As the weather heats up, we often reach for a favorite brew without a thought, flipping the top off a simple but thirst-quenching American lager.
When you’re navigating a hot street festival or celebrating a softball victory, who wants a complex Belgian ale? Who wants to think?
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Well, that’s why we’re here. We pitted some of America’s most popular brews (no lights) against popular imports in a blind tasting to find the perfect beer for sipping, say, post-softball, post-weeding, post-biking.
We stocked the tasting room with four cold, bottled, mass-market American brews and four similar imports, then hid their identities with brown bags.
Armed with tasting tips from Jerald O’Kennard, director of the Beverage Tasting Institute and guest taster, we poured, sipped–or gulped–swirled and spit (or not).
O’Kennard suggested we look for toastiness from the hops, plus fruit aromas. They were there, all right–in some of the bottles. Others were simply cold, thirst-slackening pours. At least a couple were watery disappointments.
How did the eight beers rate? Read on.
A TASTING OF SUMMER-WORTHY BEERS
Here are some notes from the tasting. Beers were ranked on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being tops. All six-packs of beer were purchased at Chicago stores:
PILSNER URQUELL, Czech Republic, $7.99
LOOKS: “Olympic gold.” “Amber.” “Honey.” “Dark golden.”
SNIFF: “Rich buttery, toasty and caramel.” “Rich, hoppy, nutty.” “Scant.”
SIP: “Nutty toasted … Caramelized cream with bitter hops.” “Bit of a bitter finish.” “Hops-o-rama.” “Complex overtones without overwhelming.” “Rich, lingering mild bitterness. Czech?”
AT PLAY PAIRING: “Take this one on a picnic.” “This is for a meal.” “If summer weddings have an open bar, I’ll be asking for this one.” “Nice sipping beer for the back porch.”
SCORE: 6.77
HEINEKEN, Holland, $7.99
LOOKS: “No. 2 pencil yellow.” “Pure golden.” “Very pale yellow.”
SNIFF: “Golden raisins and dates.” “Fruity and a bit of flower blossoms.” “Bit o’ honey.”
SIP: “Sweet honey toast and raisin … Citrusy hops.” “Taste of fresh apple.” “Ever-so-slight bitterness.” “Smooth with a bit of an edge.” “Fruity.” “Almost grassy finish.”
AT PLAY PAIRING: “Frisbee beer.” “Golfing beer.” “Backyard BBQ.” “On the deck with a hot dog.” “Beer from a street festival.” “Bring this to a Ravinia picnic.”
SCORE: 5.44
STELLA ARTOIS, Belgium, $8.99
LOOKS: “Old gold.” “Pale, bright yellow.” “Large bubbles.”
SNIFF: “Medium toast … Nutty edge.” “Clean, fresh, light yeast.” “Hoppy.” “Slight skunkiness.”
SIP: “Fresh on the palate.” “Nice bittery hops.” “Medium hoppy, bitter finish.” “Lemony.” “A bit of hops at the end, but the bitter is looong.”
AT PLAY PAIRING: “Chain o’ Lakes beer.” “Comiskey Park beer.” “BBQ beer will play well with grilled foods.” “Drink this after mowing the lawn.”
SCORE: 5.33
SPECIAL EXPORT, LaCrosse, Wis., $4.99
LOOKS: “Rich golden.” “Honey colored.” “Golden straw.”
SNIFF: “Honey, caramel, toast.” “Pleasant floral.” “Seems fruity.” “Sweet.” “Hint of fruit.” “Very faint hops.”
SIP: “Sweet corn and candied lemon peel … No hop impression.” “Clean, pleasant with decent hops at end.” “Smelled better than it tasted.”
AT PLAY PAIRING: “Nightclub beer.” “Good to chug after digging weeds on a hot day.” “Corned beef beer at an Irish bar.” “Bring to a neighborhood BYO joint with outdoor seating.”
SCORE: 5.22
ROLLING ROCK, Latrobe, Pa., $4.99
LOOKS: “Pale gold.” “Fairly robust golden.” “Straw.”
SNIFF: “Lightly caramelized toast and dried fruit.” “Nice nutty aroma.”
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SIP: “Malt and toast and caramel.” “Mild citrusy hops.” “A little wimpy.” “Sweeter than the others.” “Very little distinction.” “Nice depth of flavor to this–less bitter, more malty.”
AT PLAY PAIRING: “Watch a movie with this.” “First beer at graduation parties.” “Thirst quencher on the beach.”
SCORE: 4.33
BECK’S Germany, $7.99
LOOKS: “Yellow golden.” “Pale straw.” “Sunny.”
SNIFF: “Toasty malt and earthy.” “Barely there.” “Slightly grassy.”
SIP: “Dry, crisp, toasty malt with sweet citrus.” “Rather basic, boring taste.” “Strong up-front taste with little aftertaste.” “Refreshing.” “Creamy flavor doesn’t linger, but there’s nice bitterness in the finish.”
AT PLAY PAIRING: “Hockey.” “Good beer while playing softball.” “Brat beer.” “OK on an extremely hot day at a cookout where other flavors are more important.”
SCORE: 4.11
MILLER GENUINE DRAFT, Milwaukee, $5.33
LOOKS: “Gold.” “Nice frothy head.” “Good carbonation.”
SNIFF: “Light toast and corn.” “Heady aroma promises more than taste delivers.” “Almost musky aroma.”
SIP: “Bubblegum and popcorn.” “Clean, light … Good acidic finish. Mostly a thirst quencher.” “No real personality.” “Almost fruity, very drinkable, not a lot of character.”
AT PLAY PAIRING: “I’d expect this to be spilled on me at the ballpark.” “Block party beer.” “Drink while watching baseball–a passive beer for a passive activity.” “Taste of Chicago beer.” “After a long, hot bike ride.”
SCORE: 3.88
BUDWEISER, St. Louis, $5.33
LOOKS: “Pale yellow.” “Very, very light.” “Platinum straw.”
SNIFF: “Sweet citrusy malt and mild hops.” “Wheaty.” “Slight hint of apple.” “Sweet corn ending.”
SIP: “Has more going on than aroma would have you believe … Decent clean flavor, some hops but ultimately very thin.” “Too watery.” “Very smooth; disappointing finish.”
AT PLAY PAIRING: “Rooftop keg beer for Fourth of July.” “Expect to encounter at hipster rock club.” “Wrigley Field beer.” “Post-work beer at Beachstro.”
SCORE: 3.55
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SIPPING BY THE NUMBERS
90 beer introductions–new products, new flavors, new packages–in 2000
128 beer introductions–new products, new flavors, new packages–in 2005
31 brewpubs in Illinois
4 beer manufacturers in Illinois
21.6 gallons of beer consumed per person in the U.S. in 2004
Sources: Beverage Marketing Corporation, Illinois Liquor Control Commission, The Beer Institute