This tasting was definitely one of the weirdest events I think I’ve ever done. While I thought I had prepared myself for this one the best I could have, I can’t remember the last time I’d had so many mediocre beers in one sitting. As you can see we did come up with a winner, however the highest score in the entire event was just below a 6. I had a feeling when we originally planned this event that Budweiser aka The King of Beers would not score very high (and it almost lost the entire event). From what I gather on the scores, the beers in this style that our judges enjoyed the most had a more pronounced hop profile than the others. According to BJCP’s flavor description by style for Classic American Pilsner and Lite, Standard, and Premium American Lager, these beers all have hop profiles that range from none to low. Are we tired of drinking American Lagers in America, or do we just need a break from this mild, slightly malty libation? American Lagers/Pilsners used to be the beer of choice in this country (or should I say the only available choice), but as you can see from this tasting this has changed. While macrobrewed beer had it’s place (and some would say necessity during the years of World War II) in history, micro-brewed beer tends to be the preferred option. Support your local breweries so that we can avoid macro-brewed beer from taking away your choices. Just try to imagine a world without beer caves… I’m getting nervous just thinking about it 🙂
