Vortec Bottles

[usfmikeb]

EDIT: You really like Yuengling? I've never understood that beer. It leaves me with such a horrible aftertaste. Around here, people snatch that crap up like crazy. That is certainly a beer with wide appeal. If I judged just on my friends alone, it would be more popular than Sam Adams, which I think is 100 times better.

I don't drink much lager, but when I do, it is usually Yuengling. I used to live in Tampa, and they opened a brewery down there 10-15 years ago. They had a great brewery tour, which ended at the bar on premises. I used to stop by fairly frequently, so they just started sending me straight into the bar. There were many times that I sat there drinking a beer with the brewer, and talking about the craft.

 

[Revvy]

I don't drink much lager, but when I do, it is usually Yuengling. I used to live in Tampa, and they opened a brewery down there 10-15 years ago. They had a great brewery tour, which ended at the bar on premises. I used to stop by fairly frequently, so they just started sending me straight into the bar. There were many times that I sat there drinking a beer with the brewer, and talking about the craft.

Have you tried the Lord Chesterfield's ale?

What surprised me is that it is fizzy yellow, while the "traditional lager" is actually darker, like an amber lager. I thought I got the cans mixed up.

 

[usfmikeb]

To be honest, not too crazy abouth the Chesterfield, which is why I don't like their black and tan either. The porter's decent, but the lager seems to be their best product in my book.

 

[passedpawn]

Here's some great science and information from that reliable spout of veracity and scientific method: youtube.

Vortex bottle showdown: vortex vs non-vortex, speed into glass (as if that matters):


Does the beer actually "vortex" or spin:



Chug test: vortex vs. non


And, finally, the Miller marketing girls explaining the "tornado of flavor"

 

[krenshaw]

wow that got out of hand..

my original post was mostly talking about just the about of unnecessary cash they throw out just to throw it out there.. the following posts were informative, which only proved my point, that they spend too much money on marketing schemes when people would drink their beer anyways because that is what people know of since its been a staple so long..

yes i agree that they use typically "good" ingredients, and that maybe back in the day it was an innovative process to make their beer, but by todays standards their beer is well overpriced and, just like many companies, fails to innovate to keep up with today's slowly changing market.. i'm fine with them producing what they are good at, but don't push cold activated bottles (which is even worse than other), vortex bottles, or any other new schemes they come up with instead of just lowering their prices.. where i live (just about an hour from the original yuengling brewery) i can get a case of their lager cheaper just just about any AMC product..

and referring to the comment that they made what america wants, which may have been totally true when they first came out, isn't as true anymore.. i can't understand how many people i know that only drink those beers because it is what their parents drink etc.. for most people beer is a sort of acquired case, and they were mostly conditioned to like those because they have the most marketing and it is easier to drink a ton of those to get wasted..

first drinking beer i can equate to if you have ever smoked before.. i used to be a smoker and the only reason you ever start is to try something new or other similar reasons.. nobody EVER likes their first cigarette and i would think that most people aren't in love with the first time they try beer, but they are the heavy hitters in the beer industry since they throw so much cash around so that is what most people get accustomed to.. most people think that guinness is beer that looks and tastes like oil, though majority of people that i have talked to about that haven't ever drank it, or only did years and years ago.. the fact that it is just as smooth if not smoother drinking than many light lagers is way past them..

and speaking of pointless marketing and such.. the whole super light beer with less carbs is even more of a joke.. i challenge anybody to drink one of the low carb beers and not agree that it does not taste the same as the regular light beers except watered down, but for the same price.. same instance when if you go to a grocery store and buy a candy bar that claims to be 25% less fat, then notice that it is 25% less in size than the other ones..

i know that was a huge rant that went from east to west and back east again, but those are problems with the industry that i find troublesome that people don't tend to realize.. most craft breweries seem to not have such a big corporate agenda, though maybe that is because they are young, or maybe because they care differently about their product.. i do appreciate the history lesson, though only enforces the fact that the big breweries of today (not of yester year) don't care as much about their actual product as they do about their image and brand

 

[_JP_]

my original post was mostly talking about just the about of unnecessary cash they throw out just to throw it out there..

Marketing - that's the American way my friend. Look at the marketing budgets of Ford/GM/Chrysler compared with those of imported cars for example. When you're watching some of the new TV shows, on some, you'll see almost exclusively 1 make of automobiles. Ford for some shows, GM for others. Ford also sponsors American Idol. The judges on American Idol all have Coke cups in front of them, with the logos facing the camera. More marketing....

I talked with a relative, who worked for Ford for many years, about why they won't put more of their marketing money into R&D and make a better car instead of more commercials. He agreed (he worked in R&D, so that may have influenced his answer), but his response was basically that they're right where they want to be in the market place. They're successful at selling cars, and making money doing it. B/M/C is successful at selling beer they way they are..... and they're geniuses at marketing.

More power to them, I say. It makes "craft beer" all that more mysterious, unique, and interesting.

I was listening to Charles Bamforth's "Brewmaster's Art" a few weeks ago in the car and he was defending the American Lager with multiple arguments, one of which where he stated how it's probably the beer that shows flaws the easiest, forcing higher quality control standards than other beer types. That, and consistency (taste, color, clarity, etc) through worldwide distribution at hundreds of breweries, which I consider a feat in itself. If I remember right, during the tour at the St. Louis Budweiser plant, they said that a sample of each batch, worldwide, is flown back to them (daily) for sampling before it's allowed to go out. Pretty impressive.

 

[_JP_]

Oh, and my first impression with the "Vortex" bottle made me think that the pour was faster because the neck and mouth were wider.

Can anyone measure the mouth diameter vs. a standard longneck? I was sure the caps were a different size.