Top Euro Classic brews coming back to stores.

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Willy

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I thoroughly enjoyed the craft beer explosion over the last 10-15 years. That said, I was bummed to see my favorite European beers disappear off the grocery store shelves. Pilsner Urquell, Becks, St. Pauli, Bass, Newcastle, and many others slowly gave way and finally lost all shelf space. In all the stores whether it is a Kroger, Food Lion, Publix .... Whatever. Gone.

But yesterday I was thrilled to find Pilsner Urquell at Publix!!! Hurray. It has been over 10 years since I enjoyed one and surprised to discover a brown bottle replaced the green. When did that happen?

So... Asking others - have you noticed the recent arrival of many old Euro classic beers in your big grocery chains?

If so - what brands?


(For me ... Becks, Pilsner Urquell and Harp are back. Still no Bass or New Castle and other English legends.)
 
I don't think I've seen a Bass Ale in decades, even though it's been produced in the US since A-B InBev bought it. Pilsner Urquel never left (where I live anyway). Newcastle was always harder to find, and according to Wikipedia, if you do find it now it's a Lagunitas product that "has little in common with the original." I doubt that I'd miss Beck's or St. Pauli Girl as I don't think I ever had a fresh one back when they were plentiful, but they are also A-B InBev now and brewed in St. Louis anyway.

Just checked my Kroger app - Beck's and Newcastle are in stock; no Bass, Harp or St. Pauli Girl. And I really don't mind them giving some of that shelf space to local craft brews instead of poor imitations of beers I used to drink.
 
I don't think I've seen a Bass Ale in decades, even though it's been produced in the US since A-B InBev bought it. Pilsner Urquel never left (where I live anyway). Newcastle was always harder to find, and according to Wikipedia, if you do find it now it's a Lagunitas product that "has little in common with the original." I doubt that I'd miss Beck's or St. Pauli Girl as I don't think I ever had a fresh one back when they were plentiful, but they are also A-B InBev now and brewed in St. Louis anyway.

Just checked my Kroger app - Beck's and Newcastle are in stock; no Bass, Harp or St. Pauli Girl. And I really don't mind them giving some of that shelf space to local craft brews instead of poor imitations of beers I used to drink.
Excellent info - thanks. The German beers, pre 2000, used to be genuine but often compromised by not being especially fresh.

I agree - no problem with tasty local craft beers taking the shelf space from most of ye olde imports. That said - I love pilsner Urquell and was delighted to see it again. A 4.4% pilsner with a richness to die for! Triple decoction is olde school !
 
I haven't looked in a while but I'd love to see Fullers (any) back on the shelf locally.
 
This is some good news! I've never been a fan of over priced craft beers that I can just make myself. There is a well known craft brewery near me that I've always thought that the quality is equal to average to below average homebrew. I miss the days where there were rows and rows of imports. Always being fascinated with trying another German beer. Seems like the numbers have just gone lower and lower since the numerous over priced craft beers have taken over the space that used to be reserved for imports.

DMF.
 
There is a well known craft brewery near me that I've always thought that the quality is equal to average to below average homebrew.
I'm pretty sure there are a whole bunch of HBT members who brew Pilsners that are better than the A-B InBev made in St Louis versions of Beck's and St. Pauli Girl.
 
I'm pretty sure there are a whole bunch of HBT members who brew Pilsners that are better than the A-B InBev made in St Louis versions of Beck's and St. Pauli Girl.

Well I'm also sure that bunch of HBT members brew pilsners better than the original Becks.

And "St Pauli girl" literally does not exist in Germany (anymore). Apparently it's solely a US brand.
 
I still obtain many Euro classics. The one huge hole in the picture are British ales. We'll get a couple from Sam Smith's from time to time, but they're usually the lager and some other I'm not all that interested in. Otherwise, a ghost town of British ales and it bums me out. I remember being able to get several from Hook Norton on a regular basis, and so many others, e.g., Black Sheep. If I didn't brew them, I'd never be drinking British ale (my overwhelming favorite).
 
Well I'm also sure that bunch of HBT members brew pilsners better than the original Becks.

