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Craft beers

lexyplexy

By lexyplexy,
in Princess Cruises

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Hlitner "Live from...." Rare

Hlitner

Posted
Posted

The beer selection on Princess is abysmal! Rumors are that Princess is going to revamp their beer selection by the end of the year (how long does it take to buy beer) but we will believe it when it happens. Two weeks ago, while on the Regal, I had the audacity to ask the bar tender if he had any "IPA's." The fast answer was "No" (not sure the bar tender knew what IPA meant). But then he did offer that they had "some kind of German beer" aboard for the upcoming Octoberfest. But he did not know what it was called but offered to go into the back and try to find a bottle (we said no thanks). To get back to the OP's question about "craft beer" there are NONE on Princess ships.

 

This topic was recently discussed on another lengthy blog.

 

Hank

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  • 5 weeks later...
PensFan1028

PensFan1028

Posted
Posted

Looks like the new list added Goose Island Sofia and another Belgian style Quadrupel.... I seriously hope that wasn't the big reveal of added craft brews.... C'mon Princess get it together.... Carnival offers Rebel IPA, Sierra Nevada, a white IPA, a decent amber and various others that, while not impressive by most, are still leaps and bounds ahead of Princess. Royal offers a decent variety depending on the ship. On Oasis a few years back I was never displeased with the selection. The flight to get to the cruise has a better selection.

 

Let me pay a corkage fee for a 6 pack.

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newport dave

newport dave

Posted
Posted
36 minutes ago, PensFan1028 said:

Looks like the new list added Goose Island Sofia and another Belgian style Quadrupel.... I seriously hope that wasn't the big reveal of added craft brews.... C'mon Princess get it together.... Carnival offers Rebel IPA, Sierra Nevada, a white IPA, a decent amber and various others that, while not impressive by most, are still leaps and bounds ahead of Princess. Royal offers a decent variety depending on the ship. On Oasis a few years back I was never displeased with the selection. The flight to get to the cruise has a better selection.

 

Let me pay a corkage fee for a 6 pack.

Wasn't it supposed to be 17 different beers???? 

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newport dave

newport dave

Posted
Posted
19 minutes ago, PensFan1028 said:

 

Yes, but this is the only evidence of any changes currently. I'll be on the Royal in early December and was really hoping for a full roll-out by then.

We're on the Sun on the 20th Nov, so was also hoping they'd have the new beers on board. 

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Hlitner "Live from...." Rare

Hlitner

Posted
Posted

I am on the Regal now and there have been zero changes to the abysmal beer list.  Amazing to be on a ship without a single IPA or any other craft beer.  I cannot help but wonder of a major brewer pays off ( through promotional pricing) Princess not to carry a decent beer selection.

 

Hank

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charlie murphy

charlie murphy

Posted
Posted

Bottom line you will not satisfy all the people all the time. A German on the cruise is going appreciate Budweiser and other light lagers (  Stella is euro Budweiser). West coast IPAs are not a German's thing and a German beer guy rips hop beers. I can not imagine an Aussie wants to drink Coopers or Fosters for 2 weeks of cruise life.  As a guy from the US I do not want any West coast based beers. I get them at my local supermarket. ( Ok, maybe a couple but not all the time.)

While on a recent cruise the ship offered a couple brews from a UK brewery ( bath ales) , I think it was "GEM".  For what it was it was (very) good ( ESB / amber ale ), I think on the cruise it was labeled as a Pale ale. Now, a guy from the US is going to rip this beer because it is not a hop forward beer like a US guy thinks a pale ale should be. A UK drinker or euro beer guy might really like this beer and appreciate it. I think that they had bass on tap and maybe another UK beer. The bass was good compared to US product, maybe fresher, and definitely not like the bass we get here in the bottle at a supermarket.

I guess my point and recommendation to princess is find a local brewer with the flavor of the region, (ships are all over the world!) with a respectable brew that could supply the ship the requested number of bottles when in port. 

I was glad to not  be drinking SN, Sam Adams, anchor steam, etc..... in the UK  or anywhere outside the US. 

 Now some say princess does not have any good beer, I would say you did not find Gulden Draak a bottle conditioned , Belgian (quad) that laces the glass. Now pool side on a hot day this is not your beer. But this is a wonderful beer, not a daily drink at home and was a daily staple on my vacation. It was a nice treat . At some point in time, trappist beers were the  "craft" beers of the world some still are.   

If you could put a beer on the list of "17" beers what would that list look like

I will go first

1) Pilsner Urquell . 

 

 

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SteveH2508

SteveH2508

Posted
Posted

Charlie

Your beer list needs a context IMHO.

 

Are we looking at cruising beers? (i.e. keg, bottled or canned – not cask-conditioned)

Are we talking hot or cold climates?

 

FWIW – my list (cruise beers – hot climate) (UK/Europe bias I’m afraid)

Hop Back Summer Lightning (not seen on a ship yet but I live in hope)

Warsteiner

Sam Adams Boston Lager

Pilsner Urquell

Tanglefoot (P&O only)

Bottled Becks

Grolsch

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newport dave

newport dave

Posted
Posted
12 minutes ago, SteveH2508 said:

Charlie

Your beer list needs a context IMHO.

 

Are we looking at cruising beers? (i.e. keg, bottled or canned – not cask-conditioned)

Are we talking hot or cold climates?

 

FWIW – my list (cruise beers – hot climate) (UK/Europe bias I’m afraid)

Hop Back Summer Lightning (not seen on a ship yet but I live in hope)

Warsteiner

Sam Adams Boston Lager

Pilsner Urquell

Tanglefoot (P&O only)

Bottled Becks

Grolsch

P&O's 28 bottled real ales would do for me. Unfortunately don't have a list. 

