Pilsner Urequel

[Jack Schmidling]

First of all, great to see this group is still active. Seems like the
last time I looked (5 years ago?) it was all porn.

I sort of retired from homebrewing as, like so many other hobbies after
a decade or two they get to be more like work. Still cranking out
MALTMILLS at about the same rate as 20 years ago and always appreciate
the support from homebrewers.

Anyway, many years ago, I decided that Pilsner Urequel was my favorite
commercial light (color) beer and have been buying it almost exclusively
for home consumption. When brewing, my standard was pretty much a clone
of PU alternating with a dark version.

The last time I went to purchase PU I was stunned to find that they also
are now playing the "European Card", i.e. 11.2 oz bottles.

The marketing folks can call it what they want but it is clearly a ploy
to save money and what's worse, the local price went up at the same
time. So now every case has almost two bottles less and costs more.

I refuse to play their came and have quit buying it. It's not the
money. I can afford good beer, it's the principal and I refuse to be
snookered.

Buying beer these days gives me museum disease; there are just too many
to choose from and I get frustrated. This is good I suppose but I need
some help from experts not just anecdotes from people who do not really
know what good beer is.

I am sure you all know what PU is so I would like suggestions or
alternatives out there that at least come close to it's character and
quality.

Your thoughts will be appreciated.

Thanks,

Jack Schmidling
Marengo, Illinois

[Bart Goddard]

Post by Jack Schmidling
I am sure you all know what PU is so I would like suggestions or
alternatives out there that at least come close to it's
character and quality.

Bikini Blonde Lager from Maui Brewing.

http://mauibrewingco.com/flagship-beer/

Yes, it comes in a can, but it's still surprisingly
good. It has the quality you're looking for, but
perhaps not the character. It could use more Saaz
in the finish, IMO.

I don't recall this group becoming "mostly porn" at
any time. Maybe my filters are too good. At this
point, not even the "solution manual" guys bother us.

Bart

[Jack Schmidling]

Post by Bart Goddard
Bikini Blonde Lager from Maui Brewing.
http://mauibrewingco.com/flagship-beer/
Yes, it comes in a can, but it's still surprisingly
good.

Well, that's sort of a show stopper for me. There is a beer from
Colorado called Little Yellow Pils that is very good but the cans are a
real turnoff. Too much bad press on the stuff that cans are lined with.
There is also the business of pushing that dirty pop top thingy back
into the beer you are going to drink.... yuck.

Post by Bart Goddard
It has the quality you're looking for, but
perhaps not the character. It could use more Saaz
in the finish, IMO.

I will give it a try but it's probably not available around here.

Post by Bart Goddard
I don't recall this group becoming "mostly porn" at
any time.

Maybe I am confusing groups here but so many have been ruined by trash
that I haven't even looked at Usenet in years.

Jack

Astronomy, Beer, Cheese, Fiber, Gems,
Nature, Radio, Sheep, Sausage, Silver

http://schmidling.com

[Steve Bonine]

Post by Jack Schmidling
I refuse to play their came and have quit buying it. It's not the
money. I can afford good beer, it's the principal and I refuse to be
snookered.

This is far from a beer-only phenomenon. I went to cook a pound of pasta
the other day and discovered the box contained 13 ounces. There are
hundreds of example of this type of marketing. If I refused to buy any
product that uses this technique I would starve.

Get over it and buy what you enjoy.

[Scott Alfter]

Post by Steve Bonine

Post by Jack Schmidling
I refuse to play their came and have quit buying it. It's not the
money. I can afford good beer, it's the principal and I refuse to be
snookered.

This is far from a beer-only phenomenon. I went to cook a pound of pasta
the other day and discovered the box contained 13 ounces. There are
hundreds of example of this type of marketing. If I refused to buy any
product that uses this technique I would starve.

I noticed that with a box of whole-grain pasta recently. It was priced
about the same per box as the same brand of regular pasta, and the box was
the same size and shape. It was only when I opened it at home that I
noticed the box had a fair bit more empty space.

Another example: sugar seems to mostly come in 4-pound bags anymore instead
of 5-pound bags.

Turning food into fuel to meet some irrational government mandate is no
doubt a big part of this problem.

_/_
/ v \ Scott Alfter (remove the obvious to send mail)
(IIGS( http://alfter.us/ Top-posting!
\_^_/ >What's the most annoying thing on Usenet?

[baloonon]

Post by Scott Alfter
Another example: sugar seems to mostly come in 4-pound bags
anymore instead of 5-pound bags.
Turning food into fuel to meet some irrational government mandate is
no doubt a big part of this problem.

In this case, it's the opposite. When the dumb ethanol policy drives the
price of corn up (along with corn sweeteners), that lowers the pressure on
sugar producers to mess around with package sizes to try to squeeze out any
extra margin.

