Comments on: Life’s Too Short to Drink Cheap Beer

By: Bob LaFortune

Bob LaFortune — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 23:31:37 +0000

I’ve just stumbled upon this article even though it was published in Jan. 2006.
I have a slightly different philosophy, which is …
Life’s too short to drink INFERIOR beer.

What’s the difference? Well, according to Consumer’s Reports, in a blind taste test Old Milwaukee is rated #1 in taste of American beers! (it’s true, look it up) Proving that price doesn’t always equal quality.

My favorite store bought beer (expensive)is “Midas Touch” by Dogfish Head brewery. I drink it in a champagne glass. My second favorite is Harp’s (Not Sharps) and I do agree that Home brewing is an excellent way to make beer just the way you like it at a minimal coat. By the way, this also holds true for wine. For years I have been making wine that is the equivalent of $13-$22/bottle store bought for a home brewed price of $2-$2.50/bottle. Treat your friends.

By: J-Dub

J-Dub — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 01:12:08 +0000

Old English 800…

By: Dan

Dan — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 01:41:49 +0000

I drink beer for the taste which means I don’t drink a lot of them and seldom the very cheap beers. But I’m always willing to try a beer regardless of the price. Who knows – maybe you’ll get lucky and find a great beer at a really good price.

Lite beer I just don’t understand and I’m a runner. I see these Michelob Ultra commercials and just laugh. The last thing I want to do is run 10+ miles and reward myself with a lite beer. I tried an Ultra once and swore I had better tasting water in Mexico.

By: Taxus

Taxus — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 17:26:23 +0000

Hey! What’s so wrong about Old Milwalkee?? It’s my favorite!

By: Maureen

Maureen — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 18:20:57 +0000

My all time favorite is a seasonal one – Jack’s Pumpkin Spice … in the fall when I can find it I try to stock up …I love it !!! Otherwise I like the darker brews – Mic Ultra Amber – Yeunling – Becks Dark ….so yeah I do like the better stuff.
Now the husband on the other hand ….Busch drinker ….yuck ….but then again he has to buy his own and with how much he drinks he couldn’t afford the good stuff …LOL

Going to do some searching for some of the beer suggestions mentioned by you all – maybe I’ll find a new favorite !

By: Sandy

Sandy — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 18:19:22 +0000

I was fortunate to be born and raised in the Mohawk Valley in NY State where I started my drinking career with Norvic Beer (very cheap and every can/bottle tasted different). I graduated to Utica Club and Matt’s and now that I have a couple extra dollars to spend on great beer, I drink any of the many varieties of Saranac that is made in Utica. The price is reasonable (about $6 a 6 pack) and the quality is absolutely fantastic.

By: david dura

david dura — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 20:42:25 +0000

one word…XINGU…NO ITS NOT ASIAN…Dark Brazilian Beer, best described as black silk

two words …TURBO DOG…abita brewery, La

NEW CASTLE ….ANY TIME

By: Spending It

Spending It — Wed, 20 May 2009 03:47:46 +0000

I’ve made the same decision — now that I’m older and rarely drink too many beers at one time, I don’t mind spending a little more for a good beer. Lately my favorite beer to buy is Blue Moon.

By: Gholmes

Gholmes — Fri, 08 May 2009 19:36:46 +0000

@Joe Kennedy (post #37)
Ah McMenamins’ Terminator Stout that is the best. Problem is that it doesnt keep bottled up. If you are ever in Oregon stop on in.

By: Beer Snob

Beer Snob — Thu, 07 May 2009 12:14:53 +0000

After making my own beer for the past 10 years, I will not go back! Hey, afterall, you can create your own taste, strength, and batch size. 5 gal, 10 gal, 15 gal….
From an average of $15.00 – $25.00 per 5 gal (30 bottles) you cant go wrong. The more fermentable sugar you use in the batch, the more alcohol content you get. Typical “Cheap” beer is anywhere from 3.5% to maybe 5%. My basic brew, “Lawnmower Beer” averages 6.5% and trust me, tastes a whole lot better.
I have experiemented with everything from Clones, to all grain kits mixing and matching to my tastes and have not had a bad batch yet. You can get into the craft for an initial investment of around $75. If you save your old bottles, you save on the bottle cost and most off the shelf kits come with the caps. If you want to spend a little more, I reccomend the old Pepsi or Coke 5gal containers. A dual tap kit will run you around $300 w/a 15lb CO2 bottle.

