Yuengling tops Sam Adams as #1 craft beer in America!

[BBrown]

Originally posted by pandaczar12:

Originally posted by BBrown:

Originally posted by jjsocrates:

Originally posted by BBrown:
Definitely agree about Sam Adams producing too many styles. Its one of the reasons I think their quality has suffered.

If you get a chance try a Heavy Sea's. Its brewed here in MD and some of the styles are very good.
My personal favorite is Riptide but I am a huge Wheat Beer fan.

Heavy Seas is fantastic, and I'm planning a trip to Baltimore to visit a few breweries in the area that I love. Especially The Brewer's Art and DuClaw - I forgot to list DuClaw, they are quickly climbing into my top ten of consistently good brews.

Brewers Art is just a fun place and they have some excellent beers.
I used to go to DuClaw before it burned but since its been rebuilt I've heard good things about it.
If you are in the White Marsh Ave. area try the Red Brick Station. They have some nice brews as well.

I like DuClaw, but it's not nearly as good as the Brewer's art or Heavy Seas. The other local places in Baltimore that are so good... DuClaw just doesn't stack up. They have too many beers on tap, I'd rather have 3-5 really good beers than 20 so-so beers. Their food is decent, but not great. It is a good place, better than many I've been too. But I just don't have time for it when my travels take me through Baltimore... I gotta hit the brewer's art and Heavy Seas.

Yea I haven't been to DuClaw since it was rebuilt so I don't really know, just going off what other people have told me. Before it burned though I thought it was ok, at that time there weren't that many places brewing their own beer around here and they were also very close.
My go to's are Brewers Art and Heavy Seas. I love the Wit Trash at Brewers and the Ressurection ale is a good abbey brown and hey its that time of the season right?

 

[Southeastern PA Buck]

Pennsy beer Boston beer

nm

 

[RestonChester]

The proper term is beer connoisseur

He's not even close to a beer snob, he is a connoisseur.

It does seem silly that you are arguing that pseudo beers made with cheap and non-beer ingredients (i.e., adjuncts) are somehow the same level of quality as beers made with quality ingredients.

I recognize that some people might like McDonalds more than Mortons, it is however absurd to argue that they are the same level of quality.

 

[Nashville Lion]

Re: The proper term is beer connoisseur

This thread is fun but kind of silly...everyone has their own taste in beer much like taste in music. There is no right or wrong. Drink what you like.
I will say that I do not consider either Yuengling or Sam Adams to be a craft beer. I enjoy both but to be honest I rarely ever drink either. I drank a ton of Yuengling a PSu and will on occasion drink it now at a tailgate.

I like to try different beers...and enjoy the varied flavors and variety.

 

[BBrown]

Re: apologies...

I should have been more clear when I was talking about DuClaw Breweries. Its the one in Bel Air, Md that caught on fire and had to be rebuilt. I'm pretty sure it was the original and has been around since the early 90's. It was about 10 years ago that it burned.

 

[pandaczar12]

Re: Comparing this discussion to the various qualities of whiskey is....

Originally posted by thecoolestfish:
..comparing apples to cars.

Virtually everyone can tell the difference between "swell" whiskey and good whiskey, and prefer the good whiskey.

The difference/preference between "craft" beers and Yuengling is a matter of taste.

Of course, you'll tell everyone that their taste is "wrong."

Just because my analogy crushes your stance on a topic you evidently don't care about anyway, doesn't make it not true. I've also mentioned coffee and cheese, but you don't seem to want to tackle those. Virtually everyone... that's almost like you are talking in absolutes... Ironic. I know many people that would think that Johnny Walker Black tastes exactly like Johnny Walker Blue. I bet I could stand out on the street and do a blind survey with 100 non-whiskey drinking grandmothers and most wouldn't be able to tell good from great.

The entire point of your post was to say that the difference between good whiskey and great whiskey is not a matter of taste. But the difference between craft beer and racing beer is a matter of taste. That makes no sense. Surely it's not due to superior recipe, ingredients, effort/time required to make, etc. in both cases.

Please point out where I told anyone that their taste was "wrong". Wrong is in quotes, so I make sure it appears in your quoted response. Let me save you some time... it doesn't exist.