I'm guessing a more likely culprit for sugar is the ongoing paranoia over
carbs, along with the general trend in consumer food packaging. It's
probably also the case that sugar import restrictions which protect US
farmers increase the pressure to sell sugar in smaller packages.

[Ecnerwal]

Post by baloonon
I'm guessing a more likely culprit for sugar is the ongoing paranoia over
carbs, along with the general trend in consumer food packaging. It's
probably also the case that sugar import restrictions which protect US
farmers increase the pressure to sell sugar in smaller packages.

Nah, they just saw that the ice cream folks were making a killing by
selling 3 pints as if it was a half gallon (64 oz became 56 oz became 48
oz, and you can probably expect 40 ounce packages posing as half-gallons
in the future) and are following suit. 5 lbs became 4.4 (2 kilos) became
4 lbs has been the progression I've noticed in sugar. A 3 lb can of
coffee is now under 2 lbs, again, with a death by ounces progression to
get there and multi-manufacturer collusion so there wasn't the option of
buying from the guy that still put 3 lbs in a 3 lb can.

In ice cream a few of the regional dairies have not gone along with the
national cartel, and still sell an honest half-gallon.

The ice cream (at least) is a direct result of the party that likes to
get rid of government regulations, since USDA regulations used to
prevent the packaging of non-standard sizes of dairy products.

[baloonon]

Post by Ecnerwal

Post by baloonon
I'm guessing a more likely culprit for sugar is the ongoing paranoia
over carbs, along with the general trend in consumer food packaging.
It's probably also the case that sugar import restrictions which
protect US farmers increase the pressure to sell sugar in smaller
packages.

Nah, they just saw that the ice cream folks were making a killing by
selling 3 pints as if it was a half gallon (64 oz became 56 oz became
48 oz, and you can probably expect 40 ounce packages posing as
half-gallons in the future) and are following suit.

So when I said it was partly due to the general trend in consumer food
packaging, you'd put that as a Nah? Wha?

[T.J. Higgins]

Post by Jack Schmidling
I am sure you all know what PU is so I would like suggestions or
alternatives out there that at least come close to it's character and
quality.

Staropramen and Czechvar would be the obvious choices but I have
no idea if they use the same "European" marketing technique that
PU (and Stella Artois) use. Paulaner Pils is worth a look also
but may not be "Saaz"-y enough for you; again I don't know if they
do the "European" marketing thing.

[baloonon]

Post by Jack Schmidling
I am sure you all know what PU is so I would like suggestions or
alternatives out there that at least come close to it's character and
quality.

One challenge is that PU is probably far and away the most popular beer
in the US that has diacetyl. Diacetyl has become a dirty word in US
craft brewing, unfortunately -- it's not inherently good or bad, any
more than lemon or smoke or caramel or any other traditional component
is good or bad. But I think it becomes something of a point of pride of
a lot of US beer freaks to find and reject it in beer.

I realize some people don't like it, but some people don't like heavily
roasted malt or citrus or sweetness either, but just like diacetyl they
have their place, and I'm hopeful that the US beer world will come to
accept it in the same way that bacterial sourness is now seen as a
possible good thing once it's been realized that top Belgian brewers
have welcomed it in a number of their beers.

Pilsner Urquell is a fine beer, and the presence of diacetyl in it ought
to be seen as a sign of something to look for in other beers, rather
than dismiss.

[Jack Schmidling]

Post by baloonon
One challenge is that PU is probably far and away the most popular beer
in the US that has diacetyl.

I guess I am palate challenged as I detect nothing in PU remotely like
the so-called butterscotch taste of diacetyl.

However, I detect the "skunky Milller" nose and I like it and miss it in
other beers.

My take on the smaller bottle is not so much (or even at all) a matter
of cost but as a cured over indulger, I limit my beer to a number of
bottles. My wife and I split three bottles at "beer time" every day and
if we drink the "new" PU it's a bit like letting them tell me how much I
can drink. We miss that 2.4 oz but don't want to open another bottle.

Strangely enough, so far, the best alternative we have found is a beer I
categorically dismissed as German BUD, viz., St Pauli Girl.

Am I getting senile or is this a good beer?

js

Astronomy, Beer, Cheese, Fiber, Gems,
Nature, Radio, Sheep, Sausage, Silver

http://schmidling.com

[Ecnerwal]

Post by Jack Schmidling
However, I detect the "skunky Milller" nose and I like it and miss it in
other beers.

...

Post by Jack Schmidling
Am I getting senile or is this a good beer?

Skunky...like it...it's either senility or (more probably) different
tastes. I do think PU (by that acronym) has good truth in advertising,
at least. But then, I got into homebrewing to make beer I couldn't see
through that wasn't overhopped, and I think Laaglander DME gives me
exactly the attenuation results I want from a DME, so I'm a bit out of
step with the vast majority of low-fg hopheads.