By: Beer Maker

Beer Maker — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 03:11:57 +0000

Dude,

Make your own beer. Cheaper and way better.

By: hemi

hemi — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 05:26:06 +0000

Get ready to dream of affordable beer, or food and fuel for that matter. Comrade obama and his useful idiots have taken the beach and are moving inland. “CHANGE” is most certainly coming our way…..somebody voted commie, not me! It’s gonna suck being us soon.

By: Ralph in Michigan

Ralph in Michigan — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 16:21:25 +0000

I am fifty something and have been a lifelong beer lover. I have tried hundreds of brews cheap and not so cheap. I have a lot of favorites and most of them are lager. Here are a few
Moosehead- smooth Canadian
Landshark- well balanced but a little sweet
Modelo- Them boys south of the border know how to make beer!
Old Milwaukee- the best tasting affordable beer out there
Rolling Rock- best in hot weather

Many have posted that Yuengling is good. Where is it available? Have not seen it in Michigan

By: Pancho

Pancho — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 07:39:35 +0000

I Agree with Texas beer snob somewhat, sometimes you don’t want to think too much about beer, you just want to get drunk. Especially now in these bad economic times, where everything is becoming increasingly expensive. You have to be willing to drink cheap beer sometimes, if you go out to see a band or go out with buddies chances are your’e not going to find a lot of variety in beer except for the big macrobrews. I started out drinking regular stuff such as Budweiser, Miller Light, etc and still do If I go out, sometimes that’s all you need, But I also like good Micros as well, just depends on my mood I guess and how much I have left to spend!

By: Former Texas Beer Snob

Former Texas Beer Snob — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 09:06:58 +0000

Until last week, I only drank “good” beer. I only drank beer brewed by a bunch of monks or had hints of coriander and orange or had a cork or a thingamajig rolling around the bottom of the bottle or a long, unpronouncible, Eastern European name that I have to point to when ordering. I always looked at people in confusion and horror when they ordered yet another PBR (Pabst Blue Ribbon).

So last week I was completely stressed and even though I don’t usually drink in the middle of the week, I stopped at a store for beer. As I was headed for the hefeweizen, rows of forties caught my eye. “Why not? Why can’t there be something cheap and easy in my life.” I stopped careing about what microbrewery it came from. Or if it would pair well with spicy, Asian food. Or if it was the special, seasonal, novelty brew. Or if I had the proper fruit to garnish and enhance its flavor. All I had to consider was whether to drink it in the paper bag or out of the paper bag.

BUDLIGHT LIME.

It was refreshing and uncomplicated. It was not bitter, skunky or an “aquired taste”. And it was only $2 for a big ass bottle!!! Save the Guiness for Christmas because next week I am going to do a flight of cheap beer – Mickey’s, Lone Star, The Beast, PBR, Stones, Colt 45, etc!

My ephiphany is that life is too short to waste time and money looking for the perfect beer.

By: Richard Meyerson

Richard Meyerson — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 19:47:34 +0000

I like RedHook ESB. It’s an English style bitter ale. I wish it would catch on more in the bars here in Spokane, Wa., because there’s nothing outside of a few Actual English beers that can stand up to it. Dead Guy Ale from Rogue brewery is real good too, and although it’s designed to be a German “Marzen” style ale, it tastes like a good English Bitter. A lot of the micros are too sweet for me, and the IPA’s are TOO bitter, but the ESB”s I really like.

By: DebtFreeAl

DebtFreeAl — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 17:12:57 +0000

My cheap beer of choice? A Russian Imperial Double Stout. Where to buy it? You can’t. I brew it myself.
I once did the math and found that I could (after the initial investment in equipment of about $150.00) brew up about 5 gallons of HIGH quality beer for about $15.00. (My favorite costs about $20.00 for the five gallons) That more than makes up for the initial investment in a very short time and you get GREAT beer.
It’s a fun hobby, and your house smells like fresh baked bread for a week. Mmmm….
You can use the same equipment to make wine, and mead, too.
Try it. It’s easy and will save you money. Plus, you can explain the science of it to your kids and they’ll be fascinated by the bubbling air-trap during fermentation.

