The beer (and occasionally wine) thread

rick_chasey
rick_chasey Posts: 75,648
edited August 2023 in The cake stop
I don’t drink much beer until I go abroad and suddenly it’s lovely.

What is the most drinkable beer in the world and why is it Jupiler?
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Comments

  • orraloon
    orraloon Posts: 13,197
    Mr Chasey, either you have no clue, or you are adopting the standard taxdodger666 be provocative approach to posting.
  • monkimark
    monkimark Posts: 1,881
    The place I was staying in France seemed to have a choice of Jupiler or Jupiler for Lager so ended up drinking it a fair bit. I don't know think it's crazy strong but I definitely felt the effects more than expected.
  • veronese68
    veronese68 Posts: 27,692
    Jupiler is decidedly average
  • bonk_king
    bonk_king Posts: 277
    I'm a cider drinker, always have been. But whilst on holiday in Greece a few years ago my wife introduced me to their local lager, Mythos.

    I don't know if it's the scorching weather that just makes it taste so good, or whether it is genuinely a truly classy beer. But an ice cold Mythos, to me, is bliss.
  • Mad_Malx
    Mad_Malx Posts: 5,160
    bonk_king said:

    I'm a cider drinker, always have been. But whilst on holiday in Greece a few years ago my wife introduced me to their local lager, Mythos.

    I don't know if it's the scorching weather that just makes it taste so good, or whether it is genuinely a truly classy beer. But an ice cold Mythos, to me, is bliss.

    Retsina from a bottle with a crown cap tastes good When your at a beach taverna eating a greek salad and kalmari. It’s all about the context
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,660
    Jupiler is the konig of pintjes for sure.

    Jupiler>> Hertog Jan = Grolsh > Henieken > Amstel
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • Stevo_666
    Stevo_666 Posts: 60,605
    bonk_king said:

    I'm a cider drinker, always have been. But whilst on holiday in Greece a few years ago my wife introduced me to their local lager, Mythos.

    I don't know if it's the scorching weather that just makes it taste so good, or whether it is genuinely a truly classy beer. But an ice cold Mythos, to me, is bliss.

    Yep, cider is where it's at.
    "I spent most of my money on birds, booze and fast cars: the rest of it I just squandered." [George Best]
  • Stevo_666
    Stevo_666 Posts: 60,605
    orraloon said:

    Mr Chasey, either you have no clue, or you are adopting the standard taxdodger666 be provocative approach to posting.

    Stop being so provocative...
    "I spent most of my money on birds, booze and fast cars: the rest of it I just squandered." [George Best]
  • bonk_king said:

    I'm a cider drinker, always have been. But whilst on holiday in Greece a few years ago my wife introduced me to their local lager, Mythos.

    I don't know if it's the scorching weather that just makes it taste so good, or whether it is genuinely a truly classy beer. But an ice cold Mythos, to me, is bliss.

    It's the ice cold in scorching weather that does it. You've got to let it warm to find out what it really tastes like.

  • Mood, surroundings and being relaxed always make food and drink taste much better on holiday!

    If you want good beer, try a few from here

    https://www.leftfieldbeer.co.uk/
  • rjsterry
    rjsterry Posts: 29,091
    edited August 2023
    Stevo_666 said:

    bonk_king said:

    I'm a cider drinker, always have been. But whilst on holiday in Greece a few years ago my wife introduced me to their local lager, Mythos.

    I don't know if it's the scorching weather that just makes it taste so good, or whether it is genuinely a truly classy beer. But an ice cold Mythos, to me, is bliss.

    Yep, cider is where it's at.
    Wrong side of the country for proper stuff. Talking of children could context, a pub in Bristol docks by the Cumberland Basin does a very good cider after a day spent up a mast fixing rigging. Think it was the Nova Scotia.
    1985 Mercian King of Mercia - work in progress (Hah! Who am I kidding?)
    Pinnacle Monzonite

    Part of the anti-growth coalition
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,648
    edited August 2023
    ddraver said:

    Jupiler is the konig of pintjes for sure.

    Jupiler>> Hertog Jan = Grolsh > Henieken > Amstel

    Perhaps that’s where it’s going wrong.

    all I want is a pintje or two.

    Back in the day Carling, fosters, Stella etc tasted like p!ss.

    Now they’ve been replaced with neck oil or meantime which is not only indigestion in a glass, (genuinely it’s painful) but they seem to think that their beer can’t be enough like an extreme grapefruit juice, being as bitter and tart as humanely possible.

