07.01.09
Cheap Beer Taste Test
Given that I’m not exactly a person who is awash with cash, I have to find ways to save money on a regular basis. Since I don’t like to cut corners on the ingredients I use in my cooking, one of the places I have found I save a few bucks is in the world of my drinking. Again, since I have a palate that can taste the difference between good and bad wine, I know what I prefer, but I can also taste a good value.
My times at Rustico taught me about the joys of very good beer as well. The resident beer snobs were amazingly knowledgeable, and I learned a ton. But what I also learned was that for personal consumption, while these assorted brews from around the world were indeed preferable, they were not exactly affordable.
So it is left to me to find beers that are affordable enough for drinking in the mass quantities I enjoy, while at the same time being drinkable enough to actually swallow without vomiting. And over the years, I have narrowed it down to three beers that are not only way down on the cheap end of the spectrum, but are also quite drinkable:
 Miller High Life (The Low Life) |
 National Bohemian (Natty Boh) |
 Pabst Blue Ribbon (PBR) |
While Natty Boh is one of the harder ones to come by as its distribution is basically only in parts of Maryland these days, it is one that I had a long and lingering love affair with in college, so whenever I have the means, I usually buy it.
But the question is: which of these really is the BEST? For this, we are going to need a blind taste test!
The method was quite simple. I had my assistant pour each of these beers into a similar glass, and had him keep track of which was which for me. Meanwhile I tasted away and determined which was the winner. Hardly the stuff of higher science, but still, it looked professional enough.
 Maybe not scientific, but at least it looks professional! |
Well, the tasting commenced, and armed with a series of sourdough pretzels to keep all the (lack of) flavor from blending together, I embarked on a tasting tour de force. I fully expected Natty Boh to be the hands-down winner followed by the Low Life, followed by PBR.
The results:
 |
3rd Place: National Bohemian
This was a shock to me. I expected it to be the winner, and to win by a long shot. It was comparatively flat, thin and lacking in flavor that I would consider to be “beer-like”. I have always thought it was my favorite of the cheap beers, but in a side-by-side taste test, it really was not up to the challenge.
 |
2nd Place: Miller High Life
This was not a surprise, I expected this one to be second place. Only, it came in second behind the one I expected to come in third! Anyway, there was a smooth, clean finish to this beer that I expected to find, but the really impressive thing about this beer was it had a head that persisted through the testing process. Hell, there’s still a head on what’s left in the glass as I type these results out.
 |
The Winner: Pabst Blue Ribbon
I know, I’m as shocked as you. But really, with a name like “blue ribbon” how could it lose? (It was actually given it’s “Blue Ribbon” name after winning the title of “America’s Best Beer” at the World’s Colombian Exposition in Chicago. To be fair, that was in 1893…) But there was no question that the biggest hops flavor and best “beer-like” taste was in this glass. It really was a run-away win. I confirmed this with other tasters I had on hand just to make sure I hadn’t accidentally gotten drunk in the testing process…
But it’s not fair for me to hand down the definitive answer, is it? Let me give you a chance to chime in. Here’s a list of cheap beers, feel free to vote on your favorite, or throw in some other nominations in the comments.
None of this will serve as the ultimate answer to this heated debate of course. But for my money, it looks like I’m personally going to heretofore relax with a Pabst.
Scooped! I know, it’s hard to believe, but the same day I work on this blog post, the Washington Post does the same thing on one of their blogs. And their results came out in the order I expected! (1. Natty Boh, 2. High Life, 3. PBR…) Though to be fair, at least my post gives you the chance to post your vote…
Stumble it!
Foilwoman said,
July 1, 2009 at 9:33 pm
What about Narragansett (a/k/a Nasty). Haven’t had one since college (early ’80s), but hey: “Raise a glass my friend, and talk to me of home.”
Niki said,
July 2, 2009 at 9:23 am
Still a High Life fan. I like their bottles, too.
