>>So what about this article then. Is it not true ?
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>>http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2011/jun/24/american-craft-beer-hippest-hops
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>Yes and no. I've tried a few local brews, and liked only the Starr Hill dark - when I lived in Charlottesville and drank it on the premises. Years later, they started bottling it for mass distribution. Bought a sampler box - three of each of four kinds they had, and each had some specific taste but generally lacked all the other components. The same impression with the other kinds I tried, mostly from Trader Joe's (i.e. the better grocery) - all interesting and kind of nice and missing half of the taste. None of those were exactly bad, but also didn't make me want to buy again.
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>But then I tried less than ten kinds. Among the thousands, there may be really good ones which would fit my taste. Unfortunately, they didn't fit the taste of retailers. It's like RIAA, standing between the makers and the takers, and deciding for you what you may have.


We have so many craft beers that it is difficult to keep an up to date list. Some are made from ingredients that you would not imagine belong in beer and they don’t! To me some of these brews are from the hippies and include whatever was in the kitchen at the moment. Consistency is a bit of a problem with some of these brews. Do not get attached to them as some are here today and gone tomorrow.

Some of the brew names I see at Trader Joe’s are remarkable and inventive. Yes, the comment about “missing half the taste” sums it up so accurately. Something is missing and my interest is lost before I finish a glass of the swirl. I also dislike those craft brews that leave a disgusting taste in your mouth.

I have met lots of guys that drink for one reason - to get drunk. They do not care what they drink but the higher the alcohol content the better.

I have enjoyed the commercials about Coors beer for many years. I liked the one where they state, “Joseph Coors worked at a brewery in Germany”. To that I added: “He swept the floors, brought over some sweepings, and started a brewery with them”. I have visited the Coors Brewery (pronounced Keers by “Real Americans”) in Golden, Colorado. I can still see the Bob Cat (small bulldozer) spreading the malt over the floor. That must add to the taste.

Beer is an acquired taste for some. Others drink for effect. So we all have our own taste and reason to drink beer. Alcoholics tend to prefer beer because it is not expensive and it gets the job done.

The worse group of drinkers I have ever been around are Australians, and the best are the New Zealanders. The Australians are a bit like our Texans. They tell you they can drink more beer and are real men. Then they drink too much, pass out and get sick all over themselves. The New Zealanders are very happy and well behaved and can hold their liquor. They can also play a good game of darts (one of my favorite games) and know how to behave like gentlemen.

Drinking with a group of Irish and Scots is fun. The Irish enjoy themselves and the Scots want to fight. It is amazing how many teeth a Scott has missing due to fighting. All they want to do is to fight. Strange lot. I once told a Scott they were in fact an Irish tribe and he wanted to fight me then and there. Another Scott stopped his friend by telling him, “The man’s right”! This fellow was a foot shorter then me and about one hundred pounds lighter. If you want to start a fight with a Scotty, just say, “Donald, where are your trousers”? :)