Lagers and Ales... can't we all just get along?!

Discussion in 'Beer Talk' started by BigBarley, Feb 24, 2013.

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  1. Domingo

    Domingo Grand Pooh-Bah (4,206) Apr 23, 2005 Colorado
    Pooh-Bah Society

    Honestly, it tends to comes down to diacetyl. While not in all Czech pilsners, it's in a great number of them and is considered to be acceptable if mild. My wife hates that buttery note (in beers at least) with a passion and because she's always noting it in things, I've become more sensitive to it as well. I can still drink some beers with it like Urquell, but it's not my favorite.
    I guess melanoidin malt can sometimes produce a flavor that heads in that direction, too...and I'm not a huge fan of that either.
     
    Crusader likes this.
  2. CellarGimp

    CellarGimp Initiate (0) Sep 14, 2011 Missouri

    Celebrator is vastly underrated. Probably one of the very beat beers period.
     
  3. ThirstyFace

    ThirstyFace Initiate (0) Jan 11, 2013 New York

    Yeah, the 3300 reviews and 97 overall rating would suggest so :grimacing:
     
  4. Domingo

    Domingo Grand Pooh-Bah (4,206) Apr 23, 2005 Colorado
    Pooh-Bah Society

    I was thinking the same thing. Celebrator is actually one of the only lagers on BA that gets due respect. It's been on the top beers list forever and is readily available, too. Korbinian would be another although sometimes it gets lost in the mix a little more.
     
  5. 19etz55

    19etz55 Savant (1,212) Aug 12, 2007 New Jersey
    Trader

    I started out drinking pilsners, lagers, ambers, etc. when I began drinking craft (real) beers. Later on I found a liking to the stronger beers, ales, IPAs, barleywines, porters, stouts, etc.. I have to say I find it hard to go back to the less strong tasting beers now. Although a nice lager or golden ale or such goes down nice in hot weather. To each his or her own. There shouldn't be a craft divide between beers. The breweries are going to make all beers to accommodate all drinkers. There should be craft pilsners, lagers, whatever. Drink what you like and other people should be able to enjoy what they like. We don't need beer fights like this. Have a friendly discussion over a quaff or two.
     
  6. CellarGimp

    CellarGimp Initiate (0) Sep 14, 2011 Missouri

    Exactly! Should be 100!

    I guess underared was a bad choice of words. More like its better than most of the hyped brews on here. Taken for granted I guess. No need to have threads about something you can buy off the shelf any day of the week.
     
  7. sacrelicio

    sacrelicio Pooh-Bah (1,826) Feb 15, 2005 Minnesota
    Pooh-Bah Society

    is this CA-only?
     
  8. UCLABrewN84

    UCLABrewN84 Initiate (0) Mar 18, 2010 California

  9. arfenhouse

    arfenhouse Initiate (0) Oct 29, 2012 California

    A well made lager is nice but well made ales are much more interesting in my opinion (and definitely bolder and more full flavored).
     
  10. Chinon01

    Chinon01 Initiate (0) Jan 23, 2007 Pennsylvania

    Granted as a style Czech pils tend to be nuttier and richer. If you have a particular sensitivity to that it makes more sense. But again I'd expect a dramatic difference in response between German Pils and RIS than German and Czech pils.
     
  11. Chinon01

    Chinon01 Initiate (0) Jan 23, 2007 Pennsylvania

    That's too broad a statement. Lagers like Korbinian and other doppelbocks are bolder than many ale styles. You gotta be more specific.
     
  12. steveh

    steveh Grand Pooh-Bah (4,030) Oct 8, 2003 Illinois
    Pooh-Bah Society

    To his defense, he did qualify with that being "his opinion," doesn't happen too often.

    And once again, it's not about comparison -- it's about understanding what you're getting. Just like apples and oranges, top-fermenting and bottom-fermenting shouldn't be compared to each other... just enjoyed!
     
