This is an 8-minute video about nerdy beer stuff.
That said, it stars Broke-Ass Stuart and a friend of his that tends bar at the Monk’s Kettle, and it’s really fun to watch Stu not give a shit about all the knowledge his pal is dropping on him.
They make a good point though: Why drink tall cans of Bud when you can get a pint of Death & Taxes (which is tastier, higher in alcohol, locally made, and doesn’t even look like a gay beer) for roughly the same price?
Thanks for the tip, Stu!
[...] insightful video about corporate beer. [MissionMission] Share and [...]
Nice vid; good job, guys. Good to see non-beer geeks showing beer some love this SF Beer Week.
Thanks for post this… Drink good beer.
I wholeheartedly agree. Matthew who tends at Amnesia set me straight when I ordered that Stella:
“Vic, I want you to drink a California beer. Stella is owned by the same guys who own Budweiser.”
He proceeded to pour me samples of every California beer that they had on tap. Now I’m Reality Czech pilsener and Death and Taxes man. I’ve seen the brewer of these fine beverages hand deliver the kegs and from his van every week!
To bartenders: free samples are a highly effective conversion tactic.
B.A.S. is neither clever nor interesting. I’m gathering the frequent references to him have something to do with a personal relationship between himself and the editor of this blog (which is both clever and interesting)? The song by Devil Makes Three, however, is a great one.
And to all of you beer enthusiasts out there: Beware of the hops unless you want man boobs.
What! There is a link between hops and man boobs!? Pics or it didn’t happen.
Toronado and City Beer Store were the only ‘affordable’ places on their list. quite frankly, the snobbery ruined that video, i love lots of local micro-brews, but Budweiser is a great beer and they have unparalleled quality control. any self-proclaimed beer snob should have some appreciation for that.
also, his math at the beginning doesn’t make any sense, a 16oz pint of Death and Taxes doesn’t have more alcohol than a 24oz tallboy of Bud, Death and Taxes is 5%, bud is 4.7%, a tallboy of Bud will fuck you up more than a pint of Death and Taxes.
Allan -
Here is some interesting info about Hops:
http://www.swedish.org/110915.cfm
The part about “estrogen-like properties” gives insight into the man boobs debate. Also, have you ever seen a man with man boobs who didn’t love his beer?
I think the goal of drinking a world-class beer goes beyond “getting fucked up.” Death & Taxes is actually a fairly low alcohol example… most Belgians and many Imperial IPAs or stouts are upwards of 7-8% (or 10-12%) alcohol.
Also, I have not known Magnolia or 21st Amendment to be “unaffordable” at all.
beers at Magnolia were going for $6-10 last time i was there, i don’t think that qualifies as affordable. 21A has a decent happy hour, but again most of the good stuff isn’t included in the happy hour and you still end up paying $6-8. At Toronado and Zeitgeist you can get several good beers for $4-5, that’s a little bit on the more affordable side.
Not sure I understand the concept of ‘gay beer’ but in the UK beer type sorts out the men from the boys. Real men drink real ale, the rest drink lager which is basically girls beer.
Monks Kettle is the shit. I love that bar with all of my heart.
Monks is affordable if you actually read the menu. They have drafts as low as 3 dollars and cans as low a 2. Bonus, the entire staff is friendly and will tell you about every beer they have. Can’t get that at tornado or zeitgeist. Sorry if you can’t afford anything over 3 bucks but the good things in life are never cheap, and good beer is no exception.
Broke-Ass Stuart is kind of a tool.
1) I love the discussion that has sparked here
2) You are totally correct about the ABV component of my argument with respect to those particular two beers – Bub being on the high ABV end of shitty beer, D&T on the low end in terms of ABV for craft beer
3) Drink Shitty beer if you want, this is America
4) Just because it requires a great deal of precision to brew, does not make Bud a good beer. It takes a great deal of skill to make Diana Krall’s music as vapid and safe as it is, it still sux.
The main point I wanted to get across is the irony of the contemporary hipster/indy culture many of whom take pride in supporting artists directly when it comes to music, film, fashion etc. drink beer that is as corporate and monopolistic as The Gap or McDonald’s.
Beer is basically always cheap. Obviously spirits are more bang for your buck in terms of getting tanked, but even “expensive” beer is cheap when compared to wine or even high-end cocktails. People who complain about beer costing $8-$9 are often the same people who will be an $8 long island iced tea. As a former bar manager I can tell you the mark-up on a well Long Island is around %2000.
But do what makes you happy, I am just saying my piece.
I’m totally down with all your points. BUT, are you saying you never ever (ever ever ever?) have a craving for a can of shitty beer?
I love Death & Taxes, but I also love Budweiser. There’s a time and a place for each, don’t you think? I mean, you can’t drink a can of Death in Dolores Park on a sunny Sunday afternoon.
BUT, are you saying you never ever (ever ever ever?) have a craving for a can of shitty beer?
I’m not Sayre, but no, I don’t. I also don’t have cravings for shitty burritos or shitty pizza or shitty wine. Why would I?
And no, you can’t drink D&T at Dolores on a nice day. But there are literally hundreds of other local options available, especially in SF. Grab a sixer of AVBC Summer Solstice; they have it at Bi-Rite.
Allan,
I can say I honestly don’t. But I understand if others do. I would much sooner drink a bud than a stella.
The things is I know many of the local craft brewers personally, I know how hard they work and I know how heavily the deck is stacked against them.
I am also aware of the corners cut (both in terms of the craft, and the vertical monopolizing of distribution channels and point of sale promotions) by many national brands.
If I ever had enough free time to kick in Dolores anymore I might just get some dixie cups and a bottle of Damnation.