American v.s. Canadian Beer
Ruxpercnd @ Wed Feb 14, 2007 12:08 am
What is all this crap about how great Canadian beer is... and how crappy American beer?
Nonsense... Yea, the big Milwaukee brew houses put out watery stuff... but that's only for teenagers. The rest of us drink real beer.
First, the myth that Canadian beer has more alcohol. Not:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_beer
$1:
...Government regulations require that all beer sold in Canada show the alcohol concentration (alcohol concentration by volume) on the label. A standard bottle of beer (341 ml and 5%/vol) contains 17.05 ml of alcohol. Unlike most countries, Canada employs a minimum percentage labeling. In most nations, the labeled alcohol percentage is either the average or maximum percentage allowed. However, as of 1927, most Canadian provinces require the minimum alcohol percentage to be labeled rather than the average. This move was meant to eliminate inaccurate nonalcoholic labeling as well as fraudulent advertisement.[1]
The rationale for standardizing alcohol content (since loosened and disproved) is that consumers would tend to select only high alcohol beers and the breweries would have a war with ever escalating alcohol content. In the USA they solved this by keeping the alcohol content a mystery to the consumer unless they make an extra effort. When alcohol content is shown on American beer, it is often labeled by weight. Since alcohol is lighter than water, this can leave the mistaken impression that American beer has much less alcohol, on average, than Canadian beer. A 3.2% beer in the U.S. (by weight) would be a 4% beer in Canada (by volume).[2]....
The rationale for standardizing alcohol content (since loosened and disproved) is that consumers would tend to select only high alcohol beers and the breweries would have a war with ever escalating alcohol content. In the USA they solved this by keeping the alcohol content a mystery to the consumer unless they make an extra effort. When alcohol content is shown on American beer, it is often labeled by weight. Since alcohol is lighter than water, this can leave the mistaken impression that American beer has much less alcohol, on average, than Canadian beer. A 3.2% beer in the U.S. (by weight) would be a 4% beer in Canada (by volume).[2]....
As an example of real American beer, I nominate Black Butte Porter (5.2% alcohol U.S. = 6.5% Canadian?). This stuff is the real American Love Potion... after some fresh Black Butte Porter on tap, you won't want to go back to Canadian.
Let's use http://www.ratebeer.com to compare our favorites. My Black Buttte Porter is rated at: http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/deschutes- ... rter/2125/
As you can see it has a 92 percentile overall rating.
So, be honest. What Canadian beer do you drink? Let's see how it rates.
USCAdad @ Wed Feb 14, 2007 12:18 am
This isn't even a fair question. I don't know why they don't brew more in Van and BC. It's not like they don't know how to grow or don't like to drink. Unfortunately, there are more, (and better) breweries in Bellingham than there is in the Vancouver area. The NW dominates microbrew! Van needs to brew more!
Tman1 @ Wed Feb 14, 2007 12:25 am
I don't even know the difference between Canadian and American beer. As long as it gets me drunk, praise the beer lords. I always assumed (since it is clearly marked on the box or can) that American beers are brewed in Canada like Budweiser and such. Not that I ever look for imported beer but do I have to in order to drink AMerican beer to differentiate the alcohol content?
tritium @ Wed Feb 14, 2007 1:14 am
You gotta love the unedited Miller Lite Catfight commercial with the girls kissing at the end. 
[youtube width=425 height=350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0q5dwE3sY8c[/youtube]
tritium @ Wed Feb 14, 2007 1:16 am
funny beer commercial with a hot babe at the end
[youtube width=425 height=350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdydraXGEdk[/youtube]
sandorski @ Wed Feb 14, 2007 4:20 am
Mass Produced: CDN>>>>American
Micro: CDN = American, you'll find a lot more American(Economies of Scale) but you'll find great beers in either place.
Price: American>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>CDN, Taxes 4TL
USCAdad @ Wed Feb 14, 2007 8:35 am
My favorite Canadian brewer is probably Tree brewing, though I've had some good beer at Steamworks.
My favorite US brewery, that's kind of hard, Boundary Bay out of Bellingham, or we have a new brewer in South Seattle called Baron that specializes in German styles.
CapeApe @ Wed Feb 14, 2007 9:12 am
Then perhaps someone could explain why our southern gentlman get liquored up after 6 CDN beer and
us Northern fur bearing gentleman drink a 24 of the US grade A water and go looking for more...LOL
-Mario- @ Wed Feb 14, 2007 9:13 am
Bud is the best selling Beer in Canada... enough said 
CapeApe @ Wed Feb 14, 2007 9:19 am
isn't that Bud made and bottled in Canada
ziggy @ Wed Feb 14, 2007 9:19 am
-Mario- -Mario-:
Bud is the best selling Beer in Canada... enough said
Thought it was blue.
ziggy @ Wed Feb 14, 2007 9:20 am
CapeApe CapeApe:
isn't that Bud made and bottled in Canada
Labbats brews it.
CapeApe @ Wed Feb 14, 2007 9:23 am
ziggy ziggy:
CapeApe CapeApe:
isn't that Bud made and bottled in Canada
Labbats brews it.
thus making it a Canadian made product...I rest my case.....24 that is
HardCoreDawg @ Wed Feb 14, 2007 9:28 am
Someone once told me that American beer was like sex in a canoe.....fucking close to water! 
Ruxpercnd @ Wed Feb 14, 2007 9:30 am
USCAdad USCAdad:
My favorite Canadian brewer is probably Tree brewing, though I've had some good beer at Steamworks.
My favorite US brewery, that's kind of hard, Boundary Bay out of Bellingham, or we have a new brewer in South Seattle called Baron that specializes in German styles.
My favorite US brewery, that's kind of hard, Boundary Bay out of Bellingham, or we have a new brewer in South Seattle called Baron that specializes in German styles.
Steamworks has only 9 reviews at: http://www.ratebeer.com/Place/british-c ... co-(canada)/398.htm
Overall Rating of 61%
Even the Steamworks NXNW IPA: http://www.ratebeer.com/Ratings/Beer/Be ... erID=46532
...with an overall rating of 76% falls lower than my American pick.
Granted it is an amber... against a porter. Amber beer is acceptable.
However... Found Tree Brewing - Tree London Spy Porter: http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/tree-londo ... ter/41485/
Has an overall rating of 55%
5% alcohol (Canadian) is about the same as Black Butte. The reviews of Tree London Spy Porter are interesting... one guy tastes soy sauce in the beer... I guess people can taste all kinds of stuff. Congratulations to Vancouver for putting out a couple of porters... keep trying.