The Beer Thread

[atomicfront]

What is the worst beer made?  I was thinking and I came up with the following top 3:

1) coors light - undrinkable in that it doesn't even have a flavor.
2) natural light
3) bud light

Well I did some research and these are the 3rd, 5th, and 1st best selling beers in this country.  Now the question is why do they sell so many cans of beer.  Coors Light and Bud Light aren't even close to being the cheapest beers you can buy.  Is it just a case of advertising? 

[sweetcell]

marketing definitely plays a huge part of it.  not just advertizing, but also behind-the-scenes stuff like shelf placement, access to distribution channels, preferential treatment, etc.  it's impossible for the little guy to compete against multibillion dollar global corporations.  the price difference between mass-produced and craft beer doesn't hurt either (ex: natty light).

i think cultural momentum (AKA habits) plays a role.  for the longest time those light yellow fizzy drinks were the only kind of beer widely available in the US.  "having a beer" was synonymous with drinking a BMC*.  grandpa drank Bud, dad drank Bud, guess imma gonna drink Bud too.  wasn't a whole lot of other options either.  blue moon wasn't launched until 1995 and took a while to gain a foothold... prior to that, i don't remember ever seeing anything mildly flavorful in mainstream bars (i'm not saying blue moon is an awesome beer, but to my mind it started off the gradual shift of virtually all bars offering something other than light american lagers).

even if/when craft beer is universally available, some people will continue to prefer BMC's.  some folks don't want intense hops, thick malt, weird yeast flavors, etc.  they want something light, easy to drink in large quantities, doesn't interfere with their food, is cheap, etc.  as much as i hate to admit it, there is a "natural popularity" of yellow fizz that will ensure that the stuff will be produced for a long, long time.  it's the fast food of beer.

*BMC = budweizer/miller/coors

edit: just realized that i went on a general craft-vs-industrial slant instead of why those three brands are particularly popular.  uhh... still some variation on the above, i guess.

[i am gay and i like cats]

worst beer list one through three

one - olde english 800
two - natural light ice
three - anything by anybody that has the word "clam" in it

[James Ford]

 Just got a bottle from my secret location for $11.99.
 

Margruders was sold out.

My friend bought a bottle of Coffee at Perfect Pour for $25. Eff that noise.

[James Ford]

I made a list of all the breweries and brewpubs/taphouses associated with one brewery that I visited on 2012. Tried ranking them based on beer, ambinance, food (when applicable), tour (when applicable), and other intangibles.

1. Andescher, Andechs, Germany
2. The Alchemist, Waterbury, VT
3. Alpine, Alpine, CA
4. Dieu De Ciel, Montreal, CA
5. Three Floyds, Munster, IN
6. Ommegang, Cooperstown, NY
7. De Halve Maan, Bruges, Belgium
8. Alesmith, San Giego, CA
9. The Brew Kettle, Stronsville, OH
10. Stone, Escondido, CA
11. Dogfish Head, Milton/Rehoboth Beach, DE
12. Heavy Seas, Halethorpe, MD
13. Troegs, Hershey, PA
14. DC Brau, Washington, DC
15. Port/Lost Abbey, San Marcos, CA
16. Green Flash, San Diego, CA
17. Hofbrauhaus, Munich, Germany
18. Olde Saratoga Brewery, Saratoga, NY
19. Weisses Brauhaus (Schneider), Munich, Germany
20. Half Acre Brewing, Chicago, IL
21. Revolution Brewing, Chicago, IL
22. Union Craft, Baltimore, MD
23. Coronado Brewing, Coronago, CA
24. Mad Fox, Falls Church, VA
25. 3 Stars Brewing, Washington, DC

[BrettnotBritt]

Was able to procure BCBS Cherry Rye last week. Not here, but the bottle shop near my rents in upstate NY had it in stock so I had my dad pickup a few bottles.

This is normal behavior, right?

[sweetcell]

Was able to procure BCBS Cherry Rye last week. Not here, but the bottle shop near my rents in upstate NY had it in stock so I had my dad pickup a few bottles.

This is normal behavior, right?

absolutely.  that behavior is the only reason i scored heady topper, so it's justified in my books!

[James Ford]

http://www.newsfury.com/view.aspx?linkid=29364674

Founders Breakfast Stout $9.99/six pack
Founders KBS $11.99/four pack
Founders Devil Dancer $11.99/four pack

Yowza, major drops in pricing

[Yada]

From the bottlin' line....

http://instagram.com/p/T_tUp8sTlc/

[brennser]

this is very good news 

Just back from Ireland where I tried a slew of mostly decent craft (and macro) beers, although there were a few real clunkers - was good to quaff an American imperial IPA lat night upon my return (Racer X)

http://www.newsfury.com/view.aspx?linkid=29364674

Founders Breakfast Stout $9.99/six pack
Founders KBS $11.99/four pack
Founders Devil Dancer $11.99/four pack

Yowza, major drops in pricing

[HoyaSaxa03]

you go to the porterhouse on parliament in dublin?  I lived across the street from there for 6 months, they brew some decent beer but nothing to write home about.

this is very good news 

Just back from Ireland where I tried a slew of mostly decent craft (and macro) beers, although there were a few real clunkers - was good to quaff an American imperial IPA lat night upon my return (Racer X)

http://www.newsfury.com/view.aspx?linkid=29364674

Founders Breakfast Stout $9.99/six pack
Founders KBS $11.99/four pack
Founders Devil Dancer $11.99/four pack

Yowza, major drops in pricing

[i am gay and i like cats]

founders kbs for twelve dollars?  wow . . . so when every loser is killing their family to get it and nobody can get it except for one case for the whole year and the owner's friends already have a hold on all of it except for one four pack or when you drive over an hour to twenty different stores and one place will let you buy one bottle . . . it will only be twelve dollars for four.  how fucking nice of them.

[StoneTheCrow]

Guess we'll have to wait and see how big of a win this is for consumers.  If the price drops and it's readily available...great.  If the price drops and it remains difficult to find/obtain then the lower price will encourage buyers to stock up.

Would love to get some but will wait to see how this plays out.

[James Ford]

Word from the brewery is that they're making nearly three times as much of it this year.

Guess we'll have to wait and see how big of a win this is for consumers.  If the price drops and it's readily available...great.  If the price drops and it remains difficult to find/obtain then the lower price will encourage buyers to stock up.

Would love to get some but will wait to see how this plays out.

[James Ford]

One case for the whole year? How much of that stuff do you need?  It's not like it's an everyday kind of beer. Two four packs for a year would be more than enough for me.

founders kbs for twelve dollars?  wow . . . so when every loser is killing their family to get it and nobody can get it except for one case for the whole year and the owner's friends already have a hold on all of it except for one four pack or when you drive over an hour to twenty different stores and one place will let you buy one bottle . . . it will only be twelve dollars for four.  how fucking nice of them.