 

[psuguy04]

I'm not equating Coors Light to Franziskaner

I'm just stating that to me, Yuengling Lager tastes far better than Boston Lager....and furthermore, that I don't like anything Sam Adams makes to date.

I don't really care what Yuengling is made of--it's beer, and it tastes better to me.

 

[JR4PSU]

For me it is simply about picking up a beer and drinking it

and determining if I like it. I don't try and decipher what it was made of. I don't study beers in my spare time to learn what percentage of hops or any other ingredient this type or that type beer have. I don't drink beer very often, and when I do it is usually only one or two. I look for something I can drink, not chug, but at the same time don't have to simply sip because it is too bitter or too strong. I don't want any heavy aftertaste in my mouth 5 minutes after taking a drink either.

So I tend to stay away from IPA's...too bitter for me.
I like some a stout now and then. More then than now.
I like a beer that has some taste, I hate most light beers.

Yuengling seems to satisfy most of that. Not too strong. Not too weak. No bitter taste or aftertaste. I like Sam Adams. I like Victory Golden Monkey and Victory Pale Ale. I live only a few miles from their Downingtown Brewery.

So for non-officianodos of beer, Yuengling is a good beer. If you are into sitting around and talking about how this beer or that beer differs with a bunch of other beer officianodos, then you probably aren't simply drinking a beer while enjoying something else. You are drinking beer for the sake of drinking beer and take great pride in your "beer IQ". Kind of like cigar smokers that gather and discuss the various kinds of cigars vs people that smoke cigarettes.

Too each their own.

 

[TheGLOV]

I gots to let you Sam Adams drinkers in on a little secret (that some of you may already know).

Sam Adams was actually brewed in Pgh. for many years under contract with the parent company.

Brewed in the very same vats that brewed Iron City Beer!

BWAHAHHHAHHAHHAHHAHHAH!

Now that's funny.

 

[doctornick]

I find this topic to be amusing, but I'd say this about the original article: The shift from using the term "microbrewery" to "craft beers" is basically the source of contention. If "microbrewery was still in common use", I don't think people would have much problem with identifying Yuengling as having passed Sam Adams as the top selling microbrew.

 

[psu1969a]

never thought of troegs as beer!

 

[TCFA-Nit]

Re: Comparing this discussion to the various qualities of whiskey is....

Originally posted by thecoolestfish:
..comparing apples to cars.

Virtually everyone can tell the difference between "swell" whiskey and good whiskey, and prefer the good whiskey.

The difference/preference between "craft" beers and Yuengling is a matter of taste.

I'm sorry but that's an absolutely ridiculous thing to say. Just as there is good whiskey and bad whiskey, good cars and crappy cars, there is good beer and bad beer. That's not a matter of opinion or taste. It's just common sense. Some brewers are better/more creative than others. I don't see how or why brewing would be any different than wine, whiskey, etc.

As for Yuengling, no, it's not craft, but it's not a poorly made beer. Lagers are difficult to brew. Not huge in flavor but it never claimed to be. It's not my first choice anymore but I think it's a well made, unique lager that played a big role in opening up the minds of American beer-drinkers to beer styles outside of the fizzy yellow stuff of But Light, Miller Lite, Coors Light, etc. Much the same can be said of Sam Adams. I think people sometimes forget how flavorful many Bud/Miller/Coors drinkers found Sam Adams to be when it first got big. It's not hoppy by today's standards but it certainly was back then. Again, it was an important foundational beer in the craft movement.

I do agree with you that IPAs are getting a little bit crazy and people are ignoring the other great styles available. Even though I absolutely love them, you do find a lot more breweries pumping out super-hoppy/alcoholic beers because they are so popular (can't blame them, of course). The problem is that some of those beers aren't very good. It's rare that I try a new IPA and find that a brewer has come up with something truly interesting/unique. For example, I just discovered a really interesting IPA from Cape May Brewing that I thought it was great. Most of them I just find them to be completely run of the mill.

Anyway, I just think it's great that we're living in a time of beer revolution. The craft breweries are challenging the big boys to do better and that's ultimately good for everyone. I mean, the fact that Budwesier felt compelled to run that ridiculous Super Bowl ad just shows how insecure they feel at the moment. I also enjoyed the humor in seeing the retiring Miller CEO claim that craft brewers don't make light beers because they are too difficult to make; they may be difficult to make, but that's not the reason they don't make them.





