Best/worst Beer In The World

[jellymeister]

Follow up to best/worst food survey…what are your preferences for best worst beers in the world by nationality(specify a brand or type if you wish to be more specific)

Here are mine

Best

1. German pilsen

2. Czech

3. Any other German

4. Belgian(what variety—I like the Dentergems in particular)

5. Murphy’s Irish stout only freshly served in Cork

6. Guiness

7. Kilkenny

8. UK Bitter

9. Canadian Microbrews

10. Aussie(honourable mention VB and XXXX are pretty good)

Worst

1. Any American beer(except microbrew)

2. Malaysia Anchor

3. Indian beer

4. Tiger beer manufactured outside Singapore(guaranteed headache)

5. 333 from Vietnam

6. French beer

7. Italian beer

8. Beer chang Thailand

9. Brazilian

10. Chinese

[Ijustwannateach]

Being an American, I am woefully weak on beer lore, but I have been trying to catch up while abroad.

As far as commercial brands go, I find Guinness to be quite good, and also Grolsch (German, I think?).

Japanese beers are not bad (Asahi and Kirin are ok).

But naturally some of the worst would be the American mainstays: Budweiser! (ugh!)

"Steven"

[moonoi]

For worst....

how about Watneys Red Barrel? (if anyone remembers that)

[lazeeboy]

Being an American, I am woefully weak on beer lore, but I have been trying to catch up while abroad.

As far as commercial brands go, I find Guinness to be quite good, and also Grolsch (German, I think?).

Japanese beers are not bad (Asahi and Kirin are ok).

But naturally some of the worst would be the American mainstays: Budweiser! (ugh!)

"Steven"

not much of a beer drinker but partial to

erdinger bavarian wheat beer

chaing beer hate it horrible after taste

[jellymeister]

yeah I forgot Grolsch..a great Dutch lager, and nice packaging as well......

[Crushdepth]

I like a lot of the gourmet/locally brewed beers that you get in Australia now and elsewhere, which are not generally available so I'll restrict myself to a short list of industrial beers:

Best:

1. San Miguel pilsener (but only the stuff made locally in the Philippines). Amazingly headache-free.

2. Bintang (Malaysia)

3. Saigon (Vietnam)

4. Don't mind Chang, actually.

Worst:

1. Singh regular.

2. Budweiser (urgh!!!)

3. Singh regular.

4. Singh regular.

5. Singh regular.

6. Singh regular.

7. Heineken (the coca cola of beer)

8. Fosters.

9. VB.

10. Tiger (but love the dress)

I hate the normal Singh. It is the only beer that I refuse to drink. It is *appallingly* bad. I don't know what they put in it but even a small quantity gives me a bad hangover. Other Singh beers are ok, so why do people drink the buffalo-pee variety?

[t.s]

I like a lot of the gourmet/locally brewed beers that you get in Australia now and elsewhere, which are not generally available so I'll restrict myself to a short list of industrial beers:

Best:

1. San Miguel pilsener (but only the stuff made locally in the Philippines). Amazingly headache-free.

2. Bintang (Malaysia)

3. Saigon (Vietnam)

4. Don't mind Chang, actually.

Worst:

1. Singh regular.

2. Budweiser (urgh!!!)

3. Singh regular.

4. Singh regular.

5. Singh regular.

6. Singh regular.

7. Heineken (the coca cola of beer)

8. Fosters.

9. VB.

10. Tiger (but love the dress)

I hate the normal Singh. It is the only beer that I refuse to drink. It is *appallingly* bad. I don't know what they put in it but even a small quantity gives me a bad hangover. Other Singh beers are ok, so why do people drink the buffalo-pee variety?

agree with you on the singh, don't know how people can drink it.

ts

[jellymeister]

have to agree on the excellent san miguel as well...an admirably brewed beer...too bad there was not any good food to eat with it in PI!

[wolfmanjack]

Belhaven is the best that i have tried and i have tried over 300 different beers.

[John_Rambo]

I've recently been converted from a Chang drinker into a Leo drinker. Can't stand Singha.

Edited May 17, 2007 by John_Rambo

[qwertz]

Czech Budweiser and Berliner Kindl

And Oz VB - world class

[jellymeister]

actually beer lao or lao beer? deserves honourable mentin..surprisingly good,.....heard it was brewed in laos by belgians or something

[sgunn65]

From a British perspective most of the drinks you put forward as beer we call Lager, i.e. Singha, San Miguel, all pilsners etc.

For us Beer is stuff like bitter etc. Once you get beer fans doing this in the Uk you enter a dark world of beers that you have never heard of, like Grandma's old flange.

That was not me having a go btw just info before anyone gives me a hard time since this is an international forum.

