It’s All The Same

I’m not too proud to admit that I’m a bit of a beer snob. There are a few domestic brews that are OK – but, for the most part, imports blow them away. Sam Adams and Shiner Bock are a couple of fine American beers, and quite a few of the microbreweries make brews worth drinking.

It’s generally an accepted rule of thumb that anything from Anheuser-Busch is crap. Although, they do have some great commercials. Just stay away from their beer.

Near the bottom of the AB brand – if not THE bottom – is Bud Light. You know, as if regular “full-bodied” Budweiser isn’t bad enough, they reduce the calories, along with the “flavor”, and what do they end up with? Right, donkey piss.

But, like I said, they do have a great marketing machine down there at Anheuser-Busch corporate. And the constant barrage of ads for the new Bud Light Lime finally intrigued me enough to give it a try. After all, the crisp, refreshing, taste of lime in the summer is highly refreshing. And with the addition of the lime, this “premium light beer” certainly wouldn’t taste like donkey piss anymore.

And, it doesn’t. Now it tastes like donkey piss, with lime.

Back to being a beer snob for me.

Not Worth It

So, like everyone else I’m feeling the impact of rising fuel and food prices. While there are tons of people far worse off than I am, tougher economic times force most of us to re-evaluate our spending. And, honestly, I kind of enjoy it. Why spend $10 on something when you can get it for $6, even if you have the money?

I read yesterday that the cheap beers – basically the crappy American piss beers – have increased in sales, while the sales of premium domestics and imports are declining. All because consumers are spending the money on crazy things, like gasoline and bread.

But, hey, I’m all for saving a few bucks. I used to drink PBR back in college. Why not today?

In my mind, the… um… “best” cheap beers are Pabst Blue Ribbon and Miller High Life (Hey, it’s the champagne of beers). Either one of these seemed like a logical choice for the weekend.

Now, I don’t normally look at the prices on beer. I’m a bit of a beer snob and just buy whichever one I’m in the mood for. Usually imported, or American microbrew. The best “mass produced” American beer is Sam Adams Boston Lager.

Much to my surprise, when I stopped at the local beer store I found that Miller High Life was $7.99 per 12-pack. Sam Adams was $10.99 per 12-pack.

Well, there goes that savings… If I can’t afford the extra $3 – or 25 cents more per bottle – for a decent beer of a piss beer, then it’s time to stop drinking.

Speaking of which, my Sam Adams bottle is empty. Time to wrap up this post…