This post was edited on 4/2 5:24 PM by TCFA-Nit

 

[tgar]

Yuengling Lager rules and the enterprise has been good to the locals. I like a crisp Pilsner or a flavorful lager. I agree with CF after drinking many craft beers through the years, to much effort for to little return, as in I can drink one and call it shit if it is.

I recently saw one with grapefruit and cantaloupe, that just doesn't belong in a beer period. And yes, the Hopps craze is out of control and run its course.

I also enjoy a well made porter or stout

In the Happy Valley area Elk Creek makes the best beers, most delicious and not too pretentious.





Summer beers include Modelo and when traveling or at a restaurant that has a limited selection, I usually choose Stella.
This post was edited on 4/3 10:07 AM by tgar

 

[SEPATOPTEN]

How about that. You could not give me a yuengling in the desert.


Actually once you drink a real craft beer like a Stella or Dog Fish Head you might find yourself hard pressed to return to Yuengling or Sam Adams. If folks are not restricted by price I would suggest going to a craft beer store that allows you to mix a six pack and start experimenting. Unless its a price thing I think folks that are not checking out the variety of beers that are out there are short changing themselves. I drink Stella when out and all of the places I go carry it. The Dog Fish Head IPA's are very good and potent. Victory and Yards both local to me are very good brewery's also. If you have never been to a craft beer store do yourself a favor. It is almost guaranteed to turn you into a beer snob.

 

[pnnylion]

Originally posted by TheGLOV:

I gots to let you Sam Adams drinkers in on a little secret (that some of you may already know).

Sam Adams was actually brewed in Pgh. for many years under contract with the parent company.

Brewed in the very same vats that brewed Iron City Beer!

BWAHAHHHAHHAHHAHHAHHAH!

Now that's funny.

That is a fact.

Some beers I left off my ealier list of better than Yuengling and Sam Adams:

Sapporo
Ba M' Ba
Tsing Tao

 

[sss]

Stella is owned by one of the big boys

if that makes a difference to you. I know it does to some people. I personally find it awful. Was the trendy beer in mu neck of the woods a few years ago. To each his own.

 

[jjsocrates]

Re: The proper term is beer connoisseur

Originally posted by Nashville Lion:
This thread is fun but kind of silly...everyone has their own taste in beer much like taste in music. There is no right or wrong. Drink what you like.

Yes, but what do you say to someone who claims that Nickelback is a superior band to Led Zeppelin?

 

[jjsocrates]

Re: I'm not equating Coors Light to Franziskaner

Originally posted by psuguy04:
I'm just stating that to me, Yuengling Lager tastes far better than Boston Lager....and furthermore, that I don't like anything Sam Adams makes to date.

I don't really care what Yuengling is made of--it's beer, and it tastes better to me.

I don't know if it can technically qualify as beer if it doesn't use the same ingredients that are used to make beer.

I mean, turkey burgers and turkey sausage are "technically" burgers and sausages. But can you really compare them to ones made with beef or pork?

I'm surprised nobody has brought up wine, but the obvious comparison: Bud/pale lagers are to white zinfandel what craft/micros are to red zinfandel. Sure, they're both wine...but a good wine connoisseur will never drink white zin, because its a watered down version of the real thing.

I'm not going to argue the merits of Yuengling over Sam. I prefer Sam by a slightly large margin and prefer a few hundred other beers over Sam. But you've got to recognize when you're drinking a Mad Dog 20/20 or a Boone's farm sometimes.

 

[penko]

Dick said He couldnt afford to pay his workers fair wages , then a month later sponsored a nascar team.

 

[jjsocrates]

Re: For me it is simply about picking up a beer and drinking it

Originally posted by JR4PSU:
and determining if I like it. I don't try and decipher what it was made of. I don't study beers in my spare time to learn what percentage of hops or any other ingredient this type or that type beer have. I don't drink beer very often, and when I do it is usually only one or two. I look for something I can drink, not chug, but at the same time don't have to simply sip because it is too bitter or too strong. I don't want any heavy aftertaste in my mouth 5 minutes after taking a drink either.

So I tend to stay away from IPA's...too bitter for me.
I like some a stout now and then. More then than now.
I like a beer that has some taste, I hate most light beers.

