Roundtable #30 | Retro Beer Challenge | Semifinal Round

We really could drag this out forever...

Because we'd already taken notes and picked out the outstanding flavors of all the contenders, all we had to do now is line them up, taste them, and pick a favorite. We were still working blind, and surprisingly enough, it was pretty easy to forget which beer was which in the process of pouring and distributing samples. We kept notes near the pouring area just to make sure.

First up: Budweiser vs. Schlitz. I think we were all kind of hoping Schlitz was going to win this matchup, if only because Schlitz is by far the crudest sounds beer name of them all, ranking above both Arrogant Bastard and Old Leghumper. But this wasn't a name contest - and Budweiser's fruity, garbagey/white wine nose and well-balanced, crisp and agreeable flavor beat out Schlitz's slightly sulfury, "like someone threw an egg into the brewkettle" yet somehow "agreeable" taste.

Budweiser moves on to the finals.



Our second semifinal matchup featured heavy-hitters Rolling Rock and Old Style. You may recall from earlier reading that Old Style featured a "faint skunkiness, with notes of water and malt and a well balanced pissiness." Rolling Rock didn't have much nose, but the taste was reminiscent of a white wine; a little fruity, and a bit tart. When put head to head, the vote was split right up the middle, with two of us voting for Old Style, and two of us voting for Rolling Rock. As a result of our indecisiveness, both Rolling Rock and Old Style advanced to the final round.



What will happen in our three way final? Can pissiness beat out tart frutiness* or garbageyness*? Can you handle the excitement? Did any of us throw up? Place your bets, leave your comments, and tune in tomorrow for our next installment of.... THE HOOSIER BEER GEEK RETRO BEER CHALLENGE.

*these words are definitely not in the dictionary

*if you're wondering about PBR, we tossed it way back here

Roundtable # 30 - Retro Beer Challenge - Round 3 (Great Lakes Region)

The third round of the Retro Beer Challenge featured beers from the upper Great Lakes region: Schlitz, Miller High Life, and Stroh's. (Damn you, plethora of Wisconsin brews screwing up our brackets!) There was very little difference in these three as they were poured -- the tasting produced the following notes:

Beer #1 smelled "like a hair salon", burnt and plasticky, and tasted slightly malty with not much of a hop bite.

There "wasn't much going on" with Beer #2; it smelled slightly sulfury, "like someone threw an egg into the brewkettle". An "agreeable" beer, Jim noted that he finished his sample -- a rarity on this day.

Beer #3 smelled "like someone has dogs in their house", and tasted "like cat poo". Flat and vinegary, this one was panned.

We were split on the rankings for this beer; we all picked Schlitz to move on to the second round, and Miller High Life and Stroh's tied for second place. Fitting, since adorning our table was a vintage Schlitz pitcher that Gina got from her parents.

Speaking of Schlitz, a look at their website shows that they're still using the marketing slogan "Go for the Gusto". Any of our dear readers want to explain just what the hell that means?

Kickin' it Old Skool