What's your opinion on Grolsch?

[graysalchemy]

I know what it tastes like and that is the reason why I gave up drinking that sh*t and decided to brew my own.

I found this fantastic forum where people brewed fantastic beers like the ones i wanted too and they gave me all the help I needed. Now three years later I brew beers that I am proud of and enjoy.

So why would I want to drink something I don't like. :wha: :wha:

Or to that matter have to read about it.

 

[falafael]

So why would I want to drink something I don't like. :wha: :wha:

Or to that matter have to read about it.

PMSL!

 

[calumscott]

I think I am right in saying that tennants is the oldest brewer of lager in the UK. They have been doing it since 1885 when most of the English brewers were still sending Pale Ale half way round the globe.

From Wiki:
Tennent's Lager is Scotland's best-selling pale lager, with approximately 60% of the Scottish lager market. The lager was first brewed in 1885 by Hugh Tennent, and in 1893 it won the highest award at the Chicago World's Fair.

However they seemed to have lost all they learnt about it and with all other large commercial brewers in the UK they produce P*ss.

It is slap bang in the middle of middle of the road mass produced lager. It is the drink of my youth (up to the point where I discovered cally 80/- ) and so I have a little affection for it. 99.9% Nostalgia, 0.1% flavour. :lol:

 

[bunkerbrewer]

I've been on the forum long enough now to see dig after dig after dig on most threads where anything like Lager is spoken about.

So, you knew it would be a controversial topic, and you did ask for opinions. So there's no point getting riled when you see completely different views to yours being presented, right? :) :)

 

[graysalchemy]

So why would I want to drink something I don't like. :wha: :wha:

Or to that matter have to read about it.

PMSL!

Glad I managed to keep you amused Falafeal. :thumb: :thumb:

It is slap bang in the middle of middle of the road mass produced lager. It is the drink of my youth (up to the point where I discovered cally 80/- ) and so I have a little affection for it. 99.9% Nostalgia, 0.1% flavour.

Its what I used to see people drinking on the train from Inverness at 8.30 in the morning :lol: :lol:

Do they still have the young ladies on the tins :whistle: :whistle:

 

[alawlor66430]

I know what it tastes like and that is the reason why I gave up drinking that sh*t and decided to brew my own.

I found this fantastic forum where people brewed fantastic beers like the ones i wanted too and they gave me all the help I needed. Now three years later I brew beers that I am proud of and enjoy.

So why would I want to drink something I don't like. :wha: :wha:

Or to that matter have to read about it.

So who's opinion matters more then yours or Scott's, well the answer is they both matter and if Scott doesn't like getting bashed for it that's just tough luck cos it's going to happen, and if you don't like reading about then don't, but these little debates are a good thing as long as they don't get out of hand or personal, so lets drink beer (of all kinds) and be happy :-)

 

[adrianmole72]

So who's opinion matters more then yours or Scott's, well the answer is they both matter and if Scott doesn't like getting bashed for it that's just tough luck cos it's going to happen, and if you don't like reading about then don't, but these little debates are a good thing as long as they don't get out of hand or personal, so lets drink beer (of all kinds) and be happy :-)

Amen to that. :

Stephen

 

[calumscott]

as long as they don't get out of hand or personal,

:thumb: Any hint of it and I'll be playing with my new buttons! :lol:

so lets drink beer (of all kinds) and be happy

Maybe after work, hey?

Do they still have the young ladies on the tin

Sadly not for a number of years.

 

[alawlor66430]

as long as they don't get out of hand or personal,

:thumb: Any hint of it and I'll be playing with my new buttons! :lol:

so lets drink beer (of all kinds) and be happy

Maybe after work, hey?

Do they still have the young ladies on the tin

Sadly not for a number of years.

Well if we have to wait lol

 

[graysalchemy]

Yeah, people answer. But not without a dig at what is being asked, or a comment on it being tasteless... or as one of the mods implied in this very thread.... not a grownups beverage.

Sorry Scott I was giving my opinion of Grolsch which i haven't drunk since I was 17. I think nearly 30 years later i have grown up since then and my tastes and attitudes towards drinking and alcohol have changed.

Most of us came to this forum to learn how to brew a decent beer, be it an ale or lager, because we wanted better than what was on offer in pubs and supermarkets.

You won't find many recipes or descriptions of brew days for John Smiths or Bud on here because that is not most of us want to drink that is what we are trying to get away from.