    I just want something refreshing that isn’t sweet.
  • Stevo_666
    Stevo_666 Posts: 60,605
    rjsterry said:

    Stevo_666 said:

    bonk_king said:

    I'm a cider drinker, always have been. But whilst on holiday in Greece a few years ago my wife introduced me to their local lager, Mythos.

    I don't know if it's the scorching weather that just makes it taste so good, or whether it is genuinely a truly classy beer. But an ice cold Mythos, to me, is bliss.

    Yep, cider is where it's at.
    Wrong side of the country for proper stuff. Talking of children could context, a pub in Bristol docks by the Cumberland Basin does a very good cider after a day spent up a mast fixing rigging. Think it was the Nova Scotia.
    True. They can always ship some of the West Country knock out juice out East.
    "I spent most of my money on birds, booze and fast cars: the rest of it I just squandered." [George Best]
  • I just want something refreshing that isn’t sweet.


    Most of the mass produced stuff is going to take like pi$$. There are literally hundreds of brewers in the UK and abroad now producing thousands of beers. The best way is to try stuff until you find something that suits your tastes.

    Look at styles like session IPA's, they are lower alcohol and generally fairly lighter and cleaner beers with less acidity. Or some of the Belgian blonde beers or German wheatbeers are also a good bet.

    I like a lot of the double or triple IPA's and porters, but they are all well over 10% abv these days, so half a pint and you are mullered!
  • kingstongraham
    kingstongraham Posts: 27,760
    I really like Brooklyn Lager, but they've started replacing it with the appalling Brooklyn Pilsner everywhere now.

  • Tashman
    Tashman Posts: 3,479
    I love that within 10 miles of home I have 15 really good local breweries of varying scales. It's been great trying them all and some are really very good although there are far too many IPAs. Long Man Blonde is a personal favourite if wanting a golden beer with Harvey's Best reliably being very good on cask around these parts. Long Man - Old Man is a very good one for colder days too. Love a good stout/porter although many are getting almost too chocolate/coffee flavour.
  • Jezyboy
    Jezyboy Posts: 3,537

    ddraver said:

    Jupiler is the konig of pintjes for sure.

    Jupiler>> Hertog Jan = Grolsh > Henieken > Amstel

    Perhaps that’s where it’s going wrong.

    all I want is a pintje or two.

    Back in the day Carling, fosters, Stella etc tasted like p!ss.

    Now they’ve been replaced with neck oil or meantime which is not only indigestion in a glass, (genuinely it’s painful) but they seem to think that their beer can’t be enough like an extreme grapefruit juice, being as bitter and tart as humanely possible.

    I just want something refreshing that isn’t sweet.
    I think many "craft" brewers will offer a larger or pilsner style which might satisfy you.

    Having said that, iirc it's a difficult style to get right, and even when done well it's not particularly favoured by the hipsters who predominantly drink craft IPAs. So the selection is a bit more limited.

    Plus Jupiler tastes better because you have it on holiday.
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,648
    edited August 2023

    I just want something refreshing that isn’t sweet.


    Most of the mass produced stuff is going to take like pi$$. There are literally hundreds of brewers in the UK and abroad now producing thousands of beers. The best way is to try stuff until you find something that suits your tastes.

    Look at styles like session IPA's, they are lower alcohol and generally fairly lighter and cleaner beers with less acidity. Or some of the Belgian blonde beers or German wheatbeers are also a good bet.

    I like a lot of the double or triple IPA's and porters, but they are all well over 10% abv these days, so half a pint and you are mullered!
    IPA are you for real? I find that stuff universally rank. They’re the worst offenders for the grapefruit wannabes. Hoppy like anything.

    German wheat beer is fine but it just doesn’t hit that quench quite like a pintje

    It’s fine. I had my fair share at the munich beer festival and it’s definitely easier to drink tonnes of.

    I don’t find it as refreshing
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,660
    Wheat beer after a gnarly day off-piste though 👌👌👌

    Any exercise tbf...
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • IPA are you for real?


    I said 'session' IPA, it is a different style of beer. They are made to a much lower abv as they were intended to be drunk in larger quantities over a longer duration i.e. a 'session'. They are not hoppy or acidic like an actual IPA.
  • shirley_basso
    shirley_basso Posts: 6,195
    Duration Brewing do a great couple of Session IPAs. Day is Done a particular favorite.
  • secretsam
    secretsam Posts: 5,120

    IPA are you for real? I find that stuff universally rank. They’re the worst offenders for the grapefruit wannabes. Hoppy like anything.

