I’ve had most of those - Kroger even carries Boddingtons these days, and Samuel Smith’s will be in any decent beer shop here.
I think my favorite when we lived in the UK was Theakston’s Best Bitter.
Beer thoughts
- Thread starter rascal
- Start date
I think my favorite when we lived in the UK was Theakston’s Best Bitter.
karadekoolaid
Legendary Member
I tried all of those, except Director's and Thwaites, when I was in the UK last year. Black Sheep is tremendous, and London Pride was always good at my local.
A lot of the Cincy brewers made soft drinks, near beer, and “healthy” drinks.
Luckily, they knocked that crap out as soon as people got some sense back and repealed that stupid amendment.
Two of my uncles, Sam and Tony (my grandfather's older brothers) imported Canadian Whisky during prohibition. They also had a brewery forty miles from Pittsburgh. My grandfather worked at the brewery. They made a lot of money, and never got caught. They got run out of the family for other reasons.
CD
blades
Senior Member
I like the Oktoberfest style they brew during the season. I buy a six pack of it every year. If I had be limited to one beer it would be Stella Artois. I should mention that a six pack of beer lasts me for a month or two. I drink wine about once per week and nothing stronger. I'm not making the brewers and wine makers wealthy.
blades
Senior Member
How does Polar stack up? I used to see beer commercials in Cuba for Polar and Hatuey the two most popular beers. Hatuey was named after the chief of the Cuban Carib tribe who tried to fight off the Spanish invaders but failed. He was a folk hero of sorts.
In case anyone needs a reference to beer styles, I have this up in my pub to simplify things.
karadekoolaid
Legendary Member
Polar is the biggest selling beer in Venezuela, probably over 50% of the market. It's a pilsen (and a good number of the Master Brewers are still German, or of German descent) , it's very well made and highly drinkable. It's my go to here. Other brands are Regional and Zulia.
In the past 10 years or so, we've begun to see micro/breweries popping up, which is great, if only for the varieties available. I recently hooked up with a microbrewery close to home, and they make lager, pale ale, brown ale, red ale, IPA, session IPA, weissbier, porter, bock and stout. Pretty impressive! Markets are very limited, however.
blades
Senior Member
Interesting, thanks. I can't help but wonder if the Cuban Polar brewery moved to Venezuela after the Castro takeover. I remember watching those labels with the polar bear on TV as a kid. Bacardi moved to Puerto Rico. Arechabala, the other big Cuban rum distiller, disappeared apparently. I went to school with a couple of the Bacardi kids at Colegio Belen. Havana was a great place back then.
This is the single best beer I ever had:
Yes, I liked it so much, I took a picture of it, framed it, and hung it up in my pub.
That’s from a pub somewhere in Ireland, in 2007, and the barman said it was from a nearby monastery, and the only places to get it were the monastery, a single pub in Dublin, and the pub we were in.
That may have been a story, I don’t know, but it was indeed the finest beer I ever had - that pic is after it had fully settled, so that was the color, and it was lightly carbonated (cask ale), and really did have a texture (or mouthfeel, if you prefer) of something halfway between a beer and a glass of whole milk.
Yes, I liked it so much, I took a picture of it, framed it, and hung it up in my pub.
That’s from a pub somewhere in Ireland, in 2007, and the barman said it was from a nearby monastery, and the only places to get it were the monastery, a single pub in Dublin, and the pub we were in.
That may have been a story, I don’t know, but it was indeed the finest beer I ever had - that pic is after it had fully settled, so that was the color, and it was lightly carbonated (cask ale), and really did have a texture (or mouthfeel, if you prefer) of something halfway between a beer and a glass of whole milk.
When my parents moved to Puerto Rico, they soon learned that Bacardi was the rum of winos on the street. It was very cheap. The best seller down there was DonQ -- pronounced "Don Coo."
Bacardi is a top seller in the US, as is Corona Mexican beer, which is "gringo beer" in Mexico. Good marketing can sell anything.
CD
blades
Senior Member
It is THE top seller in the U.S. and perhaps the planet. Good marketing and decent products did the job. Personally I dislike rum. I never drink it.
For Mexican everyday beers, I prefer Pacifico or Sol. They are better (to me) and cost less. Modelo Especial is my "upscale" choice.
DonQ is my Pina Colada rum, while I prefer Jamaican rums, otherwise.
CD
blades
Senior Member
I wasn't even aware that unfiltered beers were even a thing. Now I know.
Yes, very much so, depending on the style. Hefeweizens are frequently unfiltered, as are Belgian witbiers, among others.