# Country with the best beer



## bill5 (Aug 19, 2011)

Keeping in mind all their beers (obviously we don't know them all but hopefully people voting have a good idea of at least most of the better-known ones) ie if a country produces 100 great beers but 1000 bad ones, they lose to one who produces 10 great beers and only 1 bad one, etc.


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## percysunshine (Aug 19, 2011)

Micro-brews are the best. So I guess I am sort of screwing up the thread. My apologies.


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## bill5 (Aug 19, 2011)

ha - not at all, feel free to chime in.  Just don't screw up the voting.  

IMO microbrews are overrated because a lot of people think like you do ie if it's "microbrew" it's great.  phooey.  Plenty of crap microbrews out there IMO.


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## Baruch Menachem (Aug 19, 2011)

In England, US beer is known as "making love in a canoe."








(translation: Fucking close to water)


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## percysunshine (Aug 19, 2011)

When I was living in SE Asia, the weirdest thing happened. I was enjoying Dutch, Brit, Belgian, and Aussie beer from the local dispensary. (Muslim country, expats get beer) So, the very first time American 'Budweiser' shows up in the dispensary, it sells out! The goofy European expats think it is fasionable to drink American branded beer. They loved it...go figure.


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## asterism (Aug 19, 2011)

Belgium


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## bill5 (Aug 20, 2011)

Baruch Menachem said:


> In England, US beer is known as "making love in a canoe."
> 
> 
> 
> ...


  Only by ignorant fools or people who just time-warped in from 1970.  America is one hell of a lot more than that Bud and Miller swill and much of it is darker and heavier than most English beer.






percysunshine said:


> When I was living in SE Asia, the weirdest thing happened. I was enjoying Dutch, Brit, Belgian, and Aussie beer from the local dispensary. (Muslim country, expats get beer) So, the very first time American 'Budweiser' shows up in the dispensary, it sells out! The goofy European expats think it is fasionable to drink American branded beer. They loved it...go figure.


 I hear Bud made in Germany is actually good beer, but can't say.


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## Warrior102 (Aug 20, 2011)

Belgium
Japan


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## Douger (Aug 20, 2011)

Quilmes-Argentina
Imperial-Costa Rica
Parbo-Surinam ( Heinekin)
Pabst Blue Ribbon -Nation formerly known as USA


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## uscitizen (Aug 20, 2011)

All beer is bitter.


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## Sallow (Aug 20, 2011)

Japan has great beer.

So does Amsterdam.


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## hjmick (Aug 20, 2011)

If we eliminate the mass produced swill most Americans call beer, I would have to go with the American craft brew industry. The best beer I have had in the last two years has all come from small American breweries. Hell, I even found an IPA that was palatable...


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## Toro (Aug 20, 2011)

Belgium.  It is absolutely outstanding.

















And you have to drink it in Belgium.  The Belgian beer here is nowhere near as good.


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## Toro (Aug 20, 2011)

hjmick said:


> If we eliminate the mass produced swill most Americans call beer, I would have to go with the American craft brew industry. The best beer I have had in the last two years has all come from small American breweries. Hell, I even found an IPA that was palatable...



America has many great microbreweries.  The mass produced beer is cooking beer, at best.


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## Mad Scientist (Aug 20, 2011)

Warrior102 said:


> Belgium
> Japan


Kirin and Sapporo are the best!


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## bill5 (Aug 20, 2011)

hjmick said:


> If we eliminate the mass produced swill most Americans call beer, I would have to go with the American craft brew industry. The best beer I have had in the last two years has all come from small American breweries. Hell, I even found an IPA that was palatable...



Palatable?  The best IPAs I've ever had were American (and I've had more than a few).

PS I'm surprised not one vote for Ireland so far.  They do make some darn fine beer, although I think Guinness is overrated.


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## LumpyPostage (Aug 21, 2011)

China.


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## Sunshine (Aug 21, 2011)

Would the best beer be the one that tastes least like cow piss or the most like cow piss?


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## bill5 (Aug 21, 2011)

That depends on how good you think cow piss tastes.


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## iamwhatiseem (Aug 21, 2011)

Belgium and Germany have some extraordinary beers...but then so does America...I have had some outstanding beer at breweries.

However - the lionshare of American beer is bitter swill. 
I just can't believe the most popular beers in America are such utter crap.


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## L.K.Eder (Aug 21, 2011)

sorry folks, it has to be germany.

in quality and diversity.


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## bill5 (Aug 21, 2011)

iamwhatiseem said:


> I just can't believe the most popular beers in America are such utter crap.


I can.  The bulk of America has pathetic taste in most everything.




L.K.Eder said:


> sorry folks, it has to be germany.
> 
> in quality and diversity.


Although I disagree on quality, it's a valid choice IMO.  Germany certainly has great beeer.  Diversity?   Nah.  America has about a billion styles/flavors/etc of beer - much of it I don't care for, but American easily wins the "diversity" tag.  In fact when I was in Germany I saw little beyond the standard lagers and such.


