The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #39279   Message #557089
Posted By: Jim Dixon
23-Sep-01 - 01:16 PM
Thread Name: BS: Advice to Tourists
Subject: RE: BS: Advice to Tourists
Blackcatter, regarding your puzzlement over why Brits visiting Orlando drink Budweiser, etc.: My British brother-in-law, who prefers traditional ales when he's in Britain (His favorite brand is Harvey's, from Lewes), usually drinks lager when he visits the States, for these reasons:

* He's -- shall we say -- thrifty? Mass-produced lagers are usually a lot cheaper in the US than microbrews or imported beers.
* He has the philosophy, 'When in Rome, do as the Romans do,' -- which is usually a good one. That's how I learned to love English bitter.
* He's sensitive to freshness as a factor in the quality of beer. Although he likes Guinness at home, he won't drink it here, because it's usually stale, he says. (The difference is too subtle for me.) He did like the Guinness at Kieran's Irish Pub in Minneapolis, however.
* American bars usually keep heavy beers too cold. I'll agree to that. While it's appropriate for lager to be cold, heavier darker beers should be at "cellar temperature." I'm told that's around 53 degrees Fahrenheit, which is cool, not cold.
* Weather is a factor. Cold lagers are more refreshing in hot weather, and hot weather in England, I figure, means anything over about 75 degrees! Since he only visits Minnesota in July or August, that seals it. I guess the same would apply to Orlando.

Still, I think Brits would appreciate it if you would steer them to a better lager than Budweiser. I don't know what's available in Orlando, so I don't know what to recommend. Something more heavily hopped, probably, and something made from barley instead of the rice-barley mixture that Budweiser uses. I don't know if cost is a factor for anyone but my brother-in-law!