Ratings of 18 beers in the Washingtonian's first annual beer tasting
(June 1975)

A panel of seven - two noted local beer experts, two former professional
athletes and three beer drinkers of some repute - conducted a taste test
of 18 popular beers for the Washingtonian Magazine. The beers were served
without labels in groups of three, with bread available between tastes to
reset the taste buds and a 10 minute break between groups. Panelists were
asked to score each beer from 1 (terrible) to 10 (excellent), with five
considered average. The results are as follows (maximum score 100)

1. Heineken 83.7
2. Old Milwaukee 71.5
3. Pabst Blue Ribbon 68.6
4. Schlitz 68.6
5. Miller High Life 67.2
6. Tuborg 61.5
7. Budweiser 60.8
8. Michelob 60.8
9. National Bohemian 57.9
10. Andecker 54.3
11. National Premium 52.2
12. Schmidt's 48.6
13. Yuengling 47.9
14. Coors 47.2
15. Rolling Rock 47.2
16. Lowenbrau Light 46.5
17. Black Label 43.6
18. Schaefer's 33.6

There was a surprising disparity in ratings for beer number 16, Lowenbrau
Light. The two experts rated this beer superior to all other brands, but
the non-experts, placed it at the bottom of the list.

Source: Washingtonian magazine (June 1975)

Wow I'm glad I wasn't old enough to drink 30 years ago. Selection would
have been pretty boring. I probably would have had to move to another
country (England, Belgium or Germany).

Bruce

Wow I'm glad I wasn't old enough to drink 30 years ago. Selection would
have been pretty boring. I probably would have had to move to another
country (England, Belgium or Germany).

Bruce

Bruce wrote:
Wow I'm glad I wasn't old enough to drink 30 years ago. Selection would
have been pretty boring. I probably would have had to move to another
country (England, Belgium or Germany).

This gives you an idea of why the craft brewing movement is so important. I don't think Coors was available in the east
then and it surprises me to see it on the list at all. The Lowenbrau would have been brewed under license (with
adjuncts) by Miller.

Tom W

Are there more recent results that i might be able to post to my web
site?

One can also see why homebrewing became a bigger deal asswell...

Wow, they must have had no IDEA what hops actually tasted like!

_Randal

In article . com,
Randal wrote:

One can also see why homebrewing became a bigger deal asswell...

Wow, they must have had no IDEA what hops actually tasted like!

_Randal


....or Malt for that matter

In article . com,
Randal wrote:

One can also see why homebrewing became a bigger deal asswell...

Wow, they must have had no IDEA what hops actually tasted like!

_Randal


....or Malt for that matter

First, you can't compare today's versions of all of these brews to what we
drank back then. Some on the list were of better quality then, than where
they ended up years later. And there were many choices other than those on
the list, (which seem like a bit of a popularity(numbers) contest), like
Samuel Smith, St. Pauli Girl, as well as draught imports at quality German
or other "ethnic" establishments. In my hometown, a small city in western
Mass, we had a restaurant/bar which had fresh Spaten on tap all year long,
as well as an Irish social club which always had fresh Irish made Guinness,
until they started making it elsewhere for our market. Of course the brews
in Belgium, England, Germany and elsewhere were probably better then too! I
would love to live & quaff in Belgium! *g*

dj

"Bruce" wrote in message
...
Wow I'm glad I wasn't old enough to drink 30 years ago. Selection would
have been pretty boring. I probably would have had to move to another
country (England, Belgium or Germany).

Bruce

First, you can't compare today's versions of all of these brews to what we
drank back then. Some on the list were of better quality then, than where
they ended up years later. And there were many choices other than those on
the list, (which seem like a bit of a popularity(numbers) contest), like
Samuel Smith, St. Pauli Girl, as well as draught imports at quality German
or other "ethnic" establishments. In my hometown, a small city in western
Mass, we had a restaurant/bar which had fresh Spaten on tap all year long,
as well as an Irish social club which always had fresh Irish made Guinness,
until they started making it elsewhere for our market. Of course the brews
in Belgium, England, Germany and elsewhere were probably better then too! I
would love to live & quaff in Belgium! *g*

dj

"Bruce" wrote in message
...
Wow I'm glad I wasn't old enough to drink 30 years ago. Selection would
have been pretty boring. I probably would have had to move to another
country (England, Belgium or Germany).

Bruce

"Dr. Cajones" wrote in message
news:ghj4e.261
or other "ethnic" establishments. In my hometown, a small city in western
Mass, we had a restaurant/bar which had fresh Spaten on tap all year long,
as well as an Irish social club which always had fresh Irish made
Guinness,
until they started making it elsewhere for our market. Of course the
brews

Draft Guinness (tap and widget "draft") in the U.S. is all, and is still,
Irish-made. The bottled Guinness is currently brewed in Canada.

--
Lew Bryson

"GOOD or SHITE?" -- Michael Jackson, "Thriller", 1982
www.lewbryson.com

"Dr. Cajones" wrote in message
news:ghj4e.261
or other "ethnic" establishments. In my hometown, a small city in western
Mass, we had a restaurant/bar which had fresh Spaten on tap all year long,
as well as an Irish social club which always had fresh Irish made
Guinness,
until they started making it elsewhere for our market. Of course the
brews

Draft Guinness (tap and widget "draft") in the U.S. is all, and is still,
Irish-made. The bottled Guinness is currently brewed in Canada.

--
Lew Bryson

"GOOD or SHITE?" -- Michael Jackson, "Thriller", 1982
www.lewbryson.com

Just curious - does anyone know when did Sam Smiths started exporting
to US, I would have guessed it was after 1975?

& don't be *too* envious of us Brits back then - OK we had some v. good
beers, but CAMRA was still only very young & we were fighting off the
perils of both lager & tasteless keg beers ousting flavourful real ales
from the bar.

I was probably still in nappies (diapers) back then though, and more
inclined towards milk than milk stout :~)
cheers
MikeMcG

Just curious - does anyone know when did Sam Smiths started exporting
to US, I would have guessed it was after 1975?

& don't be *too* envious of us Brits back then - OK we had some v. good
beers, but CAMRA was still only very young & we were fighting off the
perils of both lager & tasteless keg beers ousting flavourful real ales
from the bar.

I was probably still in nappies (diapers) back then though, and more
inclined towards milk than milk stout :~)
cheers
MikeMcG

MikeMcG wrote:

Just curious - does anyone know when did Sam Smiths started exporting
to US, I would have guessed it was after 1975?

Correct. It was around 1978, when Charles Finkel founded Merchant du
Vin, which despite its name is a beer importer, based in Seattle. MdV
brought in Samuel Smith's ales, and still does. MdV also brings in
Ayinger and Pinkus-Mueller beers from Germany, and Orval and Westmalle
Trappist ales from Belgium. Not too shabby of a portfolio.

& don't be *too* envious of us Brits back then - OK we had some v. good
beers, but CAMRA was still only very young & we were fighting off the
perils of both lager & tasteless keg beers ousting flavourful real ales
from the bar.

And in some ways, you lot still are! Now, it's "nitrokeg" or
"smoothflow" or whatever load of codswallop the brewery marketers are
coining this week.

I was probably still in nappies (diapers) back then though, and more
inclined towards milk than milk stout :~)

Milk!? Best if fermented. Then you get cheese, which goes quite well
with beer.
--
dgs