486251 Mon Feb 04 11:59:40 -0800 2008 6 35 Beer 0 3364003 I was browsing through the food section of the Consumer Reports website, and they have a report they did on beer, with comparative taste testing. http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/food/beverages/beer/light-beer-7-07/overview/0707_beer_ov_1.htm To me, this is quite amusing. YMMV. Mon Feb 04 11:59:40 -0800 2008 10809 Josh 1 3366845 Years ago, a local Seattle paper did a similar test between Olympia, Rainier, and Generic (which was actually brewed by Pearl). Generic won hands down, probably because it was fresher. Tue Feb 05 09:52:48 -0800 2008 3364003 13136 Loren3 1 3367689 "Then we sat down two experts with more than 25 years of experience tasting beer and put their trained palates to work." How experts with 25+years experience could put their trained palates to work and conclude anything other than "they all suck" is beyond me. "Overall, the light beers we tested were similar in quality to domestic and imported full-calorie beers, but they had a less-intense flavor." That "intense flavor" is called "beer" flavor. Tue Feb 05 13:27:37 -0800 2008 3364003 26180 Chinon00 2 3367761 I liked, too, that all the beer was served "straight from the fridge". It was strange to me also that they talked about looking for balanced flavors of malt and hops. Sort of as a joke, the other night I bought a bottle of Budweiser at the pub and poured it into taster glasses for my friends and I to try, without telling them what it was. We all remarked on the amazing lack of anything approaching flavor, and the almost colorless appearance. It's pretty interesting to try one of these macrobrews alongside good craft beer. It makes you realize just how insipid macrobrewed lager is. Tue Feb 05 13:48:35 -0800 2008 3367689 10809 Josh 1 3367797 is it true that "fresher" beer is always "better"? can beer, any and all beers, only get "worse" by sitting in your fridge? Tue Feb 05 13:55:06 -0800 2008 3364003 71935 luniz 2 3367810 Yes and no. Some beer isn't meant for aging, and will spoil over time. Not sure if it will spoil in a can though, under refrigeration. I'm inclined to think there's not much you could do to make Miller Lite any crappier, but then I won't be testing that theory either. Tue Feb 05 13:58:33 -0800 2008 3367797 10809 Josh 2 3367945 There are no absolutes for beer anymore (and we can rejoice in that fact). But, most beer and most beer brands sold in the US, by an overwhelming majority, is best as fresh as possible. All the major breweries have "pull dates" of 3-4 months for their bottled and canned brands (which are essentially "dead"- having been pasteurized and/or micro-filtered)- even less for their non-pasteurized keg beers which are kept refrigerated at all times. Are there some beers that last longer and some that improve with age? Yes, and the list is a lot longer than it was just a few decades ago. But for the vast majority of beer sold in the US (easily 95+%), and consumed by beer drinkers in the US, the fresher the better. Certainly for the beers discussed in a publication like Consumer Reports, it's true. Their line-up was all Big 3 beers, plus Stroh (Pabst), Yuengling, Sam Adams, Heineken (+Amstel), Corona and Becks. Tue Feb 05 14:36:49 -0800 2008 3367797 11059 JessKidden