www.iFourWinns.com

To my American friends,

I hope you can help me.

No, this not meant as a slagging match comparing warm English (real) beer and cold American beer.

Why do cans/ bottles of American beer not show the % alcohol ?

I had a recent 10 day vacation in Orlando; very chilly according to the local TV station , but Ye Gods, it was easy to get on the rides at Busch Gardens and Universal ! (it never got above 68 deg. F, usually in the mid 50's) . Pretty warm, if you ask me, compared to the last 2 summers here in the UK !

Anyhow, I am confused about American beer ( much as my American cousins were confused about their Grandparents speaking Welsh,warm British beers and driving on the left hand side of the road, in the 1970s when they came over here).

What is:

Lght beer ( colour or % alcohol)
Amber beer
Loads of other stuff

I bought some "Steel beer" in Walmart because it said on the can it had double the ingredients, which I though meant more taste; it turned out to be the only beer with the alcohol % on the can : 8.1 % !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I did not drink it.

Is there a standard alcohol % strength in American beer?

The Samuel Adams at the Outback restaurant at the Airport was nice!

Any advice about beer strength would be appereciated.

Graham

I think anything over 6%ish is considered malt liquor. So to be regular beer would be around 3.2% to 6% I believe.........

To tell you the truth, I have never cared about percentage, I just sample local favorite when out of town and enjoy.
I too like the Sam Adams!

So to really answer your question, I dont know, but I am open to sampling and helping you guess.

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2000 248 5.7L DP
'92, '94 SXI 750, '08 STX 15F, '12 Ultra LX 300
Videos

Warm beer

I think they all have the % on them (they used to, by law), but it's often in the teensiest of print in some obscure corner of the container.

As to light beer, most of my life I've drank Coors Light but in the last year have become a big fan of Sam Adams Light.

Graham, don't buy beer at Wal-Mart.

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Mike
2005 Four Winns 230/240
VP 5.7GXi/DP
1998 F-150 XLT
Boat Pic

Nothing beats Canadian Beer!

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2000 235 Sundowner
Previously 2007 Horizon 190
2004 Chevy Avalanche Z71

Well, Ardy might have something to say about that when he gets up.

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Mike
2005 Four Winns 230/240
VP 5.7GXi/DP
1998 F-150 XLT
Boat Pic

I like all beer but need to stay with the low calorie brew because of weight problems and I like to drink a lot. The best American light beer in my opinion is Michelob Ultra Amber (not to be confused with Michelob Ultra). Ultra Amber is the only brown beer that I know of that is a "light," i.e., low calorie beer.

Unless your in the Northwest you aren't getting good beer in the US. Nothing beats the beer you will find in the North American Micro Brew capital. We have Amber Ales, Porter, Stout, IPA, Hefeweizen, Blonds, Red, and a whole slue of other great beers that aren't make by the big national water beer makers.

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2000 268 Vista "Reely Nauti"
http://www.facebook.com/#!/rivercruiser

Hmmm .... come on over for some excellent New England micro-brews!

Michelob Ultra Amber is the only real low calorie AND low carb (3 grams) beer that doesn't taste like Budweiser. Oddly enough, since it is owned by Anheuser-Busch. I don't drink it on purpose, but my wife does.

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Gordon Arnold
New Hampshire

2003 268 Vista ..................................................................Prior: 97 245 Sundowner

Portland, Oregon does host the #2 beer festival in the world.. second only to that one that fabled dreams are made of. I think it's in Munich. Coincidentally, I'll be in Munich at the end of April! I hope there will be some beer for me!


Michelob Ultra is for chicks.

Real men drink the red label. Bud Heavy itself. Budweiser, the King of beers.

Since I am not a real man, I prefer the blue label -- Bud Light. Or, Miller Lite. Or Coors Lite. Or, Corona.

Heck, I'll drink just about any of it.


As for beer from Walmart... I think he picked up a little 'Steel reserve'. yes, malt liquor at it's best. Next time, try Colt 45.

Do they still make Schlitz?

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2008 318 Vista -SOLD, but I am still around!
All Night Long, Seattle WA

Believe it or not, yes. They've re-started it.

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Mike
2005 Four Winns 230/240
VP 5.7GXi/DP
1998 F-150 XLT
Boat Pic

Hey Graham, I get to the UK at least 4 times a year (back there next month) and I have to admit I simply cannot drink the beer (ales) there! It's not cold, and it's flat.... yuk!! I usually end up drinking Kronenborg or Stella, or if I'm real lucky I can get a Fosters!

When I lived in the US I used to drink Moosehead ... sorry guys!... or Rolling Rock out of Philly.

I must admit though, I am yet to find a beer I could not eventually drink...!!

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Alec

2006 Horizon 190
VP 4.3GL/SX, Sunsport

Alec,

British "Real Ale" is an acquired taste I suppose, plus once a barrel is tapped it has a short shelf life, a maximum of a couple of days ( air is drawn into tha barrel as the beer is sucked out, rather than CO2 forcing the beer out and the beer starts to go lose CO2, go flat/ go sour). So, hand drawn beer, if it is flat is probably past it's best. I'd be the last to claim that all Briish beers are good; many of the the brands manufactured by the major breweries are pretty dire and I will always choose a cold lager in pubs that don't have "real" hand drawn beer. The "microbrewery" beers are invariably much better than the major brands and there is even a national society that campaigns for "real" ale ; CAMRA. They publish free local booklets every quarter detailing the pubs where good real ale can be found! Our local pub is in the booklet, the head brewer of the local microbrewery is there every night, drinking his own beer, a good sign ( but ultimately not for his liver, I expect!)

Graham

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Jeff
2006 H240 6.2 MX 320HP B3
La Habra, California

Way to spoil the fun...

I like to take the Leinies Summer Shandy when we go out in the summer. Keep it on ice to make it super cold and grab a floaty chair to relax it. Otherwise Sam Adams is a good stand by

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-Rob.


Current boat: 2011 Yamaha AR210
Previous boat: 1998 Horizon RX 4.3GL SX

I had no intention of "spoiling the fun" only trying to answer the original question regarding the alcohol content of American Beers.

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Jeff
2006 H240 6.2 MX 320HP B3
La Habra, California