Please, Please, No more Budweiser is like making love in a boat comments.
I’ve told this story but I will tell it again.
I emigrated to the US in 1969 with my new American bride. My new father in law knew that I liked my beer and got “the best” for his new son in law – Budweiser, the King of Beers. I took a mouthful. Brain freeze. I was told that it was supposed to be ice cold for the hot weather in the US. This was October in upstate New York – not hot. I let it warm up a bit. That was worse – the real reason for ice cold beer was to kill the taste. This was very awkward. My father in law was anxious to impress. I was just as anxious not to offend. My beard and general scruffy appearance was not helping. At least my hair was short.
Now my wife had never had American beer (being Italian they were a wine drinking family) and took a swig of mine and spat it right back into the glass. She asked her Dad if he would serve a guest jug wine. That broke the tension. From then for quite a few years I was mainly a wine drinker – and my father in law made very good wine from wild grapes. Oh, I would have the occasional Beck Dark or Guinness but the memory of a proper pint of Guinness made them just OK. If I did not dislike lagers I would have been in better shape.
The years rolled by and then in the late 80s I was presented with a Pete’s Wicked ale. This was beer.
Since then craft beers have grown to where they account for almost 25% of US beer sales by dollar value. At this point I am as American as Irish (European) so maybe my opinion does not count but I will say that the US can offer a wide variety of beers that should please any European particularly if they like hoppy, hearty beers. I would like to see more stouts and English type ales.