Friday's overrated beer: Heineken

It's a sad situation. Many four-star restaurants will boast a wine list that resembles the US Tax Code, and yet carry only three beers. Since these are classy restaurants, one of them will be an "import." That import is almost always Heineken.



Now Heineken isn't bad per se, but it has some, shall we say, questionable flavor characteristics. Out of the tap, it tastes like nothing. You might as well be drinking Fosters. When served from those green bottles,the UV rays of the sun break down the hop compounds, and Heineken takes on a characteristic skunky taste that some people swear is part of the flavor profile.

Love it or kinda like it, Heineken will always be that one import you get at the wedding reception's open bar. It will be the beer you order on the plane. And trust me, over the course of your life you'll order it again and again, usually because there's nothing better on that anemic index card that all to often passes as a beer menu.

-Mark