If you were broke and needed cheap beer suggestions.

[BAH]

If you would, please include both craft beers as well as american macros.

Thanks

[Brownbeard]

Oh dude, you're gonna get grilled for this one. I speak from experience. I will say rolling rock.

[fidcastro]

When I was living in Portland I could get Killian's for $4.99 a six-pack, or $6.99 a half-rack. That's what I always bought when I was broke.

Down here in SoCal Killian's is more like $6.99 for six, so I haven't found a decent cheap beer yet.

[Beerconnoisseur]

You probably know what I'm going to say, but I'll say it again anyway:

If you are a serious beer drinker, then homebrew is really the only way to go. Almost every major beer manufacturer will charge AT LEAST $4.99 a six-pack, which translates to $19.96 per case (of 24 12 oz. bottles), or $39.92 for 2 cases.

Most of that goes towards alcohol tax. Some is sucked up by advertising. But little is spent on raw ingredients, which ultimately affect the taste, and the hangover (or lack thereof) the next morning. Consider that the raw cost of ingredients for many homebrew kits is ~$20, (this will make 2 cases of beer) as well as the fact that you can alter the taste (more hops, more malt, or even a half-dozen fruit additives mixed with that hefeweizen) by subtle recipe changes, and you begin to see why it's the hands-down winner. Yes, there are some initial equipment costs. But I wouldn't go back to the mass-produced beers, unless it was just to get a bit of variety, or to see if a style I'm interested in is worth making 2 cases of.

As an added bonus, you can even control the alcohol content to a large extent. :cool:

[newportstorm]

Taste is very subjective but here's my thoughts on some old cheapie stand-bys. For craft beers, Saranac, Red Hook and Harpoon and many locals can usually be found for $4.99-$5.99/sixer. Look for sales or bargain bins - you never know what you'll find in there (like $.50 Oatmeal Stouts that are still tasty!).

Not much of a macro man, but PBR isn't all that bad. And many beer lovers I've talked to swear by Stroh's for their cheap enjoyment (just saw a 15 pack for under $10). Personally, I'd rather go without for a week or more and wait for $$ to buy better beer, but if you must drink, there are choices out there.

Cheers!

[threecb]

I'd have to second the Saranac as a low-cost micro option.

I'd also choose Yuengling if I had to.

[hopjack13]

drink less, i was broke this weekend so i bought a total of 4 12oz stone ipa's. i only had like four bucks on me i was away from home and my wife took all the cards. but hey ...i survived!

[Fast_Eddy]

I agree with drink less and hold your dough for good beer, or start making your own.

[sallad]

when i was a poor college kid and we drank for the sake of drinking, bush was my cheap beer of choice. yuengling and sarnac are certainly good beers for the price; i drank those a fair amount too. i can still drink yuengling, not so with bush..

[S.F.B.]

I am in the group that say, save your $$ until you can buy something you want to drink. If you're that hard up for a beer, you probably aren't drinking for the taste anyway. And if all you want is a buzz, you can get cheap wines for a lot less than beer.

:D

[Brownbeard]

Smoke more grass.

[Brewdepest]

Pabst. Sometimes I drink it, even when I can afford "better."

[wortchillergoal]

Well I have seen a number of options I like. I would go with Saranac, Yuenling, or maybe Genesee. A wise man would go with don't spend until you can afford it. Smoking grass can become costly should you encounter a local member of your law enforcement team. You might try finding a rich girl who will be good beer for you to keep you from wandering. Spend some of your food money on beer because beer can be food, but food can never be beer.

[jsmurphy]

How cheap is cheap? I can get a 12 pack of SN Pale for 9.99. That's good beer at a cheap price in my opinion.

[threecb]

Originally posted by jsmurphy
How cheap is cheap? I can get a 12 pack of SN Pale for 9.99. That's good beer at a cheap price in my opinion.

I envy you. SNPA is 6.99 a sixer for me. I've never seen 12pks available here in NJ...:(

[Brownbeard]

Yeah 12's are $11 here. I have been having a lot of it lately.

[TEDBROCK]

Two words. Huber Bock.

[Brownbeard]

Originally posted by TEDBROCK
Two words. Huber Bock.

