even though it was Italians that Americanized spaghetti. They hate New York pizza. They hate the American fast food industry. All while they seldom question why they consider haggis, snails, casu marzu "delicacies". The only stereotypical thing I've never seen them hate on, ironically, is Buffalo wings.

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