Worst

Chang

Special Brew

Anything in a blue can

Fosters

Best

London Pride

Tribute from Cornwall

1664

Singha

[Crow Boy]

Follow up to best/worst food survey…what are your preferences for best worst beers in the world by nationality(specify a brand or type if you wish to be more specific)

Here are mine

Best

1. German pilsen

2. Czech

3. Any other German

4. Belgian(what variety—I like the Dentergems in particular)

5. Murphy’s Irish stout only freshly served in Cork

6. Guiness

7. Kilkenny

8. UK Bitter

9. Canadian Microbrews

10. Aussie(honourable mention VB and XXXX are pretty good)

Worst

1. Any American beer(except microbrew)

2. Malaysia Anchor

3. Indian beer

4. Tiger beer manufactured outside Singapore(guaranteed headache)

5. 333 from Vietnam

6. French beer

7. Italian beer

8. Beer chang Thailand

9. Brazilian

10. Chinese

I was going to throw a small handgrenade in and say:

Worst beer - anything from the British Isles

Best beer - anything from Belgium

but thought more about it.

There are a thousand great beers and the same in the aweful list but in the main anything which is a large, homogonised, pasteurised, and packaged for domestic consumption will be bland and cater to the lowest common denominator which is where brands like budweiser, coors, Fosters, Heinekin, and Chang come into play.

The smaller specialist brews will not be liked by everyone but are much more interesting in the main. How some such as Stella, Grolsh, Becks, Coopers (from Australia) do it with comparatively large volume is admirable.

btw Kookaburra from India is very nice and great with curry

Sing Tao from China is good but for some reason evey batch is different so consistency is a worrry

I don't count any brew from the US unless it is from a microbrewery because it is the worst of the worst and cannot be even classified as a beer.

CB

[Jimjim]

I can't really name a best beer, but the worst beer I've ever had is a microbrew from Portland, Oregon called "Blue Heron". This beer gives the worst headache hangover I've ever experienced, and the weird thing is if I ask anyone else if they experienced the same, they give a similiar account as me and also think it's quite odd. I don't know why, but this beer gives a wicked headache a lot of the time and that's why I hate it.

[PhilHarries]

Difficult to list my preferences as it depends a lot on where I am and my mood. British beer, as opposed to British brewed lager, is not the same in a tropical climate. I took some Boddingtons, in cans with the widget, back to LoS after an R&R trip home and it just didn't taste the same. Must have been psychological as it couldn't have changed during the journey.

Best (in no particular order)

1. UK Bitter or mild (hard to find these days). Brains - SA or Dark, Gales - HSB, Timothy Taylors - Landlord.

2. Belgian beer. Can't remember any specifics but do like the Kriek.

3. Czech. - Pizenske Prazdo (think that's how you spell it) and Budweiser Budvar.

4. German beers, except wheat beer - that gives me real bad gas.

5. Tiger - I have no problem with Malaysian Tiger.

6. San Miguel Red Horse - not keen on the regular or light.

7. Singha - over the years I must have become immune to it's bad effects.

8. Samual Adams (Boston) - only American beer that I've tried worth drinking.

9. Japanese - Asahi, some of the others are okay as well.

10. Any cold beer when I'm hot and thirsty and there's no choice.

Worst

None. See 10 above. Just about any beer can be drunk provided it's cold enough but some on my avoid list are:

American mass produced fizzy pop - Budweiser etc.

Heineken.

Chang.

Any "Lite" beer - it's just the regular stuff watered down.

British brewed lager.

EKU - German beer, strongest in the world (circa '74) and the vilest.

Any Italian beer - Italians should stick to what they do best and that is wine, women and fast cars, oh and food.

Fosters and Castlemaine XXXX - yeah I know the Aussies only sell it to the unsuspecting poms.

[thaired]

Difficult to list my preferences as it depends a lot on where I am and my mood. British beer, as opposed to British brewed lager, is not the same in a tropical climate. I took some Boddingtons, in cans with the widget, back to LoS after an R&R trip home and it just didn't taste the same. Must have been psychological as it couldn't have changed during the journey.

Best (in no particular order)

1. UK Bitter or mild (hard to find these days). Brains - SA or Dark, Gales - HSB, Timothy Taylors - Landlord.

2. Belgian beer. Can't remember any specifics but do like the Kriek.

3. Czech. - Pizenske Prazdo (think that's how you spell it) and Budweiser Budvar.

4. German beers, except wheat beer - that gives me real bad gas.

5. Tiger - I have no problem with Malaysian Tiger.

6. San Miguel Red Horse - not keen on the regular or light.

7. Singha - over the years I must have become immune to it's bad effects.

8. Samual Adams (Boston) - only American beer that I've tried worth drinking.

9. Japanese - Asahi, some of the others are okay as well.

10. Any cold beer when I'm hot and thirsty and there's no choice.

Worst

None. See 10 above. Just about any beer can be drunk provided it's cold enough but some on my avoid list are:

American mass produced fizzy pop - Budweiser etc.