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newport dave

newport dave

Posted
Posted
49 minutes ago, charlie murphy said:

Bottom line you will not satisfy all the people all the time. A German on the cruise is going appreciate Budweiser and other light lagers (  Stella is euro Budweiser). West coast IPAs are not a German's thing and a German beer guy rips hop beers. I can not imagine an Aussie wants to drink Coopers or Fosters for 2 weeks of cruise life.  As a guy from the US I do not want any West coast based beers. I get them at my local supermarket. ( Ok, maybe a couple but not all the time.)

While on a recent cruise the ship offered a couple brews from a UK brewery ( bath ales) , I think it was "GEM".  For what it was it was (very) good ( ESB / amber ale ), I think on the cruise it was labeled as a Pale ale. Now, a guy from the US is going to rip this beer because it is not a hop forward beer like a US guy thinks a pale ale should be. A UK drinker or euro beer guy might really like this beer and appreciate it. I think that they had bass on tap and maybe another UK beer. The bass was good compared to US product, maybe fresher, and definitely not like the bass we get here in the bottle at a supermarket.

I guess my point and recommendation to princess is find a local brewer with the flavor of the region, (ships are all over the world!) with a respectable brew that could supply the ship the requested number of bottles when in port. 

I was glad to not  be drinking SN, Sam Adams, anchor steam, etc..... in the UK  or anywhere outside the US. 

 Now some say princess does not have any good beer, I would say you did not find Gulden Draak a bottle conditioned , Belgian (quad) that laces the glass. Now pool side on a hot day this is not your beer. But this is a wonderful beer, not a daily drink at home and was a daily staple on my vacation. It was a nice treat . At some point in time, trappist beers were the  "craft" beers of the world some still are.   

If you could put a beer on the list of "17" beers what would that list look like

I will go first

1) Pilsner Urquell . 

 

 

As Pale Ales date back to the early 1700's, I'd suggest the UK Pale Ales are the true ones and US ones are just a derivative. 

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charlie murphy

charlie murphy

Posted
Posted

this is what I mean. not a simple question. Hot / cold cruise , pool side / dinner, US / UK / other. 

I like where this going : Fullers nice pick! , Sam Adams is everyday beer hear in the US and Really , Really common, But it makes the top 10 for some. Poolside, burger , etc . good beer. 

maybe the people at princess is giving this as much thought as we are. YEAH RIGHT! 

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charlie murphy

charlie murphy

Posted
Posted

anyone with a Crown cocktail and beer menu for the new beers to confirm this bartenders' statement!

 

my voter for a representative from Belgium: 

Chimay ( red , white and blue) that only counts as one 

 

so far our cruise line has 

Hop Back Summer Lightning (not seen on a ship yet but I live in hope) ( never tried it but interested) 

Warsteiner ( german standard ) 

Sam Adams Boston Lager ( american standard) 

Pilsner Urquell ( defines the style) 

Tanglefoot (P&O only)

Bottled Becks ( Iwould like beck dark) 

Grolsch 

Fullers 

Chimay 

that is only 8 so we can stock 11 more!

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SteveH2508

SteveH2508

Posted
Posted

OK (given my Brit/Euro bias) I shall add:

 

Fullers London Pride (IMHO one of the best balanced British bitters namely hops, malt, depth of flavour)

Timothy Taylors Landlord (similarly well-balanced hops, malt etc.)

Keo Cypriot 'lager' - superb in a hot climate (maybe remembering through rose-tinted glasses but WTH)

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charlie murphy

charlie murphy

Posted
Posted

alright we need a west coast IPAs: good calls. 

Ballast point and stone could meet the need in terms of production . West coast hop bomb I believe goes to STONE.

I would go: Ruination from stone brewing. 

 

I would prefer ; Alpine or Green flash I

 

I would give Lagunitas to nor Cal 

but from NOR CAL  : I think my vote goes to 

Anchor STEAM , from anchor brewing 

 

see princess IT's not that difficult . WE ALL ( ok contributors to this thread) deserve unlimited drink packages for life . You know how much a consultant would charge for this type of support.  

 

 

 

 

 

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PensFan1028

PensFan1028

Posted
Posted

Some of the more commercial craft breweries are probably what we should be expecting. Sam Adams (not really craft IMO anymore but it's a step in the right direction), Dog Fish, New Belgium, Cigar City, Founders, Stone... something, anything let's get on it Princess :classic_blink:

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Hlitner "Live from...." Rare

Hlitner

Posted
Posted

Many of the posters are dreamers :(.   If Princess wanted to have some IPA's on their vessels, why were there still zero as of 2 weeks ago!   Princess has a captive audience.  On land, if you don't like the beer selection in a bar you simply go to a different bar.  But on Princess, they would prefer you buy "Bud."  And then there are those faux beers called "lite" which should be banished from the face of the earth :).  I will confess that beer selection sometimes drives us towards booking Celebrity where they even have Dogfish Head 90.

 

Hank

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brt49

brt49

Posted
Posted
9 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

Many of the posters are dreamers :(.   If Princess wanted to have some IPA's on their vessels, why were there still zero as of 2 weeks ago!   Princess has a captive audience.  On land, if you don't like the beer selection in a bar you simply go to a different bar.  But on Princess, they would prefer you buy "Bud."  And then there are those faux beers called "lite" which should be banished from the face of the earth :).  I will confess that beer selection sometimes drives us towards booking Celebrity where they even have Dogfish Head 90.

 

Hank

What I don't understand is why other cruise lines including some in the Carnival portfolio offer 30-40 beers, but Princess in only offering mainstream beers.

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