Do Vegetarians and Vegans Think They Are Better Than Everyone Else?

STELLA!!!!!!!!!!!

 

My Belgian friends say that there it's considered the equivalent to Bud in the US.

 

I was in a little town in Germany, where I asked a local couple if they drink Budweiser when they visit America.

"Ve don't drink your American vater beer," the guy said, in all honesty and good humor.

That line, and that moment, have stuck with me for more than two decades.

 

Sex on a boat, as Eric Idle said a long time ago. Fucking close to water.

 

Oh, don't get me started on Stella.

Belgium makes the best beers in the world. They have hundreds of amazing beers. Stella is crap. It is the Budweiser of Belgium, if that.

And, when folks delight in their sophistication while drinking a Stella, it makes me want to puke.

One of the first times I remember hearing about Stella was in this article from 1993:

Stella is the cheap beer being sought out by thirsty Brits, looking to save a few bucks, and the Times was unfamiliar with it to the point that they got its country of origin wrong.

But, just over 10 years later, Stella had been "positioned" as a premium beer:

It's a glorious example of effective marketing, but a poor example of Belgian brewing.

 

Stella is shitty. My friends like it. I ignore them.

California makes better beer than the rest of the world combined, but Belgium falls comfortably in line with the rest of the USA and well ahead of England, which is fourth. German beer sucks but still destroys Japanese beer.

The thing about good beer (non-stout division) is it ALWAYS tastes better fresh. As good as California beer is, that super-fresh beer from your local craft brewery will be better than a month-old India Pale Ale from California (unless it's Russian River).

That principle is even more true when you're discussing foreign imports. Lambics, stouts and porters are exceptions, but for the most part, stay local.

 

Speaking of Russian River, I had some Pliny the Elder a few weeks back at a bar that always has phenomenal beers on tap, and it was the best beer I've ever tasted. Unfortunately, me and the two guys I was with only got to have 2 apiece before the keg was tapped.

 

Well, you're right that California and the rest of America are putting out great beers, and the number of great California/USA beers has grown exponentially in the last 30 years.

But, 99% of Belgian beers have little to no distribution in the US. So, unless you've really sought out Belgian beers, it's not easy to compare.

 

It's really offensive when you bring a Schnitzer's Marble Rye and they refuse to put it out.

 

I can't even remember the last time I went to someone's house for dinner. Or had guests for dinner at my place. I singlehandedly keep the restaurant business afloat in this country, I think.

Then again, since ain't nobody going to drink in my house, guests would probably be hard to come by from this bunch!

 

Monks, I assume. I told you I love that place.

 

Not Monks. P.O.P.E., which is also awesome.