I usually assume when Europeans complain about American beers, they just are complaining about our “domestic” beers like Bud Light, Coors, PBR, etc. which makes sense, they are our bottom shelf beers.
I recently chatted with someone at a party who said “no, all American beers are bad” including microbrewery beers.
I’ve never been to Europe so I wouldn’t know, but I do like my Left Handed Milk Stout, NWPAs, and hell even the hipstered out IPAs.
Are these what y’all are referencing?
I think this brings up another good point- some states do MUCH better than others. From what I’ve seen, the best beers come from the West Coast (especially the Northwest), the Mountain West, Midwest, and Northeast.
Someone here said they hated the beers in Texas and yea, like don’t expect a great authentic taco scene in North Dakota. The worst beer I’ve ever had was from Florida.
Part of that probably has to do with agriculture. A substantial share of the world hop supply is grown in the Willamette Valley.
75% in fact!
Full disclosure, I’m a Seattle born beer enjoyed so I mainly drink microbrews, or what some folks have told me is “fancy beer”.
My parents moved to the PNW from California in the 80s, and they were amazed at the sheer amount of options. Back then it really was just Bud, Coors, and PBR, but even back then the microbrew scene was budding in Portland and Seattle. My dad would tell me how when they would go back to visit old friends in California, it was either amazing wine of shit beer. People’s minds were blown when they would bring some stuff down from up north to the party.
Originally from the PNW as well! I have chosen “fancy beer” most of my life. When I was younger and looking to get trashed, the higher ABV and better flavor made due a good bargain. Now that I don’t really tend to get trashed, I like to drink “fancy beer” because I enjoy the flavor still.
A little tip, if you still live in the area:
If you homebrew and have soda kegs, February is about the optimal time for “no-chill” brewing. Just rack the hot wort into a corney keg, seal, and flip it to ensure pasteurization. After letting it sit for a few mins to become sterile, flip back upright and put outside in the cold (ideally in a bit of snow if available) and you get a bit of a cold crash while still not needing to use a chiller.
Ooooh I want to get into home brewing! I joined the Lemmy community a few weeks ago.
I moved the Chicago for the entertainment industry, and I was pleasantly surprised by the beer here. I would say the difference between PNW and Midwest beers are that PNW likes to go big and bold- high ABV and IBUs. The Midwest likes to make beers that you can drink a lot of (Alagash White is a good one)
Ooooh! I like that approach. I used to get half-pints in brewpubs specifically so that I could drink more varieties. For homebrewing, I really recommend the looking into Milds and Bitters. If going full-grain for your wort, you can pack a ton of flavor in at a low ABV.
Alagash White is great. Have any other suggestions?