This is probably one of my top 5 favorites. Bought a case Friday and opened up one and took a sip. I was like there is something wrong with this as it didn’t taste right. I took another sip and was confused. I look at the lable and it says product of USA. This is a marginal beer and really doesn’t taste like the Becks they have imported before. I e-mailed Becks not thinking I would get a response but here it is;
This is Stephanie from Beck’s getting back in touch. I’m really sorry to hear that you feel that it’s a disgrace to the Beck’s in Germany, but I’m glad to have the opportunity to explain our decision to brew in St. Louis.
High quality and great taste are the most important parts of the Beck’s tradition. Research backs this up - many Beck’s drinkers have told us that they care how the beer is brewed rather than where it is brewed, insisting on the same signature taste and quality.
"We currently brew Beck’s in more than a dozen countries, which is very similar to other imported beer brands. This brewing location change is denoted on both the bottom of the Beck’s carriers and bottle labels.
Only the beer’s import status has changed. We continue to brew Beck’s with the same recipe and strict adherence to taste and quality of ingredients. Beck’s Brewmasters in Bremen, Germany participated in the transition to ensure the taste and qualities remain identical. All of our batches are sampled by our Beck’s global taste panel to ensure consistency worldwide.
That said, I will certainly share your concerns with the right folks at our company. I am sorry if you are disappointed that Beck’s is now brewed in St. Louis.
Thanks again for sharing your thoughts on Beck’s, Robert. I hope that you’ll reconsider and enjoy Beck’s again. Please let me know if there is ever anything I can do for you in the future."
To me this US version doesn’t taste like Becks, perhaps I got a bad batch? Highly unlikely!!
I feel like this has been going on for awhile. I’m not a Beck’s drinker, but seem to recall when there was a HUGE backlash about this by loyalists around the country.
I do tend to agree with the PR gal, that ingredients and process matter more in brewing than location (and frankly, the container ship voyage from Germany combined with the idiotic green bottles can only HARM a well-made pils). However, the proof is in the pudding, and if you don’t like the taste of the beer, I sure wouldn’t drink it. It is possible, plausible, and LIKELY that in moving production, they also tweaked the recipe with more adjuncts to trim down costs.
Do you ever drink Bitburger or Warsteiner? IMHO those are outstanding examples of German pils.
Also, Victory Prima Pils and Brooklyn Pils are great examples made stateside if you can get them in your area. (though Victory isn’t quite as snappy with the noble hops in the finish).
Yes, on the Bitburger!
I was stationed about 6 miles away from the brewery at one time, and me and some buddies became “regulars” for a monthly brewery tour visit!
About two weeks ago, I had the unusual opportunity to do a side by side tasting of imported Gerrman Beck’s, and the USA brewed version.
I have to say quite honestly (as much as I was anticipating otherwise) that there was little if any difference between the two brews. They were virtually identical. I can even safely discount the possibility that the comparison could have been affected by the possibility that German import would have lost something with age, since it had been held under constant refrigeration in the cooler of the store from which I obtained it. That fact would at least minimize any major loss.
So it seems as though at least as far as Beck’s goes, AB-InBev has managed to replicate the German version in St. Louis pretty convincingly.
A far cry from what Miller did with their contract brewing of Lowenbrau back in the mid 1970’s…that was an unmitigated disaster that really damaged the brand.
When US homebrewers have try to clone great European Pilsners, many times they have been unable to get the flavor just right. There has been speculation that part of what they are tasting in the original is due to oxidation and not careful handling on its journey over the ocean.
Perhaps the Azu’s US made sample was a fresh, not skunked bottle which didn’t have the flavors he was used to.
[quote=“The Professor”]About two weeks ago, I had the unusual opportunity to do a side by side tasting of imported German Beck’s, and the USA brewed version.
I have to say quite honestly (as much as I was anticipating otherwise) that there was little if any difference between the two brews. They were virtually identical. I can even safely discount the possibility that the comparison could have been affected by the possibility that German import would have lost something with age, since it had been held under constant refrigeration in the cooler of the store from which I obtained it. That fact would at least minimize any major loss.