If you wish to drink Grolsch, tennants, fosters, carling, magners or strongbow that is fine, but don't expect everyone to agree with you all the time.

 

[ScottM]

At the risk of chucking paraffin on the flames...

There is a *very* good reason why the majority of the regular contributors to THBF range from cold towards to anti mass produced commercial beer (not just lager I hasten to add) is because, at the "really do it all yourself, spend a whole day making a beer" end of craft brewing, the people involved are the people who have done enough drinking and learning to grasp the basic concept of the mass brewer which doesn't fit with their ethos when it comes to produce.

Mass producers do produce good stuff. But on the whole they don't. They are tied not to out and out profit (as is the common misconception) but to continuity and uniformity (because that's what investors like) and mass market appeal gives you that foundation. They cannot be radical, they cannot break moulds, they cannot put themselves out there because investors get jittery. So they have to produce mass market stuff and compete only on marketing for market share.

It stifles innovation at the product level (but drives it very hard at the marketing level) and that's not what craft beer is about.

Which brings me neatly back round to where I started. Even if (and some of them do) the mass producers made really tasty beer, there would still be a large "anti" feeling because it would never move the product on. It would be tasty, but there it would stop.

Grolsch? Not for me thanks. I'll spend my hard-earned on a 77, a Cotswold 3.8 or a Scheihallion instead. I think they taste better and and it supports the little guys (although I'm finding it harder and harder to call Brewdog a little guy nowadays...).

Anyway, the point is, just like food, I like to know that my beer is made by people who care about the beer first and the shareholders second.

I suspect this is from where what you call the "stinking attitude" comes.

That and the fact that you asked the question canvassing peoples opinion of Grolsch, you got them from a representative sample of the UK's home craft brewers. It's not a case of having just mentioned it and been hounded for it, I'd take a different stance if that were the case. It's not cool to ask for people's opinions then get funny about it when they give them. Sorry.

See I'm surprised at this response Calum as I thought you would have been able to see things, a little, from my side. This, I feel, is a huge part of the problem as it's just seen as fine even although it's always the same trends, in the same thread topics, with the same people. Across the whole board it would be seen as good hearty banter, but by singling out it becomes quite ugly.

My issue isn't that people have an issue with commercial companies, I'm fine with that and in a lot of ways I agree (that's another story altogether though). Neither is my issue with people who don't like Grolsch telling me that it isn't for them and they prefer xyz... that's the sort of opinions i'm looking for afterall, and may in fact lead me to try out the drinks they have referenced.

My whole point is on the snipey way people put digs in when referring to commercial drinks, lager in general and cider in general. Are you saying that the negative responses in this thread have been constructive, based on opinion and not at all disrespectful to people who enjoy Grolsch/these types of beverage? And this is one thread, where the straw simply broke the camels back and pissed me off.

Individually the comments can be seen as humorous and a bit of a piss take, but it's absolutely constant. There is no let up and everytime I find myself thinking "here we go again" in just about every thread where something outwith ale and country cider is mentioned.

"Why don't you try a real lager", "why not try a mans drink", "tastes like fizzy water", "insipid piss", etc, etc, etc. The list is endless and really tiresome.

If you subjectively view the threads rather than just snigger when something funny is said, as most of us do, you will begin to notice that most of the jibes are towards people simply asking how to replicate their favourite beverages... which tend to be commercial.

Example...

How do I make strongbow...

Answer..

Pisswater, why not try a real cider with flavour etc, etc, etc.

I'm not quoting, that was just the genral consensus of 1 thread. Same trend in this thread, and same trend in anything outwith what most of the members on here think of being "good". Some people don't seem to take on board that what is "good" isn't universal.

I'll help anyone with anything that I can. I couldn't care less if I don't like it and I don't see the point in letting someone know what I think about it, unless being asked (like this thread). If I was asked, I would give my opinion on what I thought, I wouldn't then follow on by calling the op a little girl for liking it (there are exceptions of course).

If I gave responses in threads like are given in threads like this one, I would have been banned from this site long ago. Either that or I would have been lambasted out of every single thread for saying such "blasphemy".

 

[ScottM]

Yeah, people answer. But not without a dig at what is being asked, or a comment on it being tasteless... or as one of the mods implied in this very thread.... not a grownups beverage.