Yuengling seems to satisfy most of that. Not too strong. Not too weak. No bitter taste or aftertaste. I like Sam Adams. I like Victory Golden Monkey and Victory Pale Ale. I live only a few miles from their Downingtown Brewery.

So for non-officianodos of beer, Yuengling is a good beer. If you are into sitting around and talking about how this beer or that beer differs with a bunch of other beer officianodos, then you probably aren't simply drinking a beer while enjoying something else. You are drinking beer for the sake of drinking beer and take great pride in your "beer IQ". Kind of like cigar smokers that gather and discuss the various kinds of cigars vs people that smoke cigarettes.

Too each their own.

Well put. If you like Victory Pale or Golden Monkey, you're just drinking beer for the taste, and I can't argue with you. Heck, I'll drink Yuengling. Its not terrible - and in some places, its the best option on tap. Heck, Yuengling Bock and Yuengling Summer Wheat are REALLY GOOD. Lord Chesterfield is good, and their porter is good. Their B&T brings back great memories. Seems like Lager is actually the worst of the bunch. But I'll drink Yuengling Lager over 20-30 of the more popular mass produced beers. Its just that at a place that specializes in 30 different craft beers, it'll be 28th or 29th choice.

And I can't explain it, but I've always been a really big fan of Rolling Rock. BEFORE it moved from Latrobe to Newark. Its probably the best example of a pale lager.

 

[jjsocrates]

Originally posted by psu1969a:
never thought of troegs as beer!

You're missing out then. Troegs makes some really really good beers. Nugget Nectar for one, Mad Elf, too many to list.

 

[sss]

Also brewed in Allentown at the Stroh Brewery


Or what used to be the Stroh Brewery. Same deal, under contract. At the same time the ads used to run on the radio with Sam Cook saying, "The big guys dump more beer than I brew in a year." Always cracked me up. You got to hand it to the craft beer craze though and their marketing, they got guys talking about adjunct ingredients, all while fighting to be the first to try a new beer while also paying the highest price.

 

[Nitwit]

Nothing beats a Guinness

It's the beer you've been practicing for.

 

[pandaczar12]

Originally posted by TheGLOV:

I gots to let you Sam Adams drinkers in on a little secret (that some of you may already know).

Sam Adams was actually brewed in Pgh. for many years under contract with the parent company.

Brewed in the very same vats that brewed Iron City Beer!

BWAHAHHHAHHAHHAHHAHHAH!

Now that's funny.

I don't know why you think this is a secret or funny. All Sam Adams outside of the Boston area is contract brewed. But it is done so with superior recipe, ingredients, and process compared to your typical racing beer. Which is exactly why it is on the bottom of the craft beer scale, yet still way above mass produced swill like Yuengling.

 

[zekestone]

Not true - boston beer company brews all their beer in company owned breweries in PA, OH, and MA. They have not contract brewed in years and even longer in pgh.

 

[pandaczar12]

Originally posted by zekestone:
Not true - boston beer company brews all their beer in company owned breweries in PA, OH, and MA. They have not contract brewed in years and even longer in pgh.

You be right, it's been a long time since I visited the original brewery. But I see info online that contradicts you, I'm seeing that while they have reduced their reliance on contract brewing, they still do it.

Regardless, it's not important. The point it that it is not all made at the original brewery near Boston, and this shouldn't be a surprise, or funny to anyone. But it is done so with superior recipe, ingredients, and process compared to your typical racing beer. Which is exactly why it is on the bottom of the craft beer scale, yet still way above mass produced swill like Yuengling.

 

[jjsocrates]

Originally posted by pandaczar12:
You be right, it's been a long time since I visited the original brewery. But I see info online that contradicts you, I'm seeing that while they have reduced their reliance on contract brewing, they still do it.

Regardless, it's not important. The point it that it is not all made at the original brewery near Boston, and this shouldn't be a surprise, or funny to anyone. But it is done so with superior recipe, ingredients, and process compared to your typical racing beer. Which is exactly why it is on the bottom of the craft beer scale, yet still way above mass produced swill like Yuengling.

Nevertheless, as you point out - its the recipe and ingredients that matter, not the place its brewed.

