Stupid ideas along the line of “stick a fork in a receptacle and see what happens”, “put your tongue on cold metal to see what happens”, “put your tongue on the terminals of a 9 volt battery”, I really enjoy “x, y and z” so put them in my latest beer.
Local supermarket has Pabst Blue Ribbon 12 pack on sale. I haven’t had a PBR in probably > 50 years. I stupidly purchase the PBR 12 pack.
I arrive home and can’t wait to try one.
Immediate reaction? Quickly remembered why I began homebrewing.
2nd reaction? Taste corn. Look up a PBR clone. At least my pallet is accurate.
Try something now that you have a few PBR(s) on hand. Put a hop pellet in the beer and see how it changes. If you want to use a hop bag or tea ball you might have to use a glass otherwise just drop it in the can/bottle. Citra, Nectaron, Mosaic, Simcoe, Amarillo, Idaho #7, etc. Something new(ish) with bright flavor. Whatever you have on hand. Keep adding one at a time until you notice a difference.
Likewise, add a measured amount of salt, CaCl, or Gypsum (one salt @ 1/8 tsp per one beer). Keep adding @ 1/8 tsp and see where you notice a difference.
i feel you, im not sure where its manufactured (not even going to say “brewed” for it) nowadays, but i tried one cause it was really cheap within the past year and it was that typical super discount bottom of the barrel industrial taste. i swear it tasted “bad but good” at one point but that would have been ~15 years ago when i was having it and price was a major consideration.
I can answer that - at least for a chunk of the West Coast - it’s made a few miles east of me on the 210 in lovely, bucolic Irwindale at the Irwindale Brew Yard, around the corner from the gravel pit, the race track and the Huy Fong Sriracha factory. (It’s very complicated, but… Pabst bought the Irwindale Miller plant that Miller was preparing for a shutdown, but… before it fully got converted to be a Pabst brewery, Pabst sold it to City Brewing - a major, major contract brewer with multiple breweries around the country - and then a shell company bought both Pabst and City.)
One thing I’ll note since Pabst/City bought the plant, I’ve seen far fewer Cargill corn syrup rail cars arriving there. And now all the tall outdoor fermenters are painted as big Pabst cans instead of various Miller products. Interestingly, the iconic Miller sign is still in place - my guess is that it’s protected.
lol city brewing is a LEGEND. i miss the really, exceptionally bad weird beers made by smaller scale, artisanal malt liquor producers like city - though this too may be at least partly halcyon memories of youth and my life at the time.
re: cargill - maybe they switched to another mega provider of HFCS, im currently dealing with another one i didnt realize is so huge.
Years ago, maybe in the 90’s, “Consumer Reports” rated domestic beers. Milwaukee’s Best was the top rated domestic beer. OK, I need to try. I purchase a 6 pack. Pour myself one. Take a few sips and immediately my stomach feels bloated. I’m in pain!
Thinking, perhaps, my stomach is “off” due to something I ate, I wait a few days and try the Milwaukee’s Best again. Same results.
Any idea why this happened? I have not experienced the horrible bloating and pain with any other beer. Believe me, I do “research” all the time (aka, trying different beers).
Actually, IMO, Narragansett Lager Beer on draught or fresh is good. However, let the cans sit around for a couple of weeks, even keep cold, and the beer picks up the taste, at least to me, of the can.
We’re talking about current production or back in the day? I’d assume it’s the can lining, but I only ever have it on draft (it’s everywhere here in RI) so I don’t have much experience with cans.
Interesting tidbit about 'gansett, their top seller is obviously their lager, which is a decent take on a fizzy yellow mass-market lager. But locally, they have one of the best taprooms in Southeastern New England. They always have a great variety of styles on tap, including European-style lagers on a side-pull tap. It’s in a fantastic location, too - just across the street from the bay on the outskirts of Downtown Providence. They do a lot of RI-themed brews and collabs with local brands as well. It’s really cool how they essentially use a mass-market lager to fund a great craft brewery with solid local ties.
Adding on to the interesting tidbit - the lager is brewed for them by Genesee in NY. Last time I talked with Lee, the head brewer of the RI brewery, she’s never been allowed to see the recipe. (I assume to avoid any accusations that she copied the recipe in making a beer locally and violating a contract with Genesee)
I was writing about current day 'Gansett in cans. OK when first purchased. Stored in temp controlled freezer or fridge and after a few weeks taste has changed. Due to can?
Dang! I was going to ask for a Gansett clone recipe.