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## L.K.Eder (Aug 21, 2011)

bill5 said:


> iamwhatiseem said:
> 
> 
> > I just can't believe the most popular beers in America are such utter crap.
> ...



yeah, well. you don't know many german beers then.

many of the bastardizations i saw in other countries like belgium, usa and england would not even pass as "beer" here.

leinenkugel sunset.

a wheat beer with orange lemonade.

cherry beer in belgium.

chocolate ale in london.

what the fuck.


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## bill5 (Aug 21, 2011)

L.K.Eder said:


> yeah, well. you don't know many german beers then.


  Or maybe there aren't that many diff kinds to know.    Honestly I can't say for sure, just pointing out what I found when I was there.  On the other hand, I'd say you don't know many American beers, to say the least.



> many of the bastardizations i saw in other countries like belgium, usa and england would not even pass as "beer" here.
> 
> leinenkugel sunset.
> 
> ...


Sounds pretty diverse to me.  PS those all sound ridiculous and gross IMO (don't even get me started on "fruity beer") but it is diverse.


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## L.K.Eder (Aug 21, 2011)

bill5 said:


> L.K.Eder said:
> 
> 
> > yeah, well. you don't know many german beers then.
> ...



ok, i will give you diversity.

but i sample as many different beers as possible wherever i go.

so i got some insight into american diversity of beers.

the "beers" i cited were bad examples, which would not run under the "beer" denomination in germany. so i don't consider them diverse beers, but quite the bullshit.


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## ekrem (Aug 21, 2011)

I'd say, that it is common knowledge that Germany has best beer. At least that's what I hear.
In my youth I drank Krombacher (German), but only ice-cold. Beer never tasted me, ice-cold Krombacher you could drink.


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## bill5 (Aug 21, 2011)

ekrem said:


> I'd say, that it is common knowledge that Germany has best beer. At least that's what I hear.


Yeah.  From Germans.  



> In my youth I drank Krombacher (German), but only ice-cold.


 Most of the best beers are best only cool, sometimes near room temp. even. 



> Beer never tasted me


uh that's good to know. (??)


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## mawlarky (Sep 14, 2011)

bill5 said:


> hjmick said:
> 
> 
> > If we eliminate the mass produced swill most Americans call beer, I would have to go with the American craft brew industry. The best beer I have had in the last two years has all come from small American breweries. Hell, I even found an IPA that was palatable...
> ...



The only beer that Guinness manufacture is a product called "Black lager" which is only available in N.I, Guinness itself is not a beer but a porter or a stout.


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## Sallow (Sep 14, 2011)

LumpyPostage said:


> China.



They are okay. Very refreshing and light.


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## Sallow (Sep 14, 2011)

iamwhatiseem said:


> Belgium and Germany have some extraordinary beers...but then so does America...I have had some outstanding beer at breweries.
> 
> However - the lionshare of American beer is bitter swill.
> I just can't believe the most popular beers in America are such utter crap.



Micro-breweries have some pretty good beers. And surprisingly enough some American beers are getting better. I was surprised to learn that "BlueMoon" was made by Coors.


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## Iridescence (Sep 14, 2011)

_I had always thought:_

Samuel Adams - America's World Class Beer

_but I *really* like:_

Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.


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## pgm (Sep 14, 2011)

The two best are Czech Republic and Belgium. I'm not sure which I prefer, but these are definitely the best.

America's microbrews are great, but most of the macros are swill (I like Blue Moon and a couple others, but this is a general rule). I can't think of a great Canadian beer.


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## Swagger (Sep 14, 2011)

I simply can't favour any country in western Europe, but I will say that beer made in Belgium, Germany, Holland and France is far better than anything you'll find brewed in the UK or Ireland. The Europeans have been doing it for a long, long time and have perfected an almost perfect method. I'd challenge you to find me anyone in the UK that prefers lager brewed here over anything from the continent.

And before anyone here comes back at me with, 'oh, but what about English ale', let me say now that it's all a bit too hyped-up. People only really drink English ale to impress others (usually their girlfriend's parents - been there, done that) by gushing over all the supposedly subtle flavours, blah, blah, blah. It's often nothing special but will always leave you with a slightly metalic after taste. Even the Romans have been documented as declaring our beer/ale was shit.


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## bill5 (Sep 14, 2011)

mawlarky said:


> The only beer that Guinness manufacture is a product called "Black lager" which is only available in N.I, Guinness itself is not a beer but a porter or a stout.


?  Porters and stouts are beers.  Maybe you mean "lager" vs "beer"-?


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## Iridescence (Sep 14, 2011)

*pissed* My laptop's mouse pad is so sensitive it jumps me from screen to screen! 

I haven't been exposed to many variations of beer. I favor Samuel Adams and Sierra Nevada because certain SAs and SNs have similar tastes... Kinda like a grapefruity base. I don't have a clue about the brewings of beer or of moonshine, regardless of being from WV. I do know the moonshine bought in stores are not comparable to what had been available years ago and if *I* can drink a fifth alone without chasers then they may need a bit more kick. 

Good beer is VERY important to a country's entire population, even to those who stand staunchly against such.


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