Its like hiring the world's greatest chef to come cook for you. Doesn't matter if he cooks in your kitchen or his kitchen, he's going to make a good meal - because he knows how to, and he will pick good ingredients. Of course, if you give him crappy ingredients, he'll probably make the most appealingly bad food you've ever tasted.

Give Sam Calagione the exact recipe for Yuengling to make in his brewery, and he too will brew a crappy beer.

Its amazing how bad a beer tastes when you omit hops, substitute corn for barley, and then try to cover up the taste by "beechwood aging"

 

[Wesauking Lion]

Listen to Grant Green.... Oregon, ID, MT have tons of better

beer that most people on the east have never heard of. 10 Barrel is an awesome brewery. The one in Boise turns over 70% of their 30 + beers each month. Some I like....Some..not so much...Sinistor Black is dandy.

Sam Adams is to craft beer as Ikea is to craft furniture.

Tons of beers out there..tons. Shit you never heard of that is incredible.

Again...everyone has different taste - doesnt make you right or wrong....it is what makes us different.

 

[zekestone]

I'd like to see what info you see online. I worked for boston beer for 10+ years - they don't contract brew Samuel Adams beer any longer.

 

[pandaczar12]

Originally posted by jjsocrates:

Originally posted by pandaczar12:
You be right, it's been a long time since I visited the original brewery. But I see info online that contradicts you, I'm seeing that while they have reduced their reliance on contract brewing, they still do it.

Regardless, it's not important. The point it that it is not all made at the original brewery near Boston, and this shouldn't be a surprise, or funny to anyone. But it is done so with superior recipe, ingredients, and process compared to your typical racing beer. Which is exactly why it is on the bottom of the craft beer scale, yet still way above mass produced swill like Yuengling.

Nevertheless, as you point out - its the recipe and ingredients that matter, not the place its brewed.

Its like hiring the world's greatest chef to come cook for you. Doesn't matter if he cooks in your kitchen or his kitchen, he's going to make a good meal - because he knows how to, and he will pick good ingredients. Of course, if you give him crappy ingredients, he'll probably make the most appealingly bad food you've ever tasted.

Give Sam Calagione the exact recipe for Yuengling to make in his brewery, and he too will brew a crappy beer.

Its amazing how bad a beer tastes when you omit hops, substitute corn for barley, and then try to cover up the taste by "beechwood aging"

I agree for the most part. But part of the reason craft beer is so good is because it is made in small batches. So while Sam Adams does have a superior recipe and ingredients, it's still made on a macro scale. That's why it's the bottom of craft beer ladder. Using your chef analogy, if you ask the best chef in the world to cater a buffet, the quality will drop.

I toured the Yuengling brewery a year or so ago when I was in the area. I thought that having the freshest lager possible on tap at the brewery would be good... even that was terrible. It's just not good beer. It's funny because in college I thought it was great beer. The tour was actually pretty interesting, which was refreshing after hundreds of boring breweries.

Originally posted by zekestone:
I'd like to see what info you see online. I worked for boston beer for 10+ years - they don't contract brew Samuel Adams beer any longer.

Google is your friend.

 

[TheGLOV]

Initially, it was kept a secret for fear of turning off their customers and also possibly made to look like that they were not telling the truth in their commercials.

It IS fun and it WAS a secret initially.

 

[pandaczar12]

Originally posted by TheGLOV:

Initially, it was kept a secret for fear of turning off their customers and also possibly made to look like that they were not telling the truth in their commercials.

It IS fun and it WAS a secret initially.

Link? I did a quick google search and could not turn up any information to support your claim.

Assuming you are correct, explain how exactly it IS fun.

The plan for D-Day WAS also a secret initially, and it is also equally irrelevant to this topic.

 

[TheGLOV]

Originally posted by TheGLOV:

I gots to let you Sam Adams drinkers in on a little secret (that some of you may already know).

Sam Adams was actually brewed in Pgh. for many years under contract with the parent company.

Brewed in the very same vats that brewed Iron City Beer!

BWAHAHHHAHHAHHAHHAHHAH!

Now that's funny.

That is a fact. -Pnnylion also knew of it.

Sorry you didn't get the memo Derwood.

