The Beer Forum - It's really a thread but we're too drunk to notice. - Page 120

♦ Hotspur · 07/16/09, 12:44 PM

Originally Posted by Westvleteren

I don't think it is gluten because I eat all sort of gluten with no issues. It doesn't seem to be any particular style of beer, as it has happened with many types. I'd say it only happens 1 out of every 50 times I drink beer. Wine and hard liquor appear to be fine. I've drank beer for 15 years but this started only a year or so ago. It has happened with pasteurized, unpasteurized, bottle conditioned, draft... Apologies if TMI, but when i'm sick all I can taste is yeast. The whole situation is different than the "I drank 1/2 a bottle of scotch and am sick" type of sick. With that you just feel crappy and nauseous. When this happens, it is pretty painful and violent.

Is it Hops? Yeast? Ulcer? IBS? Doctors are just like... "Oh, you have good insurance huh? Well then, how about a few invasive procedures involving scopes!?" I don't want to turn this into the "oh poor west" thread; A lot of different beer drinkers from around the world read this and maybe somebody out there had a similar experience.

Well, "pure" beer should really only be: Barley, yeast and hops. However, beer can contain adjuncts, such as rice or corn, or other spices for flavoring. The other thing to consider is how they sanitize the bottles, or kill the yeast to prevent further fermentation. If you notice, most wine bottles say "Contains Sulfites", as that's how they kill the yeast to allow for unfermented sugars. Sulfites or other chemicals may be present in trace amounts from bottle sanitation. So, you may find that a stout, pale ale, IPA and hefeweizen from the same brewery all cause problems, while the same styles from another brewery may be fine.

I wouldn't suggest actively going out and trying to see what causes the allergic reaction (Actually, yes I would, it's a great excuse to buy a lot of beer), but you could start a log or Excel sheet to note what does and does not cause it, and see if there's a pattern.

basballguy · 07/16/09, 12:52 PM

Figure i'll add my top 5 beers....a few of them don't get any mention in here.

Spaten Oktoberfest
Shiner Bock
Harp
Red Stripe
Pyramid Curveball (Kolsch)

Spaten doesn't get enough mention among the German brewers. Keeping in mind they are credited with being the first to manufacture an "Oktoberfest" blend.

Elfarran · 07/16/09, 3:27 PM

Originally Posted by Westvleteren

I don't think it is gluten because I eat all sort of gluten with no issues. It doesn't seem to be any particular style of beer, as it has happened with many types. I'd say it only happens 1 out of every 50 times I drink beer. Wine and hard liquor appear to be fine. I've drank beer for 15 years but this started only a year or so ago. It has happened with pasteurized, unpasteurized, bottle conditioned, draft... Apologies if TMI, but when i'm sick all I can taste is yeast. The whole situation is different than the "I drank 1/2 a bottle of scotch and am sick" type of sick. With that you just feel crappy and nauseous. When this happens, it is pretty painful and violent.

Is it Hops? Yeast? Ulcer? IBS? Doctors are just like... "Oh, you have good insurance huh? Well then, how about a few invasive procedures involving scopes!?" I don't want to turn this into the "oh poor west" thread; A lot of different beer drinkers from around the world read this and maybe somebody out there had a similar experience.

Actually I was reading a thread on BeerAdvocate.com in which a guy was saying any really hoppy beer (he mentions IPA and DIPA) make him violently ill. He can drink less hopped up beers fine. Perhaps it is something similar?

Masataka · 07/18/09, 3:01 AM

So I went to drink beer with my sister tonight and found something that I just had to share... Michelob has released a Wheat Beer collection. While it isn't anything ground-breaking it is nice to see "American Piss Beer" start to understand that most REAL beer drinkers prefer what most would call a craft beer. This nifty little 12-pack included a Dunkel Weisse, Shock Top *white Belgian wheat* a super hops one called Hops Hound, and one I will have tomorrow called Honey Wheat. Now as I said it's nothing worth goin to the store and buying right away but it was a nice surprise to find.

advancedtactics · 07/19/09, 8:19 AM

I don't know if I'm alone or not in this. But I love the "water beers" Michelob ultra bud light miller lite. All these beers to me are delicious. It's like drinking delicious water and I can drink for as long as I please. With a lot of these ales ipos and what nots I find the taste to be bitter and very hard to drink consistently maybe if they invented beer shots I'd be more into that kind of beer. And I respect anyone's love of ales and wheat and all that other kind of beer it's just not for me. In before grow hair on chest comments.

Kaubel · 07/19/09, 10:25 AM

If we wanted to drink delicious water, we'd drink Gatorade. Now get out.

Nocturnus · 07/19/09, 6:26 PM

Went shopping for a few bottles for a friend's birthday, came home with these. Thank you Central Market.

Black Butte is one of my favorite beers, can't wait to try the special one. Other two are for him, I'm not much of an IPA fan.

Elfarran · 07/19/09, 9:29 PM

I snagged a bomber of Red Chair IPA from Deschutes today at a local grocery store. Just wanted to mention this as a good gateway IPA for anyone you might be trying to introduce to the style. It has the hoppiness one expects from an IPA but it isn't overpowering. Even if you are very familiar with IPAs I would recommend it. Good stuff.

Alerian · 07/19/09, 10:02 PM

Elysian is quite good. Had their The Wise ESB tonight. Appley start before transitioning to a bread and finishing on a nut taste. Clean. Maybe some caramel or slight citrus tastes mixed in as well. Could drink a lot of these in a night.

