Bubweiser, is it junk?!

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My cousin tells me that 'BUD' is 'full of crap' and we should think about home brew. Is that true? Do any of 'my friends', at Countryside, out there know?! Thanks! Kathy

-- kathy. C (catfish@bestweb.net), December 16, 1999

Answers

Kathy...Kathy...Kathy...Even if you've never believed your cousin before,and can't imagine yourself "ever" believing anything he'll ever ever say again..please! Please! Trust him on this subject. Home brew, home made spirits...do-it-yourself beer..is so superior in taste, aroma, body, and complexity to "Bud" that the two really shouldn't be compared. They're both wet and foamy-beyond that, there's very little the two liquid refreshments have in common. The thin, watery, diluted king of beers,in fact, couldn't even exhibit a half way decent head without a little co2 injection to conjur up some instant foam. Think of it as beer flavored soda pop. The foam you find on a home brew is thick,rich and long lasting. Yes, if brewed correctly and poured with skill and delicacy..you can write your name (even if it's a "long" name)in the foaming aromatic cloud that forms above the rim of your beer mug. Beyond the taste..with its symphony of subtle flavors and aromas...the ever changing tapestry of mouth jangling sensations in every sip...beyond all this-it's better simply because you've made it yourself. Creating every new batch of brew is an adventure, and no two batches are exactly alike. There is a bundle of care, and worry... expectancy and pride, packaged into every bottle of home brew. You could spend a life time brewing beer and never repeat the same recipe or, then again, you could repeat the same recipe over and over...yet each batch will be unique and you will always...always, be amazed at the magic that occurs when a large container of liquid "stuff" transforms itself into a roiling, burping, foaming,fermenting,batch of "real" beer...this is the stuff from which dreams are made and legends are born. This nectar, like life, is meant to be savored..not chugged...it's the best refreshent to celebrate one of the most ancient and cherished traditions we have...the sharing and enjoyment of time well spent and life well lived. We only have so much time on this sphere, Kathy,...please don't deprive yourself of this joy.

-- Richard M. Locke (parson14@hotmail.com), December 17, 1999.

That was a great testimonial for home brew but what about BUDWISER? I have been drinking Budwiser for 40 years and I mean a lot of it. For the past 10+/- years i would wake up in the morning all clogged up, blowing my nose coughing and so forth, I finally on a trip to Belize where they only have one kind of beer, which is brewed in German style, my problem went away, i decided it was Bud. Still I continued to drink it for a few more years, it has just been recently that i have stopped and now drink Korona and don't have the problem.

-- Bob Henderson (redgate@echoweb.net), December 18, 1999.

I can't top your first response, but I can concur. I have long felt that a product rivaling Budweiser could be collected from underneath a horse fed barley and rice, though it would probably be more flavorful. There are 2 ways to sell your product. 1. - Come up with a really good product. 2. - Skimp on ingredients, produce something that would gag a maggot, and then spend millions and millions and millions on advertising to convince the inane American public that they should buy it. Bud chose the latter course. Another example is Thompson's Water Seal. Totally worthless. Fortunately, today, you have alternatives. There are numerous micro-breweries that produce really good beers and ales, tho' brews from the micros aren't ALL good. Homebrew is a superb way to go, and I suggest you start with a "kit" from a good supplier. Not the kits found in the homebrew shops that already have the hops mixed in and ask you to add sugar. Those are drinkable but not much more. Rather an all malt kit where you boil the wort and add all the goodies yourself. Of course, you'll need some equipment too. One of my favorites, and the one I started with @ 15 years ago came from Williams Brewing in California. You can contact them at www.williamsbrewing.com . Good Luck.

-- Brad Traver (homefixer@mix-net.net), December 18, 1999.