 

[pandaczar12]

Originally posted by TheGLOV:

Originally posted by TheGLOV:

I gots to let you Sam Adams drinkers in on a little secret (that some of you may already know).

Sam Adams was actually brewed in Pgh. for many years under contract with the parent company.

Brewed in the very same vats that brewed Iron City Beer!

BWAHAHHHAHHAHHAHHAHHAH!

Now that's funny.

That is a fact. -Pnnylion also knew of it.

Sorry you didn't get the memo Derwood.

Well that clears it up, you make a very convincing argument, completely backed up by linked facts and logic. Who can argue with "well one other guy agrees with me"? Surely you could provide a plethora of links as requested to back up your claim, but don't feel the need to since that one other guy agrees with you. You really hammered your point home by using the outdated "memo" saying, and an insult that only you understand.

Interesting that you focused on the least important part of my post. A poor attempt at distraction on your part. I'm still waiting to hear why such trivial news, if true, would be considered FUN. Also how the fact that something was a secret but now is not would be at all relevant to the discussion.

 

[TheGLOV]

^^Seeing is how Joseph Piccirilli past owner of Iron City Brewery) in a private conversation, told me he that he had the Sam Adams contract and to keep it a secret probably means nothing to such a man like you: so why bother.

And, past typo, should have been 'funny' but having FUN & playing with you is alright as well.

Didn't me to call you Derwood. Sorry about that Chuckie.

Sam wouldn't have sent you a memo anyway.






This post was edited on 4/6 9:59 AM by TheGLOV

 

[pandaczar12]

Originally posted by TheGLOV:

^^Seeing is how Joseph Piccirilli past owner of Iron City Brewery) in a private conversation, told me he that he had the Sam Adams contract and to keep it a secret probably means nothing to such a man like you: so why bother.

And, past typo, should have been 'funny' but having FUN & playing with you is alright as well.

Didn't me to call you Derwood. Sorry about that Chuckie.

Sam wouldn't have sent you a memo anyway.

It not only means nothing to me, it means nothing to absolutely everyone BUT you. Funny that the only supporting information you can provide is a private conversation. I can play that game too.... I had a private conversation with Jim Koch, and he completely refutes everything you said. The fact that you had to go to Wikipedia to find his name means you two must have been really close!

FUNNY... FUN... it is neither, regardless of the "typo" that no one in the history of the world has made. I'm still waiting to hear why such trivial news, if true, would be considered FUN (or FUNNY). Also how the fact that something was a secret but now is not would be at all relevant to the discussion.

Your strategy for "playing" with me is brilliant... post stuff you can't back up, get mad, post more stuff you can't back up, get even madder, ignore simple questions, use insults no one born in the last 50 years understands, get furious, misspell "mean" as "me", look like a complete idiot throughout the entire process.

 

[TheGLOV]

^^Only in your mind is this an issue.

Must be a big cavern, huh?

I've satisfied it.

Deal with it.

 

[pandaczar12]

Originally posted by TheGLOV:

^^Only in your mind is this an issue.

Must be a big cavern, huh?

I've satisfied it.

Deal with it.

You should have been a lawyer... "Your honor, in conclusion, my client is innocent because we had a conversation in private, and he told me he was innocent. I realize I can't produce any evidence or logic to prove that he is innocent, but only in your mind is that an issue. I rest my case."

I'm still waiting to hear why such trivial news, if true, would be considered FUN (or FUNNY). Also how the fact that something was a secret but now is not would be at all relevant to the discussion. Keep on dodging!

 

[TheGLOV]

^^Believe me when I tell you that, if I was a lawyer and met you as my adversary in a court of law, you'd loose.

I'd make it my mission to embarrass you while getting the decision in my favor.

I never show all my cards and I NEVER underestimate my opponent; as you have.

 

[pandaczar12]

Originally posted by TheGLOV:

^^Believe me when I tell you that, if I was a lawyer and met you as my adversary in a court of law, you'd loose.

I'd make it my mission to embarrass you while getting the decision in my favor.

I never show all my cards and I NEVER underestimate my opponent; as you have.

I'd "loose" for sure...

You just can't make this stuff up! Thanks for providing us all this fun at your expense, the board appreciates your sacrifice.

I figured out who you are... who else do we know can make up anything they want without any supporting information and think that is good enough... Louis Freeh!