Achtung! Beck's beer now is domestic

KiM3Ce

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Ach du lieber!

You wouldn't know from looking at the cans but the Beck's beer I bought last night at Wal-Mart was not brewed in Germany. It says "Originated in Germany" but when you read the fine print it is a product of the USA.

I'm as patriotic as the next guy but I am sorry to report that it just does not taste the same. Business Week had a cover story about this and they were right.

Das ist schade, as my German teacher used to say...

It's not just a Wal-Mart thing, it's the producer. I liked the old globalization better :-(
 
The question is, did it taste more like the becks you would get locally in germany? I hate heineken with a passion, but when my bro was overseas on vacation he said it was incredible. Just because it's different doesn't mean it's bad.

I prefer Spaten brews anyway :)
 
unless Im mistaken....dos equis is made by becks...so that "mexican" beer is really german...(?) :scratch2:
 
Beck's used to be my all purpose beer but stopped drinking it last Feb. when Anheuser-Busch started brewing it in St. Louis. Anheuser-Busch was bought by the Belgium Co. InBev. I drink Pilners Urquell now a far superior beer.

Modelo of Mexico was bought by InBev. Modelo brews Corona, Modelo Especial and Pacifico.
 
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Yep.. been made in the US for a while now, and I don't like it any more either... I could tell the first time I got one that was made in the US... big difference..
 
The Beck sold in Canada is still made in Germany, although all in all, Beck is just an average beer to begin with.
Germany makes better beer than this one.
We also have beer from other country that are now brewed in Canada, and I agree, not the same at all. As an example, a Guinness should be brewed only in Éire, not in Canada by Molson.
 
It may be because Germany has very strict beer laws, and making it in the US allowed them to use cheaper materials that wouldn't be allowed by German law.
 
The question is, did it taste more like the becks you would get locally in germany? I hate heineken with a passion, but when my bro was overseas on vacation he said it was incredible. Just because it's different doesn't mean it's bad.

I prefer Spaten brews anyway :)

heineken is also a bit better on tap, but like you said it is totally different (in a good way)in europe
 
Irish Guinness beer distributed in Germany is made in Belgium.

Das ist schade. :D

Guinness Extra Stout sold in the US is brewed by Moosehead in New Brunswick.

FWIW, Beck's in the US sucks whether brewed here or in der Vaterland - pretty pedestrian stuff, IMHO.
 
Irish Guinness beer distributed in Germany is made in Belgium.

Das ist schade. :D

Here in the US, its either from Dublin or Canada, depending which variety. The canned Guinness Stout is from Dublin. The bottled Extra Stout comes from Canada.
 
First they ruined Lowenbrau, then all the distributors around here stopped carrying St. Pauli Girl and now this:thumbsdn::thumbsdn::thumbsdn:. BTW Most Mexican beers were originally German 'Alt' beers started by German brewers after WWI.
 
unless Im mistaken....dos equis is made by becks...so that "mexican" beer is really german...(?) :scratch2:

In a way, kinda. At the start, Dos Equis was based on a German formula brewed by/under the supervision of Becks, so the German's running the silver mines in Mexico would have a beer to their liking.

Of interest, there was another beer brewed just north of the border with the same heritage, only it's label featured a three x design, and it was based on Beck's German brand, Perlen. I think you can figure out the rest.

As for Becks being brewed in Saint Louis, there's no reason "The Budweiser of Germany" can't be brewed properly here. The disastrous Lowenbrau experiment (when Miller brewed it at a few different US breweries) was the result of Miller drastically altering the ingredients for American tastes. It killed the brand in NA.
 
Subjectively speaking, the "new" Becks lacks the flavor of the German Becks. Fortunately good craft beers are readily available for what I used to spend on imports. Market research shows that bland beer sells the most but that's not a winning ad slogan :).
 
Putting aside subjective taste comparisons for a moment, I have long wondered as I purchased a $8 to $10 bottle of Australian Shiraz or $12 to $15 twelve pack of German Bitburger Beer how it is possible to produce, bottle and ship that product to me in the US and still make a profit. From a business perspective, it makes perfect sense to save those transport and duty costs and produce the product regionally when possible.
I would also argue that the flavor degradation that happens due to elapsed time and environmental conditions (heat, light) during shipping overseas is a strong consideration as well. Any one who lives near the Canadian border can attest to the superior taste the Labatt and Molson products that are purchased in the Canadian beer stores. That product is kept cold and delivered quickly from the brewery to the store. The same beer shipped through importers to the US sits at room temp in the warehouse and there is a distinct taste difference.
German produced Lowenbrau is once again available at my favorite beer store. It is reasonably priced and has the flavor profile I remember from many years ago.
 
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