Sorry Scott I was giving my opinion of Grolsch which i haven't drunk since I was 17. I think nearly 30 years later i have grown up since then and my tastes and attitudes towards drinking and alcohol have changed.

Most of us came to this forum to learn how to brew a decent beer, be it an ale or lager, because we wanted better than what was on offer in pubs and supermarkets.

You won't find many recipes or descriptions of brew days for John Smiths or Bud on here because that is not most of us want to drink that is what we are trying to get away from.

If you wish to drink Grolsch, tennants, fosters, carling, magners or strongbow that is fine, but don't expect everyone to agree with you all the time.

I'm not looking for people to agree with me though, I'm simply looking for a bit of mutual respect. I respect what you guys want to brew, I enjoy reading the brewdays.. about recipes and take a keen interest on what just about everyone on the forum does/is doing as far as their posts go.

If someone asks to brew Grolsch, tennants, fosters, calring, magners or strongbow then why not either help them, or just leave them to it? People can't help themselves but get a cheap dig in while "helping". As I said, that's fine if it's universal... it's not on here and certain areas/choices are targeted a lot more than the rest.

 

[LeithR]

As for the Ruby, I'm so used to saying it that I wrote it. Years ago we (apprentices in work) jumbled up all the slang terms for things that get used in the work a lot. Sky diver and ruby murray were just a couple that got thrown into the mix

Not heard of a "lady" though lol.

Lady Godiva.

And if you apply a bit of lateral thinking to rhyming slang, £15 is a Commodore.

Work it out for yourself.

Hahahhaa, that's very clever

I racked my brain trying to get it, even passed it by a few collegues to see if they could think of what it meant, but we couldn't get the answer. I was on the right lines with my thinking but in the end up I had to google it

When I lived in London in the early 60's this was known as rhyming sang. Others I can remember are:
The Pot and Pan = Old Man (Dad)
Skin and Blister = Sister
Oxford Scholar = Dollar
I'm sure there were many more, probably somebody's London based grandad would remember them.

 

[ScottM]

Must admit i like the grolsch bottles only, forget cans and draught, and being a brewer, i also do drink commercial beers too, i am no elitist by far.
I enjoy a drink, other week i was supping 2 litre bottles of asda cider at £2, as it was on offer, yes i also agree with you about Peroni too, lovely drink.
I know in a way what scott is reffering too, it remind me in a way of the fan boys when it comes to XBOX360 v PS3!
:

Finally, someone can see my point.

Although, with there being only 2 of us I don't think the pendulum has swung out of the insanity bracket yet.

 

[ScottM]

When I lived in London in the early 60's this was known as rhyming sang. Others I can remember are:
The Pot and Pan = Old Man (Dad)
Skin and Blister = Sister
Oxford Scholar = Dollar
I'm sure there were many more, probably somebody's London based grandad would remember them.

There are some belters. I think I actually picked a lot of them up from Only Fools and Horses, I can't be sure though

 

[calumscott]

I can't disagree with that more strongly I'm afraid.

My comment was on this thread, in isolation, I'll state it more simply. Asking THBF members' opinions on a beer will get you just that. Their opinions. In this case Grolsch fared badly, some regulars consider it inferior and said so. They like other things, made in a different way with a different ethos behind it. You asked... they responded.

If they had given those opinions when they HADN'T been asked for them, I'd have seen things A LOT from your side.

There is a lot of banter on here about mass produced beer and I'm expecting to be hauled into the court of PD for my Tennents revelation. You know what? There's a lot of banter out there the other way about our beard growing, elbow patch, allotment growing habits do I go courting it? No. Would I be surprised and upset by it if I did? No.

Like I said, a lot of the populace here have disdain for these products and when asked to express it, they will. And they will also try to involve people in those styles and methods that produce the products that they believe in.

I'm afraid to say that you do swim against the current a bit (and, hell, I don't mind voicing my opinion, popular or not...) so I can fully understand why you could feel "put upon". I do try not to upset people, life's too short for that, and I'll always at least *see* both sides of something even if I choose not to express one of them (usually through laziness, often through choice).

Ho hum.

 

[Aleman]

I'm sort of with Scott on this one.