OH MY GOD!!! I have not had that since college, they used to sell it at the live music bar we went to. When the music was really loud, you could yell punk rock at the bar, and they would give you an Huber Bock. My roommate and I once spent a thanksgiving eating steak and drinking Huber Bock.

[steveh]

Originally posted by TEDBROCK
Two words. Huber Bock.

One word - Eek!

That was the first bock beer I ever tried - back when everyone still thought bock was made from the last dregs in the kettle from a year's worth of brewing. As I recall, it was pretty mundane stuff.

I *do* remember a friend and I pooling our last, collective $6 together in college - for an 8-pack (yep, 8) of Rhinelander, also made by Huber.

I tried a regular Huber from a friend a few weeks ago, first time in countless years. Can you say *corn* ?

S.

[hopjack13]

wow steveh is there any beer you don't know about?
does any one know about a beer jimmy carter brother came out with way back when? and what was the name of it?

[wortchillergoal]

Originally posted by hopjack13

does any one know about a beer jimmy carter brother came out with way back when? and what was the name of it?
Yes, it was called Billy Beer. I can't remember who made it nor did I ever have any.

[jsmurphy]

Billy Beer=Horse piss. You didn't miss anything, however the cans are collectors item now.

[wortchillergoal]

I heard that comparing Billy Beer to horse piss was an insult to the piss.

[hopjack13]

ahhh! thnx
my friends wife was asking me because she said her parents still had a sixer.
thnx again.

[threecb]

I just saw something on Food TV the other night (show = Top 5 -- i think) and they said that the value of Billy Beer is the same as it was when it came out...50 cents a can!

...so much for collector's items!

[steveh]

Originally posted by hopjack13
wow steveh is there any beer you don't know about?
does any one know about a beer jimmy carter brother came out with way back when? and what was the name of it?

Well, since I've been drinking beer for about 25 years, been home-brewing for about 14, and planning vacations around beer sampling for years - I've tried quite a bit of beer! However, there are plenty of Micros and Brew-pubs out there that I haven't tried - maybe come retirement. And, admittedly, I'm not terribly fond of the Belgian beers.

Sorry if I'm perceived as a know-it-all, this is a beer forum, and this is the General Beer Talk thread - write what you know, as they say.

Personalities are difficult to discern over e-mail and internet, I like beer - I like to talk beer. It's a favorite subject for me as soap-operas or computers are for others. This forum is a great outlet for discussion of a favorite subject, I'd like to think everyone here felt the same, and I'd like to believe everyone has the same enthusiasm for the subject as I do!

S.

BTW - Never tried the Billy Beer - it was off the market before I was old enough to drink!

[hopjack13]

This forum is a great outlet for discussion of a favorite subject, I'd like to think everyone here felt the same, and I'd like to believe everyone has the same enthusiasm for the subject as I do!
true dat true dat, i wasn't calling you a know it all, i just thought ,
'damn this guy must have tried every beer out there'
it's nice to be able to come here and talk about beer , i tend to bore friends and family as they do not share the same enthsiasm about it as i. my wife likes good beer too but she can only put up with so much as well , as far as talk goes anyways.

[wortchillergoal]

Originally posted by steveh
Well, since I've been drinking beer for about 25 years, been home-brewing for about 14, ...

...BTW - Never tried the Billy Beer - it was off the market before I was old enough to drink!
I am a little confused, what being a sober Irishman at 9:45am which is late in the day, about how you were not old enough when Billy beer was out. Given your time references. I am 44, it would seem you would have been old enough because I was.

[Jeff]

If you really want me to be honest, if I have to drink a macro it would probably be Bud Light. NOW WAIT! Before everybody sacrifices me before the beer gods let me explain.

I graduated from college a little over 2 years ago, and in the last year or so have been making strides into new beers. I just tried for the first time last week SN Pale Ale, it was the best beer I think I have had yet.

In college Bud light was the cheapest stuff that I could stand. My dad is actually a Busch Light fan, and I can't stomach it. So if I want to be nostalgic I will drink a Bud Light with my old roommates. But if I want good cheap micros I go for Emperyean Ales Third Stone. Its a local micro that is usually about $5.50 a six pack.

