AMERICA'S BEER / HAPPY 4TH OF JULY

As I sit in the house on this 4th of July holiday due to a pending storm that appears to be brewing, I thought about what would America's National Beer?  There are so many beers, good and bad, made in the U.S., but what would or should be tagged as our National Beer.  What would the parameters need to be to determine this honor?  Would it be looks, taste, packaging or the most popular beer based on sales to the American public.  That last one is a scary thought for me because we would have to automatically include Coors, Miller and Bud since they seem to be the go to beers in these United States.  Don't get me wrong, The Highlife and Coors Banquet are OK.  As for Bud, I'd rather drink swamp water.  I will not even give you my opinion on Coors Lite and Miller Lite because I simply don't want to waste my time describing terrible beers.

As I pondered more and more on this topic, I also wondered if other countries have official beers.  Per say, I was not able to find any
"official" designated nations beer, however I did find the most popular  beers by country which you can see on the map to the right.  I also found out that China produces the most beer in the world followed by the U.S. and then Brazil.  Yep, the Chinese are ahead of us in beer production along with everything else.  Lets go America, drink more beer so we can be #1!  I also found out that the #1 beer in the world rated by the The Daily Meal is Toppling Goliath Brewing Company Kentucky Brunch Brand Stout.  Believe it or not, a few "beer" web sites rated Bud Lite as the #1 beer in the world.  I'm thinking they were going by sales and not taste.   

So, what would be America's Beer?  This question is like how was the universe created so I had to go on a mission.  I jumped in the car and went to several beer stores, bars and deli's to look over the inventory to try to determine what would be America's Beer.  After a lengthy and exhausting search I came up with.....drum roll please..... PABST BLUE RIBBON BEER!

THE REVIEW

PABST BLUE RIBBON BEER
Pabst Brewing Co., Milwaukee, Wisconsin / 4.74 ABV

Sight:  My Blue Ribbon poured a very light yellow color with a hefty pure white head that actually spilled over the top on my glass.  The head lasted for quite a long time then finally dissipated into a small "head island" in the middle of the glass.  Other than that, this is a plain looking beer.

Aroma:  It simply smells like beer.  You can smell the rich malts and breadiness along with very subtle,ever so subtle hints of sweet corn.  Again, a plain old fashioned beer aroma.  The smell actually took me back to my childhood when my parents would have cookouts in the back yard and drink Steg, Pabst and Gibbons.

Taste:  If you are expecting some flamboyant tasting beer, just turn away, just turn away.  PBR is simply a decent smooth beer that has that old school beer flavor.  You will not taste hints of this or that, back notes of anything, just a beer flavor with a slight bite to it.  This was beer before beer became what it is today.

If you are wondering and I'm sure you are, how did I come up with PBR as America's Beer.  First off, just take a look at the can.  It's all American red, white and blue.  It was established in the beer capital of the United States, Milwaukee, Wisconsin and has been around since 1844.  It has survived 2 World Wars, Prohibition, The Great Depression and the influx of foreign beers.  In 1893 PBR was voted America's Best Beer.  At its peek in 1977, Pabst produced over 18 million barrels of beer and in 2015 won the Best Large Brewing Company of the Year Award at the Great American Beer Festival.  Yes, America's Beer, award winning, smooth, simple, cheap and has been around for a long time.

If you think I am crazy, just go over to Price Chopper in Edwardsville and grab a pounder.  You may be surprised with what you taste.  You can pair up PBR with a grilled hot dog or cheeseburger and some potato salad at your next cookout.  If you are looking for an all day go to beer, PBR is it.

If you have a beer in mind for America's Official Beer, send it over to me with your review and I will post it here.  You can be a Guest Meister.

        
5= Outstanding

4= Very Good

3= Good

2=Fair

1=Skunk