So it seems as though at least as far as Beck’s goes, AB-InBev has managed to replicate the German version in St. Louis pretty convincingly.
A far cry from what Miller did with their contract brewing of Lowenbrau back in the mid 1970’s…that was an unmitigated disaster that really damaged the brand.[/quote]
Maybe it is possible the beer I had was an inferior batch. I noted slight resemblance to the imported Becks but I didn’t have a side by side comparison.
[quote=“Pietro”]Do you ever drink Bitburger or Warsteiner? IMHO those are outstanding examples of German pils.
Also, Victory Prima Pils and Brooklyn Pils are great examples made stateside if you can get them in your area. (though Victory isn’t quite as snappy with the noble hops in the finish).[/quote]
Yes to all!! All of them are way better than Becks!
Anyone who says that Becks USA and Beck’s Germany brewed taste the same needs new taste buds.
Just remember when Lowenbrau tried the same thing having Miller brewing co, brew it in the USA. It lasted a few years and now you can get german brewed lowenbrau again. I am sorry to say this is the last Becks I will purchase or drink.
I noticed this a few years ago with Guinness Extra Stout. It is now brewed in Canada. I sent them an email and got a response, but I did not have the time to respond. My guess was they were using American grown malt and not European grown malt. The creaminess of the Guinness Extra Stout that was being imported from Ireland was missing. The Canadian brewed Guinness is good, but not the world class beer I was buying before. Thank goodness we can now get FES.
I also experienced this on a smaller scale last summer. My daughter brought me a bottle of Young’s Special London Ale from London. It is now brewed at Well’s Brewery. It was a good beer, but had no where near the hop character of the original. It had a fresh date on it when I tried it, so it was not old.
Bass is another beer that is now brewed in the U.S. and has lost some character. It was pretty bland to begin with, but it had a nice, creamy mouthfeel. It was my go to beer when I ran out of English ale at the end of the summer before it was cool enough to brew again.
I think it is hard to clone a beer even with the same recipe.
I bet the German and American beers really do taste the same, when both are fresh.
If you want to get “that German flavor” from your American brewed Becks, perhaps all that is needed is to leave an American brewed case of it sitting under fluorescent lighting for like 9 months before touching any of it. Try it and see.
[quote=“dmtaylo2”]I bet the German and American beers really do taste the same, when both are fresh.
If you want to get “that German flavor” from your American brewed Becks, perhaps all that is needed is to leave an American brewed case of it sitting under fluorescent lighting for like 9 months before touching any of it. Try it and see.[/quote]
That may be it, Dave.
Honestly, the American and German samples I tasted side by side were virtually identical (with the American one certainly being 'fresher’by default). I think that AB-InBev actually pulled it off pretty well and they certainly have the technical knowhow to do so, not to mention the skill level of their brewers (who are arguably probably some of the best in the business). I should disclose that I was never a big Beck’s fan…I merely seized the opportunity for the side by side tasting only because it presented itself, so I was able to approach the test with no bias. The result I experienced surprised even me. I was something of an eye-opener.
So I don’t think this falls under the same category as the Miller/Lowenbrau disaster or the Bass Ale transition (Bass Ale had already changed quite dramatically more than 30 years ago…and the AB-Inbev version currently sold in the USA is fairly close to what British brewed Bass has tasted like for the last few years).
I certainly can’t deny that when foreign brands are brewed under contract or as a result of acquisition, things can sometimes get lost in the translation. But on the other hand, in some instances the differences can be attributed to imaginary perceptions or the simple fact that the locally brewed version is likely a lot fresher than imported samples previously consumed. That would probably even explain any perceived differences in Canadian Guinness Extra versus it’s formerly imported Irish counterpart.
Thank god for homebrew…we can enjoy that as fresh or as aged as we wish it to be.
It’s very possible you picked up some that has been on the shelf for 6-12 months too…I REGULARLY check every beer I buy now as most stores seem to leave stuff on the shelf forever now. Sad part…not all breweries date stamp the beers.