[Brownbeard]

I will drink a macro when the situation demands it. If I am at a keg party, and the only beer there is macro, I will suck it up and swill. I usually have to drink really fast to get drunk enough to not care what I am drinking. Macro is only good for getting drunk. It does not taste good. Likewise, when I fish, I get cans of macro to take with. I always go with Coors or Rolling Rock, occasionally Old Milwaukee, not Milwaukee's best. Never ever ever would I buy anything with the word lite or light on the label. I have been getting Labatte's Blue lately, they have started selling it here in the 25oz. oil cans. That is what we drink at the hockey games.

[hopjack13]

BUD LITE SUCKS! COORS SUCKS!:D
i don't think there is a such thing as good cheap beer.
if it's cheap then i was more then likely made cheap , and if it was made cheap then there are probably adjuncts in it .i don't and just can't really mess with anything with adjuncts. wheat and some spices i cant tolerate sometimes but it is not by any means the norm. i think the home brewers have the right idea, they can make beer alot cheaper then you could buy , and the quality of the brew is totaly up to you.
on the other hand, speaking of adjuncts , bear republic makes a hop rod rye thats pretty tasty.

[jsmurphy]

Originally posted by wortchillergoal
I heard that comparing Billy Beer to horse piss was an insult to the piss.

LMAO! :D

[steveh]

Originally posted by hopjack13
true dat true dat, i wasn't calling you a know it all, i just thought ,
'damn this guy must have tried every beer out there'

Well. maybe not ALL of 'em, but I'm trying! No offense taken.


it's nice to be able to come here and talk about beer , i tend to bore friends and family as they do not share the same enthsiasm about it as i. my wife likes good beer too but she can only put up with so much as well , as far as talk goes anyways.

Those are some of the same reasons I figured that this forum was a great haven - we're all at that same level of wide eyed enthusiasm!

S.

[steveh]

Originally posted by wortchillergoal
I am a little confused, what being a sober Irishman at 9:45am which is late in the day, about how you were not old enough when Billy beer was out. Given your time references. I am 44, it would seem you would have been old enough because I was.

Well, from one sober Irishman to another (and it's 12:50pm here), I'm a year behind you. Billy was out around 76 - 78, right? I was 16 to 18. In those days Illinois had liquor laws allowing individuals to consume beer and wine at age 19, 1979 in my case, and I think the Billy Beer craze had died down by then. And by the time I'd turned 20, Gov. Thompson took away my right to drink beer before the age of 21! So yeah, dangle the carrot in my face, then pull it away - and there was no grandfather clause!

I won't try to kid you, it's not that I didn't sneak beer in between or before I was old enough (and Wisconsin was minutes away with its 18 yr old drinking age). But I lucked out in that my mom worked for a beer distributor and I used to be able to buy Beck's at cost from her (along with some of the cheaper swill)! Man, that can make you a popular guy in a dorm full of Old Style and Olympia drinkers.

But no, either I completely missed the BB craze, or it just never made it to North-Eastern Illinois.

S.

[wortchillergoal]

Originally posted by steveh
Well, from one sober Irishman to another (and it's 12:50pm here)

S.

WOW, ther are two of us. The time makes sense now as I lived in New York state, still do, and the drinking age was 18 and changed twice but never caught me, no grandfather clause too. It went from 18 to 19 then to 21. My brother could twice drink only to have the privilege taken away.

[bros. ale]

i have to say yuenglings BLACK&TAN 12 pack for $7.45 good taste and ok abv but as said before best way is to brew your own :D

[fretlessman71]

Jeez.... SNPA is EIGHT BUCKS A SIX PACK in Tennessee.....

[Brownbeard]

I stand by my earlier suggestion, smoke more grass. It is always cheaper than beer, and nothing goes with a kind beer quite like it. To be honest going to Dead shows was my introduction to great beer.

[hopjack13]

Originally posted by Brownbeard
I stand by my earlier suggestion, smoke more grass. It is always cheaper than beer
uh....what kind of "grass" are you smokin??
out here in socal grass as you call it is pretty exspensive. i never touch the stuff myself, it just doesn't agree with me.
chronic , dank ,bud... whatever, i have a friend who likes the stuff and pays about 50$ an 1/8 (thats about three and a half joints)
uh....um....no thanks, even my more exspensive beers are cheaper.