Some people, however, think that Budweiser tastes good, and that Busch or miller lite are also drinkable. I try to avoid this type of person like the plague. If you like pale, watery, tasteless beer (like bud or miller, etc.), you may be offended by the tastes and textures and aromas of the many micro-brewed beers and imports. Try a couple different kinds of good beer, like a pale ale, a porter, a bock, etc., and see what you think. If any of them appeal to you, check into home brewing. If Bud is still the beer for you, stick with it, as it would be more trouble than it is worth to try to duplicate Budweiser, and cheaper just to buy the swill. But the better tasting beers are worth making at home and lots of fun, too.

-- Jim (jiminwis@yahoo.com), December 20, 1999.

I was once told by a very successful physician and research scientist that drinking beer, period, was like drinking poison. That if one absolutely had to drink, to drink scotch or bourbon with water only. And of course, all things in moderation----yuk, yuk, yuk. Of course he told me this while glurking down a scotch and water.

Beer, regardless of where it's made or who makes it, is carbonated and thus very bad for you (free radicals and all that rot). The more commercialized the worse and cheaper the ingredients...trust your cousin and go one step further, dump the beer and drink wine or liquor with H2O or better yet, quit drinking.

-- Jim Roberts (jroberts1@cas.org), December 21, 1999.



Brad Taver, dear, don't you know you shouldn't be drinking Thompson's Water Seal?

-- Laura Jensen (lrjensen@nwlink.com), December 22, 1999.

Home Brew is as good as it gets! Once we started brewing[10 years ago],we relized what beer was actually ment to taste like.We have freinds who don't drink,just because they don't like the taste- But they'll drink ours...and it's fun to share!

-- Witchcat Farm (poor farm@together.com), December 23, 1999.

This is directed to Brad Travor, what product could I use instead of Thompson's water seal?

-- Bruce Burdge (burdgebruce@richmond.com), October 05, 2000.

There are bazillions of really good microbrews available on the market now...even at the ol' Safeway store(or equivalent) in a neighborhood near you. Except for the fact that it costs a bit more (but watch for sales) there is no reason on earth why you should have to drink Buttwiper or or any of those other horrid "beers" anymore.

It's also worthwhile to brew your own if you so desire. It's easy and while pricey, it's amazing how good it tastes! We haven't brewed for 15 years but plan on doing some more this winter (after the cider!) We made reallly good IPA (India Pale Ale) which is easy, as well as some awesome stout (a dark beer....Guiness is a well-known one.) Beers range from sweet and dark to pale and hoppy to even fruit flavored (framboise). There's an incredible range...as varied as wine varietals, or close to it.

I have drunk Bud for years (last time on a river trip...anything cold tastes good on a hot day, even something warm covered with sand) but I never would want to pay for it!

-- sheepish (rborgo@gte.net), October 05, 2000.


It's funny - I found this thread while doing a search for Thompson's water seal. I have a new deck out back and plan to use TWS. It's ironic that I found this thread about home brew and micro brew since I am a "beer snob" - a lover of the suds - and couldn't agree more with the sentiments expressed here that home brew/micro brew products are head and antlers above any of the mass produced commercial products. I was once offered a Coors Light at a party and asked the host for a glass saying I prefer something better tasting. Upon receiving the glass I proceeded to the powder room and dipped the glass in the toilet filling it with toilet water. No, I did not drink it, but I had made my point - don't ever, ever offer me a Coors Light. I'd rather drink toilet water.

-Joe

P.S. I was never invited back to that guy's house.

-- Joe Knepper (joek@redrose.net), April 21, 2001.



I assume everyone is talking about the fake US fizzy drink? Not the fine Budvar lager that has been brewed in Budweis (Czech Republic) since the 13th century?

-- john hill (john@cnd.co.nz), April 26, 2001.

Life is too short to consume anything mediocre. You could get hit by a truck tomorrow and remember in the hereafter how you wasted opportunities to enjoy really wonderful foods and beverages in this world. And if your only reason to drink beer is to get wasted, well, you already are a waste. I've never had homebrewed beer, but I do enjoy checking out different ales and microbrews. Give it a try!

-- snoozy (allen@oz.net), April 26, 2001.

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