Beer

[RobbOz]

QV beers on Adriatic cruise

[ToadOfToadHall]

Can you supply a microscope ?!!! :beer-mug:

[RobbOz]

:) Mmmm - see what you mean. I haven't worked out how to resize images - I'd better type the beers instead:

 

Draught (all pints)

 

Fosters $5.95 (undrinkable)

San Miguel $6.50 (even worse)

Stella Artois $6.25 (hardly better)

Fuller's Seafarers $6.65 (3.6%, so forget it)

Marston's Pedigree $6.25 (a life-saver)

Guinness $6.50 (OK, if you're Irish)

 

 

Classic Cask

Batemans XXXB $6.95 (didn't like it)

Dark Star Hophead $6.95 (3.8% see Fuller's)

 

That's it for the Draught - a pretty poor selection made by someone who doesn't drink beer.

 

 

Bottles

Lagers (all 330 ml.)

(I shall not include the light beers)

Asahi $5.75 (always excellent)

Beck's $5.50 (always bad)

Brooklyn $5.75 (not tried)

Peroni $5.75 (if you like weak Italian beer)

Samuel Adams $5.75 (very good)

Tiger $5.75 (excellent)

Tsingtao $5.75 (not had it)

 

 

Usual beers one would avoid unless really desperate

Budweiser, Carlsberg, Heineken

 

 

Beers one would just not drink

Cobra, Corona, Grolsch

 

 

Pale Ales

Jaipur $5.95 (only 330 ml., so didn't bother)

Punk IPA $5.95 (popular, but not to my taste)

Side Pocket for a Toad $6.35 (that was interesting, 500 ml.)

Sierra Nevada $5.95 (always good, but 330 ml.)

Tribute - St. Austell $5.95 (their beers are always really nice, 500 ml.)

 

 

Wheat beers

Blue Moon Belgian White $5.95 (quite nice, but 330 ml.)

Erdinger Weissbier $5.95 (one of my favourites, 500 ml.)

Wheatbeer - Meantime $5.95 (didn't try, 330 ml.)

 

 

Classic English Ales (still bottled, but all 500 ml.)

Admiral Lord Collingwood $6.25 (can't remember)

Bombadier $5.95 (sorry, just don't think much of it)

Doom Bar $5.95 (sorry again - totally over-rated, I reckon)

Hobgoblin $5.95 (oh dear, see last comment)

London Pride $6.25 (now we're getting better)

TEA - Hogs Back $5.95 (I quite like this beer)

 

 

Golden Ales

Lady Godiva $6.25 (not tried)

Oxford Gold $6.25 (Brakspear - so always good)

Real Smiler $6.25 (not tried)

Speyside Oak Blonde $5.95 (Greene King, so should be all right - but 330 ml. bottle)

Tangelfoot $5.95 (worth a try)

[ToadOfToadHall]

Interesting comments on the beers there.

 

I would certainly drink Grolsh and Cobra and Peroni.

 

Doom Bar is overrated as you say, but it's a triumph of marketing. Rather like Magners cider - very popular but utterly foul.

 

Blue Moon is really nice. I had some on board but it was not chilled enough.

 

The prices are interesting; for bottled beer, the prices are in line with UK hotels or more expensive city centre bars. But from draught beers, they are well over the top - £5.20 for a pint of Fosters. No one would pay that. It's a £3/pint lager.

[Host Hattie]

Thanks for posting the details, one of the advantages of Cunard for us is the choice of "real beer", Mr HH still hasn't forgiven me for booking a Holland America cruise (it was 6 years ago !).

[Underwatr]

When we cruised on Caribbean Princess to Scandinavia (five years ago) there was exactly one beer tap onboard, by the Lido pool, and it was Stella. HAL wasn't as bad.

[warringtonian]

One advantage of Cunard (I think) is that you can take your own beer aboard. As someone who only drinks one or two beers a day it works out fine.

[RobbOz]

Perhaps I was a bit harsh/ratty on the beers, Mr. Toad. They were quite expensive, given the compulsory tip (enough said about that). I've only had Grolsch once, and I couldn't drink it - I'll give it another try - perhaps the barrel was off. Off to New Zealand on Celebrity Solstice on Thursday, so shall be checking their beers out. Caribbean Princess is now crossed off my list, Underwatr. And, yes, Warringtonian - no probs. in taking a couple of cans of the local brew on board QV at each port.

[ToadOfToadHall]

Grolsh is much nicer in bottles than on draught. It's also not normally available on draught, at least not very much in the UK. I too once had a terrible draught Grolsh whilst on holiday. I can even remember the pub I had it in ! So it must have made a lasting impression on me !!

[Splice the mainbrace]

It's not on your list but I had Adnams Broadside beer on board QM2 recently, I had not tried it before but even though strong in alcohol (6.3% !) and taste I found it to be very pleasant.

[Underwatr]

I'll try to post a complete QM2 beer list over the weekend.

[ew101]

I was impressed by the beer list on QV. The mainstream US lines (NCL etc.) are I think constrained by the unlimited beverage packages. These are by some reports sold to ~40% of guests aboard. If a guest will drink 10 beers a day, they still make money serving Bud Lite @60 cents a can but would lose on some epic IPA @$1.25 a bottle if you include shipping and handling costs. I agree with much of the commentary from RobbOZ. On a long voyage one could work through the entire list and validate his research :)