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Fransen Street Irish Red Ale

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  • Fransen Street Irish Red Ale

    I hope I don't get flogged or crucified for mentioning a SAB product but what do you guys think of the Fransen Street Irish Red Ale?

    I am the last person to praise SAB but this really is one of our favourite crafts at the moment - especially if you manage to stumble onto a real fresh batch somewhere. And it is popular even among some of my friends that are not generally beer drinkers.

    While we have had some batches that were not perfect, generally it is nice and full-bodies with a very rich & satisfying after-taste. Once I am brave enough to move from a kit to a partial mash, an Irish Red ale is definitely top of my list!

  • #2
    If you like it, why should you even bother listening to anyone else's opinion?

    You are new here, so I am going to let you in on a small tenet that I am trying to establish on this forum:

    You are entitled to drink what you want and you are entitled to like what you want. You are NOT entitled to bash anyone else's preference and you are NOT entitled to judge anyone else's dislikes.

    Some people hate Castle Lager because it gives them headaches. Some dislike IPAs because it's way too bitter. I dislike Fransen Cream Ale because I got reeeeeaaaaallly drunk on it once and retch when I smell it now. Some people like Black Label because it gets you buzzing quickly and has a reliable flavour. All of these reasons are perfectly valid.

    People who hate on SAB (or any other commercial brewery) beer just because it's not "craft" (wtf does that even mean?) is ignorant. The fact that SAB manages to make a consistent product year on year with differing harvests and ingredient availability all while using a process that is pretty much the same as what we do is absolutely astounding. Their brewmasters deserve the highest levels of respect.

    On to the Fransen Cream Ale: I like it too. I usually order it if it's available and/or something like Peroni/Stella/Urquel is not available. Fransen is quite reliable in terms of flavour and you can at least expect something that is drinkable. When I am paying R40 a pint then I don't want to gamble on something I might not like. That said, the last couple of times I've had it it was way darker and more toffee than usual. I do not know if they changed the recipe or had a little mishap in the brewery, but it was still OK.

    Of all the beers available on the South African market today, it's usually the "craft" beers that are bad. We have a couple of certified tasters on here, and if their opinions are anything to go by then most of those beers are really bad. But bad as in the brewery has poor sanitation practises or they use stale ingredients or something. The South African market is very ignorant about quality and the breweries are exploiting that. Many people will drink horse piss if you label it "craft beer" just because there is this perception that SAB beer is terrible and it's only good for pouring down the drain.

    If you drink a beer that you do not like or if it tastes funny, then send it back or ask for something else. I can promise you more often than not there is probably something wrong with the beer and it's not jou "not getting it".
    For things I'm selling:
    - I can be contacted at homebrewer at dline dot co dot za
    - I am located in Pretoria East
    - I am always open to reasonable offers, especially if you are picking up more than one thing I'm selling.

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    • #3
      Originally posted by getack View Post
      You are entitled to drink what you want and you are entitled to like what you want. You are NOT entitled to bash anyone else's preference and you are NOT entitled to judge anyone else's dislikes.
      Hear hear!

      Hi Krugie!

      SAB (ABInBev) makes really good beer, otherwise they would not own most of the market. Their competitive practices are sometimes horrible, but that is not the brewer's fault.

      It does not matter who brewed the beer, as long as the beer is good. "Good" means not infected. As getack said, tastes differ, and a beer can be good, even if it is not to your taste. Personally I really struggle with some of the Belgian Lambics, like Cantillon, but I understand what the beer should be and I can give credit to the beer, but I would rather drink something else.

      Cheers!

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      • #4
        I don't drink mainstream SAB like Castle etc because something they add (pre-isomerized hops maybe) gives me headaches.

        But I like 5 Fransen Street beers, and will happily drink several irish red ales.

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