[quote]PGJ wrote:
Donut62 wrote:
Can anyone find a list of countries by alcohol consumption, not just beer? I’d wager that would move Russia (vodka, obviously) up into the top 3, and give the USA a big boost too.
It’s Russia at the top. They also have about a 70% alcoholism rate there. I went there for 2 weeks back in 1985. We had vodka with every meal (well, I didn’t, I was only 16 and my parents kept taking the shot glass out of my hands).
[/quote]
I’m pretty sure it’s more like a 30% alcohol dependence rate. That’s still ridiculous though, blows the rest of the world away.
[quote]Donut62 wrote:
Killa Cam wrote:
For everybody going on about how German & European beer in generalr is superior to Bud, you should know that Anheuser & Busch who founded the brewery were both Germans, and that they got the recipe for the beer in the Czech Republic. It’s brewed in the US, and gained popularity there, but there’s not much else American about it.
By all accounts present-day Budweiser is far, far different from the Budweiser in the pre-prohibtion era. The inclusion of rice effectively severs any ties the beer has to it’s German cousins brewed according to the Reinheitsgebot. The lack of Saaz hops makes it different from the Czech pilsners. Saying Budweiser isn’t an American concoction is like saying all cars are Mercedes because they hold the first patent.[/quote]
well said. Actually, the big change-over in American beer took place during WWII when most of the men (read main beer drinkers) were out of the country and the breweries changed their recipes to accomodate women’s tastes, i.e. lighter, less hoppy beer. The addition of rice to the recipes (not just Bud) is due to the cost-effectiveness of rice as a filler over higher cost grains.
For the record, very few beers in the world adhere to the Reinheitsgebot as it was written. That’s because the original purety law was written before the discovery of yeast, which is naturally occurring in the air. Today’s brewing (with the exception of a few, mainly lambics) is a closed fermentation process whereby yeast must be added to the wort in a separate step, in direct violation of the original purety law that only allowed for the combination of three ingredients: water, hops and grain. A technicality, sure, but one that beer snobs should be aware of.
[quote]GDollars37 wrote:
PGJ wrote:
Donut62 wrote:
Can anyone find a list of countries by alcohol consumption, not just beer? I’d wager that would move Russia (vodka, obviously) up into the top 3, and give the USA a big boost too.
It’s Russia at the top. They also have about a 70% alcoholism rate there. I went there for 2 weeks back in 1985. We had vodka with every meal (well, I didn’t, I was only 16 and my parents kept taking the shot glass out of my hands).
I’m pretty sure it’s more like a 30% alcohol dependence rate. That’s still ridiculous though, blows the rest of the world away.[/quote]
Maybe things have changed, but I remember taking a class on Russia back in college and specifically remember the 70% number. It’s rediculous, I know. But having been there I can testify that they are professional drinkers, the rest of the world are mere amatures.
[quote]dollarbill44 wrote:
Donut62 wrote:
Killa Cam wrote:
For everybody going on about how German & European beer in generalr is superior to Bud, you should know that Anheuser & Busch who founded the brewery were both Germans, and that they got the recipe for the beer in the Czech Republic. It’s brewed in the US, and gained popularity there, but there’s not much else American about it.
By all accounts present-day Budweiser is far, far different from the Budweiser in the pre-prohibtion era. The inclusion of rice effectively severs any ties the beer has to it’s German cousins brewed according to the Reinheitsgebot. The lack of Saaz hops makes it different from the Czech pilsners. Saying Budweiser isn’t an American concoction is like saying all cars are Mercedes because they hold the first patent.
well said. Actually, the big change-over in American beer took place during WWII when most of the men (read main beer drinkers) were out of the country and the breweries changed their recipes to accomodate women’s tastes, i.e. lighter, less hoppy beer. The addition of rice to the recipes (not just Bud) is due to the cost-effectiveness of rice as a filler over higher cost grains.
For the record, very few beers in the world adhere to the Reinheitsgebot as it was written. That’s because the original purety law was written before the discovery of yeast, which is naturally occurring in the air. Today’s brewing (with the exception of a few, mainly lambics) is a closed fermentation process whereby yeast must be added to the wort in a separate step, in direct violation of the original purety law that only allowed for the combination of three ingredients: water, hops and grain. A technicality, sure, but one that beer snobs should be aware of.
Happy beer drinking,
DB[/quote]
I thought that the change occurred from the darker beers to the lighter beers because they were easier to drink fast when you were thirsty. Heard that on the History channel but it didn’t go into it much.
As for where I would go for beer it would be Belgium, but I still wouldn’t want to live there.
[quote]Donut62 wrote:
Can anyone find a list of countries by alcohol consumption, not just beer? I’d wager that would move Russia (vodka, obviously) up into the top 3, and give the USA a big boost too.
Surprise entry from Luxemburg there, but at least Ireland are now above Czech Republic (although from the graph its very close)
Britain is way down there, even with N.Irelands help. I know that the scottish and english are decent enough drinkers so I can only assume the welsh are letting us down (no offence Stig if youre reading!!)
