Cheap Beer

I know this blog is titled Beer Snob and I guess I am a bit of a beer snob but there is a time and place to drink cheap beer. Though I do trend towards good beer I do buy my fare share of low end beer. I have a soft spot for the stuff since it was all I drank until I saw the light of better beer (and got a job and was thus able to afford good beer). So, I give you my times to drink cheap beer:

If you are in college then there really is no other beer than what we referred to as "Finest, cheapest". In a bar? Gimmie what ever the cheapest stuff coming out of the tap is that night. Usually this ends up being Coors/Bud/Miller Lite although we had some interesting selections around GT when I was in college. Best bet was Limerick Junctions Wednesday Night Special. Back in my day it was a beer new to the US, the special was $4.50 pitchers of Amstel Light! You could get food, drink for a few hours and leave with a tab of around $15 a person. All in all a great deal. For house parties the beers of choice ranged from Lighthouse, to Bud products and on to Natural Light. None taste all that good but for alcohol consumption they do their jobs. We did have fans of two odd beers back in school. Landmark and Schafer. Ugh, both the bottom of the barrel beer wise, but hey you could get a case of Landmark for $8!

When do I drink cheap beer now that I am out of school and have money to afford good beer? I'll keep a few in the fridge for when I am doing yardwork. My fav for quenching a thirst after mowing the lawn or playing tennis is Rolling Rock Light. Pretty good taste, very smooth and works best when served very cold on a hot day. For parties I'll stock usually stock up on Miller Light Bottles, a good standard (If I'm going high class for the party then Amstel Light is the choice). For the pool I upscale things a bit. No bottles so I have gotten in the habit of drinking Heineken Light. No cheap but not really high end either.

There are very few beers that I have avoided. You won't find me turning down a beer just because it is cheap. Iron City, PBR (a guilty pleasure actually, best enjoyed out of a 16 or 22oz can), Lighthouse ect. are all acceptable beers. In fact, the only beer that I can remember flat out refusing to finish was a Milwaukee's Best Light that a fraternity buddy of mine gave me. It was all he had in his fridge and it was terrible. I think I took two sips and decided to stay sober that night, yuck.

Those are my thoughts on cheap beer. Drink up if it is what you like but go out on a limb every now and then and try something new. But make sure you keep a few stashed in the fridge for the right time.

Favorite Cheap Beers:
Yuengling
Miller Light
Rolling Rock Light
Pabst Blue Ribbon