By: Rick in PA

Rick in PA — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 21:44:59 +0000

Being a good old Pennsylvania boy, I don’t have to go far for good cheap beer. I Just look for Yuengling. Yuengling Lager is the choice of most but they also have a very satisfying Dark and Tan. Lord Chesterfield Ale is a hit in this household with a crisp, semi-dry flavor and little or no aftertaste. It’s not necessary to pay $8 for a 6-pack of micro brew or import when there are so many great domestic brews available.

Be American, Buy American.

By: Richie

Richie — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 00:34:06 +0000

if i’m going to be drinking a 12 pack or more, bud or bud light is always best… or if need be, busch light. when i’m willing to spend the extra money, some of my favorites are: landshark, stella, mich amber bock, or one of the sam adams.

By: John in RI

John in RI — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 23:19:46 +0000

I’m careful with my money, but beer is one thing I will NEVER go cheap on. In the winter, I like a nice malty ale like Sam Adams Boston Ale, Bass Ale, or Guiness. In the heat of summer though, I like to thin it out and go with a nice, crisp, hoppy beer like Sierra Nevada Pale Ale or Harpoon IPA. Beer….is there anything it can’t do?

By: Pancho

Pancho — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 05:02:56 +0000

Here in Texas what cheap beer you drink depends on if you live in a city or a small town. In the hill country the cheap beer is keystone light. In cities like Austin the cheap beer of choice is Lonestar. My cheap beer used to be Lonestar but now Miller Lite is about the same price in certain clubs. My go to beer of choice is Fat Tire. You can get it anywhere now in Texas, even my relatives podunk town has it at the local market. Luckily for me Austin has a few local brewers that make good beer which is on tap at most local bars. Live oak pilsner is a great example of a good local brew. It’s hard to drink that cheap stuff like lonestar anymore, backwards beer conversion not possible!

By: Brian

Brian — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 23:04:56 +0000

I love that people have been commenting on this article since it was published in Jan ‘06! I guess people are passionate about cheap beer. I am sitting here with two 12 packs of Bud Lite next to me, but only because they were on sale for $6.79 each and in these economic times, I couldn’t resist. I’m usually an MGD or Miller Lite guy.

By: rolodemassi

rolodemassi — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 09:51:38 +0000

Drink Erdinger if you can get it (German)Quality Beer.

By: Austin

Austin — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 22:20:40 +0000

High Life is my daily beer. On the weekends sometimes I’ll splurge and pick up some newcastle or sam adams seasonal. Sammy’s not bad, but I sure miss Leinie’s and Summit back in Minnesota…

By: Pete Rushworth

Pete Rushworth — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 22:21:24 +0000

You are right! Life is too short to buy cheap beer EXCEPT when your beer is readily available to your 18+ children and their friends. When the kids moved out I started buying good beer. They can have some if they come over.

By: Rich

Rich — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 20:36:05 +0000

There are tons of great beers for each style, ESPECIALLY in American Microbreweries. I won’t speak for wheat beers, belgium ales, and alot of other styles I haven’t drunk in a while, but here are a few that I believe are standards for the style:

Lager, Pilsner – Pilsner Urquel(Czech)
Irish Stout – Guiness (well, there are better, but it is a standard and easily available)
Pale Ale – Mirror Pond Pale Ale (Descutes Brewery)
ESB – Redhook – well, again there are better, but this one goes down easy and is sort of a west coast standard.
American India Pale Ale (IPA) — I tried so many fantasic IPAs at the Mammoth Brews and Blues festival recently that I can’t even give an answer here, probably because I couldn’t remember the names (age + alcohol related problem, probably). I know San Diego had the most microbreweries with great IPAs. (California is a bit like Oregon for great brewpubs) Stone IPA was one of them, but the best was – I wish I could remember! What I drink regularly is a home-brewed IPA that is a clone of Great Basin Brewery’s Ichthyosaur Pale Ale, so for me that’s the everyday standard.

I gotta say, the best beer is the one that works for you. I can drink an American lager on a hot day, but for the most part, I agree with the “life’s to short/why not live a little” theory. Even an expensive beer is cheap in comparison to a good wine, and with the variety available these days from great Microbrewies, you can pair different styles with all types of foods for exceptional gourmet experiences.

BTW, I brew both beer and wine. Most of the microbreweries and many boutique wineries were started by homebrewers, so it’s not surprising we don’t drink bud, coors or millers much.