  13. Chinon01

    Chinon01 Initiate (0) Jan 23, 2007 Pennsylvania

    Opinions should be based on facts and be reasonable. Korbinian (a lager) is more powerful than an English Mild (an ale) by any reasonable judgment considering color, abv, gravity, etc. And I'm not clear on your comparison statement since that's what the post I responded to did.
     
  14. steveh

    steveh Grand Pooh-Bah (4,030) Oct 8, 2003 Illinois
    Pooh-Bah Society

    While I agree with that, I was just saying it was nice to see someone actually calling it their opinion, not just stating some internet-bred drivel as blind fact. Might be that the previous poster has had the unfortunate luck to not have had a bolder, full-flavored lager. His loss, and that shrouds his opinion.

    Believe me, we're on the same page -- and I'm just making conversation to reinforce that comparisons should not really be made, but each style should be enjoyed as it's meant to be. As you say, Korbinian shouldn't be compared with Conniston Blue Bird -- just as Weihenstephaner Helles shouldn't be compared to Old Rasputin Imperial Stout... and then be called inferior because it's "not the same."
     
  15. BlackDragon

    BlackDragon Initiate (0) Feb 16, 2013 Michigan

    If your someone who really likes stouts and you like the RIS better than in your opinion the Helles is inferior of all the lager styles I've tried the only one I'd buy again is Baltic Porter.
     
  16. herrburgess

    herrburgess Grand Pooh-Bah (3,053) Nov 4, 2009 South Carolina
    Pooh-Bah Society

    All the talk (in this thread and many others) about ales 'tasting better' keeps putting me in mind of this recent article: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/24/m...cience-of-junk-food.html?pagewanted=all&_r=1&

    One particular quote from the CEO of General Mills -- in the context of his unwillingness to consider toning down his products' recipes in light of the recent spikes in obesity -- struck me as fitting: “Don’t talk to me about nutrition.... Talk to me about taste, and if this stuff tastes better, don’t run around trying to sell stuff that doesn’t taste good.”

    And the secret to what makes his products taste "better": sweetness/sugar. Similarly, if you look at the Top Beers here on BA, you see a LOT of the same type of thing: chocolate, vanilla, bourbon, maple, dark fruit, mango, pineapple, apricots, peaches -- plus higher alcohol (i.e. sugar) levels. (See the part in the article about "optimizing" flavors...interesting)

    I know that while living in Germany and drinking (what I shoot my mouth off on here about being) the best beers in the world, I would nevertheless frequently find myself literally craving a big (D)IPA or RIS. Michael Jackson used to refer to beers of this type as "dessert beers." I still tend to treat these “big” beers this way: my “main course” is usually comprised of a few good lagers, while I tend to reserve the (D)IPAs and RISs for "treats."
     
  17. BlackDragon

    BlackDragon Initiate (0) Feb 16, 2013 Michigan

    USA makes the best beers by far and yes I've been to Europe including Germany and Belgium they make good beer but it's not even close to the US
     
  18. steveh

    steveh Grand Pooh-Bah (4,030) Oct 8, 2003 Illinois
    Pooh-Bah Society

    I know this will be difficult to grasp, but I like just about every style. I choose what I'm drinking based on what is striking my fancy at the moment, not on what's the latest fad or what's going to hit me over the head.

    And that's been my point all along -- you can't compare a Munich Helles to an Imperial Stout, let alone call one inferior. It's like comparing steak to ribs; both are good and worth a spot on my dinner plate.
     
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  19. Chinon01

    Chinon01 Initiate (0) Jan 23, 2007 Pennsylvania

    Which American doppelbock is FAR better than Ayinger Celebrator and why? Note: I can do this all day.
     
    dar482 likes this.
  20. scarecrow

    scarecrow Initiate (0) Feb 26, 2013

    Cant we get along??? Heck no! But can't we agree to be schizophrenic...
    It's so hard to choose....
     
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