And "St Pauli girl" literally does not exist in Germany (anymore). Apparently it's solely a US brand.
I last heard original St Pauli Girl was still brewed in Bremen, Germany stictly for export but we obviously don't get the German version here. We're still pretty upset with what happened to Becks and St Pauli Girl as it's just not the same as it was before. Definitely have fond memories growing up with the real German versions.

DMF
 
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I thoroughly enjoyed the craft beer explosion over the last 10-15 years. That said, I was bummed to see my favorite European beers disappear off the grocery store shelves. Pilsner Urquell, Becks, St. Pauli, Bass, Newcastle, and many others slowly gave way and finally lost all shelf space. In all the stores whether it is a Kroger, Food Lion, Publix .... Whatever. Gone.

But yesterday I was thrilled to find Pilsner Urquell at Publix!!! Hurray. It has been over 10 years since I enjoyed one and surprised to discover a brown bottle replaced the green. When did that happen?

So... Asking others - have you noticed the recent arrival of many old Euro classic beers in your big grocery chains?

If so - what brands?


(For me ... Becks, Pilsner Urquell and Harp are back. Still no Bass or New Castle and other English legends.)
Harp? Really? Irish lager developed by Guinness, often found in lists of the worse beer in the world? That Harp?
:ghostly:
Even the adverts were execrable
 
I do not think that St. Pauli is actually a German beer.

Edit: it actually is! It is just not being sold in Germany.
 
Maybe I'm just nostalgic for those days but finding classic European styles and trying them for the first time was a wonderful experience. U.S. Craft beer has definitely caused some shelf space limitations but finding those styles has become more difficult and finding them without a decent amount of age is also a challenge.

I'm actually traveling to London and Belgium in a little over a month and am excited to experience so many of those beers again as fresh as possible. Some fresher tripels and English bitters should help recalibrate my homebrewing expectations.
 
Last I looked at my local beer shelf....

Becks has long been "German quality" code for not German. I won't touch any import that is not imported. Fraud. Even if it's 100% brewed the same.

St Pauli is still brewed & bottled in Bremen last time I bought a 6er.

Red Stripe was "Jamaican style" but is once again real Jamaican last time I looked at a 6 pack.

If you are gonna brew a foreign brand & recipe in CONUS...price it domestically, cause that's what it is.
 
Maybe I'm just nostalgic for those days but finding classic European styles and trying them for the first time was a wonderful experience. U.S. Craft beer has definitely caused some shelf space limitations but finding those styles has become more difficult and finding them without a decent amount of age is also a challenge.

I'm actually traveling to London and Belgium in a little over a month and am excited to experience so many of those beers again as fresh as possible. Some fresher tripels and English bitters should help recalibrate my homebrewing expectations.
If you can, check out Marstens (or something like that. Really good and very English )
 
Maybe I'm just nostalgic for those days but finding classic European styles and trying them for the first time was a wonderful experience. U.S. Craft beer has definitely caused some shelf space limitations but finding those styles has become more difficult and finding them without a decent amount of age is also a challenge.

I'm actually traveling to London and Belgium in a little over a month and am excited to experience so many of those beers again as fresh as possible. Some fresher tripels and English bitters should help recalibrate my homebrewing expectations.
If you’re going to UK and Belgium please tell me you’re on the hunt for better beer than Becks!!!
 
Have not seen Timothy Taylor's Landlord in ages, or any Fuller's beers. My local craft beer store here in Mass really cut back on European beers and the few they have are really old. Hell, they have cut back on craft beer too, less out of state beers, but more seltzers and mixed drinks in cans, plus 3 fridges that used to have craft beer are now for 12 packs of **** beer (Bud, Corona, etc) and some craft 12 packs. They stopped being a craft beer store like 2 years ago and are really just a regular liquor store now.

As for grocery chains in Mass, you are almost never finding any good European Beers. Mass has weird laws, only 7 stores in a chain can have liquor licenses. None of the stores in my town do. Wegman's and Whole Food are probably the best grocery stores in 30 mile area for beers, but except for German beers, their Euro selections are thin and most German beers are a year old or more, until O-Fest beers hit shelves. So then that leaves Total Wine, which is hit or miss also on any Euro beers besides old German beers. And even they have reduced their beer shelf space by 50% for seltzers/cocktails in cans.
 
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