Reply #13: The trouble is this guy doesn't actually like beer [View All]

[jmowreader]

He called Berliner Weisse an "interesting beer."

Berliner Weisse is made by putting your bottle of vinegar in the fridge to get cold, pouring a pint of it in a "Berliner Weisse" glass, then adding a teaspoon of baking soda (for fizz) and an ounce of cherry syrup (so it doesn't taste EXACTLY like vinegar), then serving it to some dumbass who's willing to pay five dollars for the privilege of drinking this. If that's not how it's made, it's close.

Most people wouldn't consider it beer. It's actually made from fermented wheat malt, and any all-wheat beer tastes really acidic.

He also says most of the brewing community in Germany protested the Reinheigetsbot when it first came down. There's a reason for that: the German beer industry was making Budweiser-class malt beverages at the time--ones with lots of adjuncts and bullshit that did nothing good for the beer and plenty good for the manufacturers' bank accounts. You tell a guy he has to stop putting rice and corn in the beer and he's gonna start screaming--that shit's not in the beer for flavor. The Reinheigetsbot probably doubled the cost of making beer and you can't pass all of that on to the consumer. Now it's a source of pride to the brewers.

I won't drink German beer in the US because shipping it to the US fucks it up. In Germany, especially if you go to a bar and drink vom Fass (on tap--or is it really "from the faucet"?) it's exceptional.

Bad war story follows: During Desert Storm they had soldiers man the gates of every installation in Germany. I stood watch out at the field station, where everyone's favorite gate guard was about as wide as he was tall. There was no doubt that this man enjoys pounding beers. I asked him what kind of beer is in his refrigerator. "I don't keep beer at home." Neither did any of his friends. There are so many pubs in Berlin, it's best--and not really any more expensive--to go to one and drink beer there.