By: Jim

Jim — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 04:32:54 +0000

Good beer only for me now! I enjoy Stone IPA! I live in near San Diego, and Stone Brewing IPA is hoppy with a delicious finish! I started drinking beer with Coors, Bud and Schlitz! Does anyone remember Hamms? I now enjoy good hoppy beers. I drink Fat Tire and my buddy’s home brew now.

By: PD

PD — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 00:06:01 +0000

However- sierra nevada has to be my favorite. If i gotta go cheap- here in miami – Presidente goes for $8 for 12. You can’t go wrong with Old Millwaukee- Its the taste as great as it’s name. Natural Light is pretty good too.

By: PD

PD — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 00:03:15 +0000

Dogfish head- That’s great beer- Preferably 60 minute ipa

By: Eric

Eric — Mon, 26 May 2008 20:24:32 +0000

How about home brewing? I’ve done it before and it is real easy, not much harder than making soup. I made a lot of good IPA’s and Stouts for about $25 for 2 1/2 cases (it is probably more now). Lots of information on the net.

I am of the opinion that the American brewing industry has never really recovered from prohibition. They legalized the weak stuff first and people got used to it.

Since I don’t drink as much as I used to (cuz I’m married). I spend more and drink less of:

1. Bass
2. Harp
3. Sam Smith’s Pale Ale
4. Sapporo (when we eat out)
5. Guinness

No particular order or preference.

By: Bob

Bob — Sat, 24 May 2008 01:05:30 +0000

Oh and life’s too short to drink ANY cheap booze.

By: Bob

Bob — Sat, 24 May 2008 01:04:47 +0000

I’m lucky. I live within stumbling distance of the great basin brewery with is a brew pub in Sparks (Reno) Nevada. If I want a really great beer I can walk down and not worry about driving home.

By: hank

hank — Sat, 03 May 2008 15:33:27 +0000

yuengling rules

price of good beer goes up because the price of hops and barley go up. mass producers of beer don’t raise their prices as much because they don’t use as much of the quality ingredients. they use cheap substitutes

By: Dave

Dave — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 23:14:53 +0000

Frankly, beer is so caloric I drink the good stuff just to keep from going from large to extra large.

The Belgians make some lovely stuff, but it is crazy expensive — especially with the weak dollar.

Best mass produced beer in America today: Siera Nevada.

By: Lisa

Lisa — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 00:34:43 +0000

Coors Light and Rolling Rock are my old standbys…I like Magic Hat #9 if I want something different. I really don’t like anything heavier than that.

By: jeff

jeff — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 23:50:34 +0000

I’ve drank my share of both cheap and good beer, for the money Miller Lite is the best of the cheap, and Smithwicks is a decent affordable beer. As far as the Jack drinker, try Basil Haydens and coke, Much smoother and better than Jack.

By: Katie

Katie — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 23:17:32 +0000

I dislike beer…. every beer I have ever tried. When I was old enough to start drinking, my mother took me out and we got wasted… but the point was for me to try anything and everything… she said, “There is no point in drinking something that you think is nasty just to get drunk… getting drunk should be a by-product of drinking something you actually enjoy”. (I am sure she didn’t mean for me to go out and get plastered all the time, but I was 21, and I am sure she knew I would get drunk a time or many in my lifetime)

For me, it is Jack Daniels and Coca Cola. I know that doesn’t have much to do with good beer; but if I am going to drink something, I will always pay the price for Jack Daniels.

By: FFB

FFB — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 18:30:28 +0000

I’m fond of Sam Adams Cherry Wheat. All Sam Adams for that matter. Know what? Just ’cause you like good beer doesn’t mean you can’t still be frugal about it. I try to pick up seasonal cases of beer at BJ’s when they have them. Mmmm…

By: hmbrewr

hmbrewr — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 18:42:43 +0000

I’m an all grain homebrewer. It costs me between $9 and $11 bucks per 5 gallon batch. (About 2 1/2 cases worth). I drink cheap excellent craft brew that I make that is often better than the stuff you buy like Red Hook, Sierra Nevada, Rogue, Moose Drool, and others. Plus you can brew it to suit your own tastes!

By: james

james — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 03:06:03 +0000

Words of wisdom I learned long ago… “there are two types of beer in the world, cold beer and free beer. Free beer is always better!”