    Anything labelled "craft" beer is inevitably over-hopped pi55, made by someone with an ironic beard and no f&&king clue.
    Local, proper breweries are the way to go. Chiltern Brewery in Bucks, for example.


    It's just a hill. Get over it.
  • Jezyboy
    Jezyboy Posts: 3,537
    Feel like IPAs probably have more sub genres than heavy metal

    I don't find most IPAs are that Grapefruity aside from ones deliberately brewed with grapefruit.

    My preference would be mostly double/triple IPAs, but it's a bit of a lottery.
  • I just want something refreshing that isn’t sweet.


    Most of the mass produced stuff is going to take like pi$$. There are literally hundreds of brewers in the UK and abroad now producing thousands of beers. The best way is to try stuff until you find something that suits your tastes.

    Look at styles like session IPA's, they are lower alcohol and generally fairly lighter and cleaner beers with less acidity. Or some of the Belgian blonde beers or German wheatbeers are also a good bet.

    I like a lot of the double or triple IPA's and porters, but they are all well over 10% abv these days, so half a pint and you are mullered!
    If you enjoy Tripels and Porters then Beer Gonzo is your best bet. In their various guises they’ve been importing the finest Belgian and American beers since the late 90’s. Well ahead of the curve.

    Www.beergonzo.co.uk
  • If you enjoy Tripels and Porters then Beer Gonzo is your best bet. In their various guises they’ve been importing the finest Belgian and American beers since the late 90’s. Well ahead of the curve.


    Cheers SBA, not come across them before.
  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,398
    Jezyboy said:

    ddraver said:

    Jupiler is the konig of pintjes for sure.

    Jupiler>> Hertog Jan = Grolsh > Henieken > Amstel

    Perhaps that’s where it’s going wrong.

    all I want is a pintje or two.

    Back in the day Carling, fosters, Stella etc tasted like p!ss.

    Now they’ve been replaced with neck oil or meantime which is not only indigestion in a glass, (genuinely it’s painful) but they seem to think that their beer can’t be enough like an extreme grapefruit juice, being as bitter and tart as humanely possible.

    I just want something refreshing that isn’t sweet.
    I think many "craft" brewers will offer a larger or pilsner style which might satisfy you.

    Having said that, iirc it's a difficult style to get right, and even when done well it's not particularly favoured by the hipsters who predominantly drink craft IPAs. So the selection is a bit more limited.

    Plus Jupiler tastes better because you have it on holiday.
    How well a small brewery executes a pilsner is a really good gauge of their ability - the process is longer and requires much more exact temperature control (ferments colder and needs a long cold store after that, plus the malt bill and hop levels make it less forgiving). Obviously big breweries have a level of process control more akin to a chemical factory, so good lagers are generally much harder for the smaller brewers. Partly just because you need more equipment (more capital).

    Whereas anyone with a brain and a proper 3-vessel brewing setup should be able to produce an acceptable session IPA - much more forgiving on temperatures and you can hide flaws behind hops to some extent. Also quicker to make which is important for a lot of small brewers.
  • laurentian
    laurentian Posts: 2,505
    secretsam said:

    IPA are you for real? I find that stuff universally rank. They’re the worst offenders for the grapefruit wannabes. Hoppy like anything.

    Anything labelled "craft" beer is inevitably over-hopped pi55, made by someone with an ironic beard and no f&&king clue.
    Local, proper breweries are the way to go. Chiltern Brewery in Bucks, for example.

    This is the truth.

    I love real ale and usually drink the weakest in the pub. There are innumerable local breweries around the UK and I really enjoy trying new ones or finding old favourites. Few things depress me more than a bar selling only keg beer.

    "Craft IPA" seems to give the brewer licence to chuck a ridiculous amount of hops into it to create something so astringent as to be undrinkable (to me) after a pint.

    "Proper" IPAs can, however, be beautiful and so irresistably moreish as to render the imbiber powerless to resist drinking too many. Wadworths Henry's IPA being a current favourite of mine.

    Of all the beers I have drank around the world, the one that impressed me most was BeerLao - this is made with rice rather than barley and, at about 9p per "pint" bottle in Lao, very easy to like! Sadly, it does not travel well.
    Wilier Izoard XP
  • veronese68
    veronese68 Posts: 27,692
    secretsam said:

    IPA are you for real? I find that stuff universally rank. They’re the worst offenders for the grapefruit wannabes. Hoppy like anything.