Chef Matt said,
July 2, 2009 at 9:24 am
Foilwoman - To be fair, I had not heard of Narragansett. I checked their website, and their distribution is limited to Massachusetts and Rhode Island. I have not spent a lot of time in either state, so as a result, I didn’t add it to the list. But if I ever have the means, I’ll try one!
Chef Matt said,
July 2, 2009 at 9:27 am
Niki - sorry, I hit “submit” before I responded to you! I love High Life bottles as well! I don’t know what it is, but that beer is so darn refreshing coming from a bottle! I also liked Michelob’s old bottles - you know, when I’m drinking “pricey” beer.
ScottahB said,
July 2, 2009 at 9:57 am
Hey! Pabst won best macrobrew at the Great American Beer Fest in 2006! (I think.) Ever tried Genesee Cream Ale? We drank that in college, it was 9 dollars for 30, with the rebate.
Jo said,
July 2, 2009 at 10:05 am
My favorite cheap beer is not on your list: Tecate. I know, I know. But it’s a GREAT summer beer.
I also love Kona’s Passion Fruit Wheat Ale, not fruity at all and I’ve been finding it in the most unusual places.
Chef Matt said,
July 2, 2009 at 12:27 pm
ScottahB - Yes, PBR did win that award in 2006, but winning “Best American Macrobrew” is like saying NSync is the best boy band. It’s damming by faint praise. Genesee is a good one - nice addition.
Jo - Tecate is one of my favorites! Love it with Mexican food. And while it is the cheap beer to be found in Mexico, it is a little more expensive here in the states only because of import taxes and whatnot. (Only a little more.) Still, it is a great cheap beer! But once words like “passion fruit wheat” enter the name of a beer - forget it, instant disqualification.
Mr. Boh said,
July 2, 2009 at 2:24 pm
Dear Matt,
You sell me out after all I have done for you? Screw you, man. You are off my Christmas List. And I want my right eye back. You can keep the mustache wax.
Mr. B
PS: Screw you.
Chuck said,
July 2, 2009 at 7:12 pm
PBR’s alright, but my old standby is the Mickey’s hand grenade. When I was about 4, if I was a good boy I was allowed to drink the necks off my dad’s Lone Stars. Maybe that’s when my journey to bartending really began…
Chip said,
July 2, 2009 at 8:48 pm
Continuing with the favorite-cheep-beer=beer-you-drank-in-college theme, I’d vote for Yeungling or Rolling Rock. I suppose I’ve seen Rolling Rock at non-cheep-beer prices outside of Pittsburgh, so it might not qualify.
Chef Matt said,
July 3, 2009 at 8:17 am
Mr. Boh - I’m sorry I sold you out like this. You have been nothing but good to me, but I had to follow my heart, or, well, taste buds. As for your right eye, you lost that knife fight fair and square.
Chuck - The Mickey’s hand grenades were another college standby as they were easily purchasable in huge flats. Many parties went wrong that way. Lone Star is one I have had once or twice, but have no interest in repeating the experience.
Chip - Yeah, it seems that the farther one gets from the glass-lined-tanks of Old Latrobe, the more expensive Rolling Rock gets. It’s not a “cheap” beer down this way. So it looks like your vote would be Yeungling.
Foilwoman said,
July 3, 2009 at 10:58 pm
Yeah, Nasty’s are a New England cheap beer. I haven’t had one since I moved down here after college. But I had to mentioned the brew that I could afford back in those days.
yer bro said,
July 5, 2009 at 9:01 pm
Re: the Tecate above.
You can hardly find it in the States, but if you want to go with good, refreshing, and cheap Latin America beer, then Gallo form Guatemala.
how to become a bodybuilder said,
August 11, 2009 at 10:19 pm
if you are looking for a fine beer…
why not try Cerveza Negra of San Miguel Inc.
its smoothness and taste is so good…
me and my pal always take some of those during weekends..
or on our off…
Kwillmetta said,
September 3, 2009 at 4:52 pm
What?!?!?! The beer post!? Still???? Surely there must be SOMETHING fresh you want to tell us?