James Silverton wrote:
>
> Arri wrote on Sun, 15 Jun 2008 17:48:12 -0600:
>
> > James Silverton wrote:
> >>
> >> "Arri London" > wrote in message
> >>
> > >> James Silverton wrote:
>
> > <snip>
>
> > >>> Drink what you like of course but why insult others'
> > >>> tastes? It's simply not worth the trouble to say that you
> > >>> do or don't like a popular beer. Budweiser seems to sell
> > >>> pretty well in Britain even if I only like it cold enough
> > >>> to have floating ice crystals .
> > >>>
> > >>> --
> > >>>
> > >>> James Silverton
> > >>> Potomac, Maryland
> > >>>
> > >> But the Budweiser sold in the UK (which is usually the
> > >> Czech version) isn't the same as the US Bud in any case.
> > >> Anheuser/Busch stole the name of a perfectly decent Czech
> > >> beer and have been using it on their coloured water ever
> > >> since.
> >>
> >> That's simply not true based on my experience. I've bought
> >> Budweiser on British trains and it was the familiar
> >> Anheuser-Busch bottle. Europeans love to say that
> >> Anheuser-Busch stole the name but their use predates that of
> >> the consolidated Budvar breweries. In 1876, the name
> >> Budweiser was adopted by the American brewer Adolphus Bush.
> >> When the Czech brewery, 20 years later (just after
> >> incorporation in 1895 ), wished to begin exports to the New
> >> World, this caused problems, and Budvar had to be given
> >> another name, Crystal I believe. Not that I would maintain
> >> that Budweiser is much of a beer as I have already mentioned
> >> even if it is brewed in Ireland, Italy, Russia, the UK and
> >> Spain.
> >>
> >> --
>
> >Obviously you know a different crowd in the UK than I do LOL.
> > No one Iknow will drink American Budweiser. What I learnt about
> >theBudweiser/Budvar thing comes from Czech people associate
> >with thebrewing industry. If it's wrong blame them
>
> Obviously, the Czechs would say that! Blindness to inconvenient facts is
> a custom in many countries. Look at the French fighting to restrict the
> use of the name "champagne" while allowing French vintners to expand the
> designated areas indefinitely! I think you don't associate with hoi
> polloi and their horrible uncultured tastes :-)

The Czechs were part of my beloved 'Czech mafia'...the older generation,
acquaintances of the parents of a Czech friend. So you are right about
being blind to incovenient facts LOL. They view their country in a
golden glow of the past.
Somehow I think my friends would certainly object to being called 'hoi
polloi!. They tend to belong to CAMRA and bring back cases of the best
Belgian beers when on their weekend trips.
Personally I prefer the darkest German beers, but then that's what I
grew up with.