    Anything labelled "craft" beer is inevitably over-hopped pi55, made by someone with an ironic beard and no f&&king clue.
    Local, proper breweries are the way to go. Chiltern Brewery in Bucks, for example.

    Being a self confessed curmudgeonly old git I should probably have this attitude, but I like beer and i like trying different beers. I can't drink Guiness as it gives me heartburn, most other stouts and porters are ok thankfully. I like some IPAs, there's a pub near me that keeps some good ones on rotation. Some I find are too much. I'm really not keen on sours, the owner of a beer shop near Lyon told me he thought they were beers for people that don't like beer. If you're ever offered a Gose don't do it, it's utterly rank. Read this if you don't believe me:
    https://www.thrillist.com/drink/nation/craft-beer-is-dead-gose-ruined-craft-beer
  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,398

    I just want something refreshing that isn’t sweet.


    Most of the mass produced stuff is going to take like pi$$. There are literally hundreds of brewers in the UK and abroad now producing thousands of beers. The best way is to try stuff until you find something that suits your tastes.

    Look at styles like session IPA's, they are lower alcohol and generally fairly lighter and cleaner beers with less acidity. Or some of the Belgian blonde beers or German wheatbeers are also a good bet.

    I like a lot of the double or triple IPA's and porters, but they are all well over 10% abv these days, so half a pint and you are mullered!
    IPA are you for real? I find that stuff universally rank. They’re the worst offenders for the grapefruit wannabes. Hoppy like anything.

    German wheat beer is fine but it just doesn’t hit that quench quite like a pintje

    It’s fine. I had my fair share at the munich beer festival and it’s definitely easier to drink tonnes of.

    I don’t find it as refreshing
    They shouldn't all be grapefruity. Obviously the big widely available ones like Punk IPA are but that doesn't mean they all have to be. A lot of the popular hops when craft IPAs became "a thing" (e.g., the C-hops centennial, cascade, citra etc) are pretty citrussy/grapefruity which is partly why that's so common. But there's other more recent hops like Sabro (coconut/stone fruit) and Vic Secret (pineapple/tropical) which won't give that same flavour, at least not to the same extent. What normally happens is someone comes out with a new hop variety, that gets massively hyped and everyone wants to use it for a year or two, then they move onto the next one.

    In any case - if you don't like hoppy beers then IPAs probably aren't a good way to go. Although it kind of depends what it is you don't like about them, NEIPAs should be low bitterness (but still very hoppy aroma and fruity). About 10 years ago west coast IPAs were the thing and those were high bitterness.

    If you just want something refreshing that isn't sweet then lagers are great. Newbarns and Donzoko (both from Leith) make some good ones. Left Handed Giant from Bristol make a few too. But a lot of my highly rated ones are German anyway...

    Anything with an ABV lower than 5ish% would be considered session.

    To the point above about beers with actual grapefruit in - I have never had one of those that I really like. I generally don't mind grapefruit flavours from hops but I don't really like it when it's from actual fruit. Similar with coffee in stouts/porters - I like coffee notes from the malt but I prefer not to have actual coffee in there.

  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,398

    secretsam said:

    IPA are you for real? I find that stuff universally rank. They’re the worst offenders for the grapefruit wannabes. Hoppy like anything.

    Anything labelled "craft" beer is inevitably over-hopped pi55, made by someone with an ironic beard and no f&&king clue.
    Local, proper breweries are the way to go. Chiltern Brewery in Bucks, for example.

    Being a self confessed curmudgeonly old git I should probably have this attitude, but I like beer and i like trying different beers. I can't drink Guiness as it gives me heartburn, most other stouts and porters are ok thankfully. I like some IPAs, there's a pub near me that keeps some good ones on rotation. Some I find are too much. I'm really not keen on sours, the owner of a beer shop near Lyon told me he thought they were beers for people that don't like beer. If you're ever offered a Gose don't do it, it's utterly rank. Read this if you don't believe me:
    https://www.thrillist.com/drink/nation/craft-beer-is-dead-gose-ruined-craft-beer
    I really like sours :smile:

    Not particularly gose though.

    I really like Belgian lambics like 3 Fonteinen - especially the fruited ones, I love their krieks. Then Flanders Reds like Rodenbach and Duchesse du Bourgogne (that one's a bit like Haribo tangfastics in a glass though).

    In the UK, Holy Goat up in Dundee are doing some insane sours at the moment, lots of mad fruited stuff and they're absolutely fantastic. I like Pastore from somewehre near Cambridge as well.