Denogran · 07/21/09, 12:36 PM

Originally Posted by Masataka

So I went to drink beer with my sister tonight and found something that I just had to share... Michelob has released a Wheat Beer collection. While it isn't anything ground-breaking it is nice to see "American Piss Beer" start to understand that most REAL beer drinkers prefer what most would call a craft beer. This nifty little 12-pack included a Dunkel Weisse, Shock Top *white Belgian wheat* a super hops one called Hops Hound, and one I will have tomorrow called Honey Wheat. Now as I said it's nothing worth goin to the store and buying right away but it was a nice surprise to find.

My suspicion is that this isn't because Big Beer wants to make new and interesting flavors for their consumers to try, but rather a more nefarious scheme to turn people away from any sort of craft beer in general. Imagine all you drink is a water-beer, and you have some friend who keeps extolling the virtues of tastier craft beer. So the next time you're at the super market, you decide to grab something besides your normal Crap light. Well, you know you like Crap's normal light beer, so you decide to give their "craft beer" a try - plus it's 1/2 the price of some of the clever named competitors - Bonus!. You pick up a six pack, take it home - and it tastes awful. You're not one to leave a wounded soldier behind, but you don't finish your first beer and toss the rest out before heading back to trusty Crap light. Now you can confidently say you've tried craft beer and hated it( even if you're quite wrong in the first half of the assertion ), and will stick with your Crap light for years to come - safe from venturing off into buying other brands.
/tinfoil hat off

I'll admit that this seems like an absurd line of thought, even to myself. But I just refuse to believe that with some of the most skilled brewers in the world working for them, the Big 2 can't make some amazing craft beers - even some that sell enough to meet their financial needs.

Apate · 07/21/09, 12:48 PM

I only tried a taste of Bud's American Ale. I thought that it was better than the usual Budweiser, but still worse than beer.

LucidityAxel · 07/21/09, 4:41 PM

It doesn't really matter to me what other people drink, except to the extent that it helps or hinders my ability to find and purchase the things that I like to drink.

I tried Avery's Salvation the other day, which they market as a Belgian Golden Strong Ale. It was very disappointing and I won't be buying it again.

I mentioned Brooklyn's Number One earlier in this thread, and have since had the chance to try their Number Two as well. Both are really high-quality Belgian-style beers brewed here in the States. I would recommend either without any hesitation.

Chirality · 07/22/09, 3:42 PM

Originally Posted by Apate

I only tried a taste of Bud's American Ale. I thought that it was better than the usual Budweiser, but still worse than beer.

I thought it was much, much worse than regular Budweiser. It reminded me of someone dumping a can of apple sauce into a keg of beer and stirring.

Beardstorm · 07/22/09, 5:47 PM

Originally Posted by Kaubel

But it's served in English pubs, is it not? I ask because I've never been to England! But let's say I was in England. What would the smart Kaubel be drinking?

I would strongly recommend looking for a Casque Mark pub and getting yourself a pint of London Pride. I think it's overall well balanced with some malt, some hops with some other flavours that I'm not good enough to pick apart mingled in. Low carbonation, very easy to drink.

As for Belgian strong ales, I enjoy Leffe & Duvel especially although I have no idea how easy any of these are to get hold of on your side of the pond. They are both go down dangerously smoothly given their strength.

I think although you can get a good pint of Guinness in England (depending on the pub) the real deal is in Ireland.

edit: Crap thought the first page was the last. Thats what Duvel does to your brain, doesn't make any of the stuff I mentioned less brilliant though.

Gerronimo · 07/23/09, 12:41 AM

Originally Posted by Denogran

My suspicion is that this isn't because Big Beer wants to make new and interesting flavors for their consumers to try, but rather a more nefarious scheme to turn people away from any sort of craft beer in general. Imagine all you drink is a water-beer, and you have some friend who keeps extolling the virtues of tastier craft beer. So the next time you're at the super market, you decide to grab something besides your normal Crap light. Well, you know you like Crap's normal light beer, so you decide to give their "craft beer" a try - plus it's 1/2 the price of some of the clever named competitors - Bonus!. You pick up a six pack, take it home - and it tastes awful. You're not one to leave a wounded soldier behind, but you don't finish your first beer and toss the rest out before heading back to trusty Crap light. Now you can confidently say you've tried craft beer and hated it( even if you're quite wrong in the first half of the assertion ), and will stick with your Crap light for years to come - safe from venturing off into buying other brands.
/tinfoil hat off

I'll admit that this seems like an absurd line of thought, even to myself. But I just refuse to believe that with some of the most skilled brewers in the world working for them, the Big 2 can't make some amazing craft beers - even some that sell enough to meet their financial needs.

While your thoughts are hilariously commendable, they're a bit wide of the mark. I've worked in the aussie equivalent of the big 2 and the situation is almost the same, with a couple of key differences (my old boss invented Coors light, for an example). Down under the 2 big breweries bought out existing craft breweries and built up the brands without too much of a guiding hand. So the beer started off damn good and only got a little worse, but a lot more consistent. James Squire and Matilda Bay, for reference. Nowadays they're starting to knock out their own mislabelled 'craft' beer and the same thing is happening as in the states.

The brewers could make some amazing beers, but too often they sit in a computerised control room churning out pissweak megaswill. It's always the marketing department which controls what a beer will taste like, and most beer marketers are semi-literate 20-somethings who couldn't down a pint without calling for a focus group. And focus groups unanimously call for "easy drinking, light, refreshing, with a little bit of flavour". So you end up with good beers watered down into oblivious inoffensive palatability.

Big Beer brewers have no control over what they make. More's the pity. Do real beer a favour and shoot someone in marketing.

/bitter rant