Yesterday I returned back to Germany from a short England-Scotland and Ireland trip. I have noticed that American beer brands are very popular in all three countries, in every airport bar and on board Ryanair and Buzz planes you could buy Budweiser and Miller. The best was the Holiday Inn hotel bar in Dublin, the staff of Aer Lingus celebrated their Christmas party there and I decided to join, after an hour I saw that a lot of people were drinking Coors (my favorite American beer beside Rolling Rock) and I got terrible drunken with it until 5 o`clock in the Morning .

Why is American beer so popular there? Is British and Irish beer that bad that everyone is drinking something else?

Patrick

Correct me if I'm wrong, but American beer is less potent than the native mixes, is it not?

Might be important if someone was trying to pace themselves and not get too piss drunk (too late!)  

Here in South Florida, I see more green labelled Heineken being ordered than many US brands. Corona is huge too.

And the young hip dudes and dud-ettes are sucking down what is rather undiplomatically called an "Irish Car Bomb".....a pint of Guinness mixed with a shot of whiskey.....then, an entire shot glass full of Baileys is dropped into the pint as the whole contraption is guzzled. The whiskey curdles the Baileys and turns it into a big lump of liquor rolling down one's throat.

Charming. I'll stick with my rum & tonics.

I think it is the same reason why Heineken and Corona and other big imports are so popular in the US.

Because the advetising people and the accoubtants that run breweries here convince the pea brained youth of this country that lager et is good for them.
They should try the natural beers that are produced, Youngs, Fullers in London. Boddingtons in Manchester. Adnams in East Anglia etc etc. Just as long that it is served from a hand pump and hasnt been killed stone dead by various forms of filtering. Beeer is a living organism. treat it with respect!!
One good thing about 'real ale' is that it doesnt gas you up like the fizz that passes for beer/lager here esp after 2 pints. A real beer doesnt have gas pumped into it, it produces it

I can't explain it.

American beer sucks generally, although with the advent of the microbrew that assessment doesn't hold as much water as it used to.

A lot of Americans who have had the good stuff over there won't drink american beer. I am one of those who won't touch the local stuff.


Those are probably served because of their marketing. You don't see OLY, Hamms or Schlitz being served on those flights.

I think people should realize that American beers are served quite a bit colder than beers made in the British Isles.

This is because all the pioneer American breweries were all founded by German immigrants, who were all used to making beer where the fermentation of the beer took place on the bottom of the barrel. This type of beer, of which the famous Pilsner Urquell from what is now the Czech Republic is one of the earliest variants, required near zero degrees Celsius temperatures for the fermentation process to work properly, hence the reason why up until the end of the 19th Century Germany had laws banning the brewing of beer during the summer months.

The UK (and to a lesser extent the Irish Republic) are used to making beers where the fermentation of the beer takes place on the top of the barrel. This type of beer only needs about wine cellar temperature (12 degrees Celsius) for the fermentation process to work properly, so British beers tend to be consumed warm by American standards, since British beers are served at wine cellar temperatures.

I don't discriminate, if your buying it, I'll drink it !

The versions of American beers that are sold in Europe are different than those you find here. A-B, Miller, and Coors products are brewed in Europe specifically for the European market. The European produced versions are actually higher in alcohol content than their American counterparts. It saves on having to export it from the U.S., and even a few European beers have started to be brewed in the U.S. under license; Whitbread Ale, Woodpecker Cider, and Mackeson Stout are being brewed in the U.S.. Even some of the Japanese beers are brewed in the U.S. as well. I guess one of the reasons why American beers are so popular in the UK and Ireland is the coolness factor. Here in America, if you want to look cool, you don't drink a Bud or a MGD, you order a Bass or a Guiness, since they are not as common. I guess since Guiness and Harp and Bass are such common beers over in the UK and Ireland, they drink U.S. beers to be cool and different. Pretty much since I started drink, I have drank mostly English and Irish beers, with the occassional U.S. microbrew thrown in for good measure. If given the choice of a Bud or nothing at all, I'll take nothing at all. The only way I'll drink cheap beer is if I am so broke I can't even afford a pint bottle of Bass, or it's what my friends are drinking, and the bar doesn't have any of the beers I like.

Still it IS interesting, as the quality of our mainstream beer is one of the Euros' favorite criticisms of America (I agree with the Euros). Ironic, then, that they're selling so well across the pond. Someone in St. Louis is having the last laugh, I guess.

I don't like American beer,

We only drink British beer/lager or European imports (grolsch, palm etc). Much better, bitter is good too.

I just had a Bass and its really nice, nice woody/nutty taste to it. Nice  

What does American beer have in common with sex in a rowboat?
They're both f***ing near water  

Thanks a lot for your replies, guys!


Patrick

Btw: I am glad that there are so many other "beer fans" and "beer experts" here on the forums   Cheers