BTW, think that Yeungling is the one of the better price/quality/flavor beers around. To cut the price even more I buy it by the quarter barrel keg for a draft beer set up I have in a second refridgerator. The CO2 tank runs about 3 to 4 kegs before having to refill, about $30. At $45 for 7.5 gallons, doing the math gives me $0.89/pint. I also get coolness points and rarely have to “make a beer run” in the middle of the big game.

A couple of tips. 1) keep a hand pump handy. It really sucks to have a full keg and run out of CO2 during a big game. Plenty of beer and no way to get to it. 2) you will drink more, no matter how you rationalize this to you wife…. with beer on tap in the house, you will drink more than just buying a 6 pack at a time…. This may lead to a quick extra 10 pounds.

By: motleyfoolish

motleyfoolish — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 01:50:26 +0000

I make my own beer, I’m drinking a homemade chocolate stout as we speak, it’s a hobby that you really get to enjoy

By: Kyle

Kyle — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 14:58:52 +0000

Some of my favorites in no particular order:

Hebrew Jewbilation (no, I’m not making this up)

La Fin du Monde (belgian light ale but made in Canada)

Most trappist ales i.e. Chimay

La Chouffe du Chouffe

Berliner Kindl Weiss

Allagash

Sweetwater IPA, 420, Festive, Happy Ending, Donkey Punch (my favorite local brewery)

Dogfish Head 90 minute Imperial IPA (hoppiest beer I’ve ever tasted)

By: Steadwell

Steadwell — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 22:39:49 +0000

I haven’t seen any mention of “Mamba” from the Ivory Coast in Africa, it comes in a champagne sized bottle and one is all you need. My personal favorite is Black & Tan made with Guiness and Harp. It must be the Irish in me!

By: H_Roarke

H_Roarke — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 23:18:58 +0000

I couldn’t agree more…”too short to drink cheap beer.” I never touch the mass produced stuff. Seriously do you want to drink rice (Bud) in your beer?

My two favorites:

Allagash White – A great wheat beer

Old Rasputin by North Coast Brewing – Best stout I have ever had.

By: Joe Kennedy

Joe Kennedy — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 05:05:58 +0000

I’ve been in Portland, OR for almost 15 years. And I’m not going back. Not to LA, and not to cheap, crappy beer.
There’s a small chain in the area, by the name of Mcmenamins. Their Terminator Stout and RetroPorter are the best, comparable to Guinness (I’m Irish and have raised a pint in the 7th floor pub at the top of the St James brewery in Dublin).

By: Dave

Dave — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 23:02:01 +0000

Totally agree with Dani when she said that IC (Iron City – Pittsburgh!) Light is the best cheap beer, ever. But in Eastern PA it’s getting harder and harder to find. And for some reason here, it’s about $20/case at the places I can find it, so it’s not that cheap.

Lionshead (out of Wilkes Barre, PA) is a very good cheap beer. At about $11/case, it compares to IC Light and Coors Light.

Pennsylvania has some good beers at a decent price. Yuengling, which has been mentioned by a few already, is probably the best of the bunch. On the more expensive side, Rolling Rock, Stoudt’s and Victory (right near my house) are also pretty good beers. There is a brew pub near Altoona called Marzoni’s that had awesome beer. They’re about a 3 hour drive though, so I won’t be getting it anytime soon.

When I don’t want a cheap beer though, my favorite is definitely Magic Hat #9. Not from PA, but that’s fine with me as long as I can get it here.

By: Aaron Kulbe

Aaron Kulbe — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 04:49:28 +0000

Widmer DropTop or Terminator Stout.

By: Charlie

Charlie — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 00:40:40 +0000

Yanjing. State Beer of the People’s Republic Of China. Incredibly, it TASTES like a knock-off of High Life. Almost there, but not quite. Not at all bad, though.

If you can find it, it costs $7. Per CASE. Really.

By: Nick

Nick — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 04:43:42 +0000

Warsteiner… 12pack 8.99-9.99 on-sale, quality beats the quantity…
I’m old for beer marathons, one or two are just fine. I’d go with quality.

By: femmme

femmme — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 15:42:36 +0000

Life is too short to drink crappy beer, i concur. I call myself a beer snob and basically my rule of thumb is don’t drink yellow beer. It is one of the few things I alway stick to and it has become a semi-hobby for me!