However I suspect that there is a huge amount of naviety on behalf of anyone who comes on here and asks how do I brew 'Carlsberg' or 'Strongbow' . . . Or even (as that is what I find myself drinking now ) 'Budweiser' :shock:

I've said it before, and I'll say it again The brewers at Anheuser Busch are the finest brewers in the world!! The amount of skill it takes to brew a beer like Budweiser, consistently time and time again is incredible.

A modern American Standard Beer is probably one of the hardest styles of beer to brew, as there is just no room of any degree of sloppiness or **** up in technique or ingredients. I spent 4 1/2 years trying to clone Pilsnser Urquell, and as part of that process brewed beers with rice and corn, high bitterness and low, and I have a real feel for that style and what is required to brew it.

I will not however take any part in a thread that starts "I want to brew Carlsberg/Budweiser/Strongbow . . . what kit should I choose?" because quite frankly the answer is "You haven't got snowballs chance in a CAT scanner of brewing anything like that from a tin . . . Carry on buying it from the supermarket!" While that may be condescending it is no less so that spending 30 minutes or more explaining how difficult it actually is to brew, and that they need to go away for 5-10 years and brew other beer, before coming back to revisit it with a lot more knowledge.

 

[calumscott]

I will not however take any part in a thread that starts "I want to brew Carlsberg/Budweiser/Strongbow . . . what kit should I choose?" because quite frankly the answer is "You haven't got snowballs chance in a CAT scanner of brewing anything like that from a tin . . . Carry on buying it from the supermarket!" While that may be condescending it is no less so that spending 30 minutes or more explaining how difficult it actually is to brew, and that they need to go away for 5-10 years and brew other beer, before coming back to revisit it with a lot more knowledge.

Shame really because coming from someone with your brewing pedigree that would carry a lot of weight and might just inspire someone to take on that journey. :whistle:

 

[ScottM]

I can't disagree with that more strongly I'm afraid.

My comment was on this thread, in isolation, I'll state it more simply. Asking THBF members' opinions on a beer will get you just that. Their opinions. In this case Grolsch fared badly, some regulars consider it inferior and said so. They like other things, made in a different way with a different ethos behind it. You asked... they responded.

Come on, seriously? I'm having to go round in circles and re-type things every time I reply here.

I'm fine with the opinions on the Grolsch, negative or positive... that's what I asked for.

Here we go again....

It's the snidey negative remarks to this style/type of beverage that I'm taking offence to.

Effectively it's for kids and not a "real lager". If that's not an insult to people who enjoy this lager I don't know what is.

I'll say it again, it's not the insult to the lager that I am annoyed with... it's the insults made to the people who enjoy it.

If that doesn't make sense then I really am pissing in the wind.

In one thread/topic it wouldn't be a big deal. As it's in just about every lager/commercial drink thread on the forum IMO it's an institutionalised disrespectful problem with some members.

Edit: and just to add. It would also appear that most other members are completely blind to it. Thankfully the numbers are now up to 3 so the straight jackets can be put on hold.

 

[ScottM]

I'm sort of with Scott on this one.

However I suspect that there is a huge amount of naviety on behalf of anyone who comes on here and asks how do I brew 'Carlsberg' or 'Strongbow' . . . Or even (as that is what I find myself drinking now ) 'Budweiser' :shock:

I've said it before, and I'll say it again The brewers at Anheuser Busch are the finest brewers in the world!! The amount of skill it takes to brew a beer like Budweiser, consistently time and time again is incredible.

A modern American Standard Beer is probably one of the hardest styles of beer to brew, as there is just no room of any degree of sloppiness or f**k up in technique or ingredients. I spent 4 1/2 years trying to clone Pilsnser Urquell, and as part of that process brewed beers with rice and corn, high bitterness and low, and I have a real feel for that style and what is required to brew it.

I will not however take any part in a thread that starts "I want to brew Carlsberg/Budweiser/Strongbow . . . what kit should I choose?" because quite frankly the answer is "You haven't got snowballs chance in a CAT scanner of brewing anything like that from a tin . . . Carry on buying it from the supermarket!" While that may be condescending it is no less so that spending 30 minutes or more explaining how difficult it actually is to brew, and that they need to go away for 5-10 years and brew other beer, before coming back to revisit it with a lot more knowledge.

That was something I always wondered about. I had no idea how the Bud team went about their business but I had to assume that it's better than what we are doing with our buckets and grains/extract/kits out of a bag/tin.

I totally agree with the naivety, I tried to make a bud clone (I was just happy to have a lager-type drink).