[Brownbeard]

WOW! That's pricey. Cost of living difference I suppose. I am not an avid smoker anymore. Kids pretty much changed all that. Which may have something to do with my new homebrew obsession. Here, we are paying $60 a quarter for really good grass. That will last me a month anymore. Which is probably more than I will spend on homebrew. Damn! Brewing my own beer is going to change my whole philosophy on catching a buzz.

[Richard English]

Remember, the price of beer (or the price of any commodity, come to that) bears but a passing relationship to its cost of production. Raw material and other costs are an overhead that must be considered in running the business. Price is a marketing tool.

Thus people will pay huge sums for, say, perfumes or designer clothes simply because they are buying their exclusivity or credibility. It costs almost nothing extra to make a pair of Levi's than it does to make any pair of jeans - but people are very happy to pay a massive premium.

In the UK A-B (without doubt one of the world's most clever companies) have managed to position their frozen cat's urine as a prestige product with such success that it is now the most popular beer (using the expression in its broadest possible sense) in the UK. It is also one of the most expensive. A bottle of 1845 or Young's SLA costs less than a bottle of Bud Lite!

So what would I drink if I could only afford cheap beer? Probably Harvey's Mild (a draught beer) at about £1.50 ($2.39) for an Imperial pint (1.201 US pints). Fuller's 1845, by the way, costs around £1.80 ($2.87) for a 500 millilitre bottle (that's 1.057 US pints or 0.8799 of an Imperial pint).

[hopjack13]

life is too short to drink cheap beer!

[chazwicke]

I would prefer to drink nothing rather than force down some cheap beer that I don't like. As for Billy Beer, It was brewed by five different breweries supposedly using the same formula. Most were regional brewers. Falls City, Cold Spring, I think Utica Club. I can't remember. There were six variations of the cans. (The five different brewery names and one of them had a straight steel can as well as the extruded steel version all the others had.) And although some may try to sell them for more, they are only worth about fifty cents. The beer was not my preference but in late 77 when it came out, There was very little good American beer left. It became legal to homebrew in 1978 in the USA and that is when I started doing it legally. I am 45 and we were able to drink beer at 18 in Virginia.

[wortchillergoal]

Originally posted by chazwicke
Most were regional brewers. Falls City, Cold Spring, I think Utica Club. [/B]

Yes, you are correct about Utica Club, save for it is the FX Matts brewery that made UC and Matts. They now put out the Saranac line. It jogged my memory as I was in college near Utica and Billy came to promote his beer( I found that hard to type).

[chazwicke]

I thought Utica Club was FX Matts. I just could not remember. Matts not only brews Saranac, but contracts several other beers as well. The Foggy Bottom line from Gary Heurich comes to mind. And the Falls City brewery I mentioned may have been owned by Falstaff/General at that time if I recall correctly.

[wortchillergoal]

Originally posted by chazwicke
I thought Utica Club was FX Matts.

FX Matts put out beer as Utica Club and the Matts label. I think UC was a larger and Matts was an ale. I cut my teeth on a fair amount of Matts. I think it was sweeter than most beers at the time that I ahd available to me. They put out a dark ale under the Matts name too and the brewery still does contract business last I knew. A couple of years ago we lost FX,

[tubetek]

Howdy...
Here in KY we have a superstore called Liquor Barn; They have Dinkel Acker for
$8.99 / 12 bottles. Been at this price for several months. Just be sure to get the 12 pack; It's fully enclosed in cardboard to block the light (friggin' green bottles!!)
BTW in Europe, this beer is in brown glass; Just to show you how funky the masses here are about it. Seems a group of Americans was served the same beer in brown and green bottles; Almost unanimously, the green was ghosen as the better-tasting beer, even tho they were identical!!!
Enjoy

[sallad]

over the weekend i scored a case of sierra nevada pale ale for $21 and a 6-er of pocono pale ale for $5. gotta love good beer at good prices!

[threecb]

nice score sallad!

I like the pocono pale. The Lion (is it?) makes decent beers -- I put them in the same catagory as Saranac...

And my local store has started stocking the 12 pks of SNPA - $13.49.