Heineken.

Chang.

Any "Lite" beer - it's just the regular stuff watered down.

British brewed lager.

EKU - German beer, strongest in the world (circa '74) and the vilest.

Any Italian beer - Italians should stick to what they do best and that is wine, women and fast cars, oh and food.

Fosters and Castlemaine XXXX - yeah I know the Aussies only sell it to the unsuspecting poms.

Best (AT the Minute)

San Migel Lite (Don't listen to that tripe above)

Worst (At the moment)

Definately Beer Lao...what c**p !!~

[nonthaburial]

A couple of points, someone mentioned Kookabura as being an Indian beer, did he mean Kingfisher ?????

Secondly Red Horse beer was only brewed by SM to try and counter the local Filipino demand for cheap Gins such as Ginebra. You will see the alcohol level of Red Horse is very high and even tastes of strong alcohol. To me one bottle guarantees a mighty headache

[cclub75]

BEST

-the "fresh" beer called Bia Hoi in Vietnam (they serve it in the small eateries) Around 2.5 degrees alcohol only. Nice taste, very light, refreshing, perfect to eat with, no bad taste after.

Otherwise I like Angkor Beer in Cambodia : nice taste of flower. Heineken (the "coca cola" beer as someone said), a "sure" value.

WORST

-Singha, Chang, Tiger

-and all the beers with high degree of alcohol.

[PlainJane]

Best:

Guinness

Asahi

Corona

Heineken

San Miguel

Red Horse

Tiger

[Old Croc]

I think all this proves is that there are as many different tastes as there are beers.

However, I think it would be hard to find anyone who honestly likes Bantu Bier from South Africa. The most revolting stuff I've tried to force down.

[suiging]

Banks's mild/bitter lovely jubbly.

[issanpaul]

wow !!!!!!!!!! i am genuinley surprised that chang has such a negative resonse? i personally think its a fantastic beer although must be said Alc/vol is a little high so must be treat with respcect,

worst beers definatley anything from usa,total cats pi@@,

as for other Thai beers namley Singha and Leo a definate no as very similar taste,

everyone to there own palate i guess.

[cdnvic]

2. Budweiser (urgh!!!)

We're talking about beer here, please stay on topic.

For the record:

Best, or favourite at least - Sleeman's Honey Brown Lager (Canada)

Worst - Mambo (Central African Republic)

[PhilHarries]

Banks's mild/bitter lovely jubbly.

Now you're taking me back to my canal cruising days round Brum.

Old Ma Pardoe's, middle of winter with the old stove in the centre of the pub going big licks. Christ it used to get so hot you couldn't breathe. But the beer was good.

[mackayae]

Trappist Westvleteren 12 is the best, but hard to get.

[PhilHarries]

Secondly Red Horse beer was only brewed by SM to try and counter the local Filipino demand for cheap Gins such as Ginebra. You will see the alcohol level of Red Horse is very high and even tastes of strong alcohol. To me one bottle guarantees a mighty headache

Oh it's strong all right, definately not a session beer.

[JCCR6]

Best:

Budvar (Czech Variety)

Leffe Blonde

Bitburger

Duvval

Staropramen

Worst:

Fosters

Chang

Newcastle Brown Ale

too many more to list...

[Humphrey Bear]

Best - In UK - Theakstone Old Peculiar / Marston Pedigree / Old Hooky / Smiles Exhibition. Really it depends where you live.

In Cambridge Abbot Ale is popular, in West London Fuller's London Pride.

In Hong Kong do NOT drink San Miguel unless you like a morning headache. But in Philippines it is good. In Hong Kong I liked Tsing Tsao, but that was because I'd spent the previous ten years in Libya, brewing my own - and TT is the closest you can get to a dodgy home-brew.

In Malaysia it has to be Tiger. In Indonesia it was Anker. In Iran (Shah's time) it was Medjideh or Star. Tuborg if you wanted the next day as a 'sick' day.

In Thailand - don't really like any of them, but the closest decent place to our house serves draught Chang and John Smith's - so it depends whether it's the start or end of the month.

Currently in Saudi, where it has to be Pepsi.

[keebone]

My favourite was always Budweiser Budvar - the genuine Czech stuff and not the carbonated urine from the USA. But I've found something that surpasses even that - Budvar dark, similar to the original Budvar but with a creamy taste slightly akin to Guinness.

Among the worst would be Chang, Red Horse and Stella.

My fave Thai beer is definately Leo.

Edited May 17, 2007 by keebone