Imported Beer

Simpld fact: beer does not travel well. Any beer that does travel is saturated with chemicals to the point that its not worth drinking. Because of this fact, major beer brands are licensed to local brewers to produce. Of course, there's also the transportation and duty savings, but every imported beer I've ever had tasted like shit. In Canada, Bud is brewed by Labatt and visa versa. Before they merged, Coors and Molson had a reciprocal brewing agreement. In the UK, all of the major lagers are brewed in the UK. Carlsburg, Kronembourg, and as every aussie with attest, Fosters. Taste aside, the biggest reason to stay clear of drinking excess imported beer (or cheap, local lager) is the resulting hangover. I've found that chemical preservatives lead to killer hangovers.

India Pale Ales were invented specifically for exporting to India. They used unroasted (or very little) malt which contained a much higher sugar content. When brewed, the extra sugar yealded a much higher alcohol volume. Since alcohol is a natural preservative, it kept the beer from going bad over the long voyage to India. Modern IPAs don't have as much in common with their ancestors. They're typically somewhere between a lager and an ale in taste and rarely contains more than 5.5%.

Growing up, having never left the continent, I didn't understand this important knowledge. I've always thought German beer was vastly inferior to my local Canadian brew. When compared to any of Canada's premium beers, it just didn't stand up. I chalked this up to the fact that, similarly to Canada, they only exported their rubbish and kept the good beer for the locals. Who drinks Molson Golden?

About four years ago, I went on a month long solo trek through Europe. One of my destinations, the fatherland of the pilsner (Czech Republic) was a fantastic introduction to the joys of European beer. It may have been the 50c 1/2L beers, but the Czechs have some fantastic beer. They've got a bunch of national lagers (Starropramen, Pilsner Urquell, Budwiser [the original]), but their local breweries were outstanding. Another stop on my trip was Munich during Oktoberfest. At the time, I didn't think there was any topping the Czech beer, but the Oktoberfest beers took my breath away. They were, by far, the finest beers I've ever had. The Bavians know how to make beer. I'll soon get to relive these amazing beers this September when I return to Oktoberfest.

When I got home from my trip, my mind was wide open to the possibilities of world beer. I found myself craving Czech and German beer. I found some Pilsner Urquell at the beer store and bought a case. I was devistated to find that, not only was it not what I remembered, but it was down right awful. What I learned that day is that beer doesn't travel well. Stick with the local stuff, no matter where you are, and you'll enjoy yourself and the morning after.