The Cheap Beer thread

[Huggy]

In the 80s they weren’t really considered cheap beer. Just beer.

In those days at Brewers’ Retail, there wasn’t much price variance. Brador and Classic were a little bit more, but everything else was roughly the same.

As I noted earlier in the thread, there is no such thing as cheap beer in Ontario, less expensive maybe, but not cheap, but you're right, the prices are all still roughly the same at the beer store. 50 is more expensive than Ex, for instance, but not by that much. And you're right: that was pretty much all we had to choose from in those days. Everyone had a dad who drank at least one of those religiously.

 

[Tighthead]

As I noted earlier in the thread, there is no such thing as cheap beer in Ontario, less expensive maybe, but not cheap, but you're right, the prices are all still roughly the same at the beer store. 50 is more expensive than Ex, for instance, but not by that much. And you're right: that was pretty much all we had to choose from in those days. Everyone had a dad who drank at least one of those religiously.

Now some of the stuff is a little cheaper, $2.00 for a tall boy can. I do remember when I was in high school the LCBO started selling Lone Star and a couple of others for cheaper than domestic beer. Maybe $3 less on a 2-4, and that was fine for us.

The brand loyalty of our dads was amazing. A man had his beer and that was it, and if you went to his house you expected to be served his beer.

 

[Huggy]

Now some of the stuff is a little cheaper, $2.00 for a tall boy can. I do remember when I was in high school the LCBO started selling Lone Star and a couple of others for cheaper than domestic beer. Maybe $3 less on a 2-4, and that was fine for us.

The brand loyalty of our dads was amazing. A man had his beer and that was it, and if you went to his house you expected to be served his beer.

Your mention of the LCBO selling beer reminded me how excited we were (especially during the beer strike of 1985) to get such exotic brands as Lone Star, Genessee, Amstel and others the beer store didn't carry.

I don't think the major breweries thought their customers' loyalty would ever change until Lakeport in Ontario starting selling its beer for $24 a case ("Make 'er a Laker, it's a buck a beer!") and people flocked to buy it causing the major breweries to lobby the government to institute a minimum price for selling beer and it sure as hell wasn't going to be a buck a beer.

 

[DanOregon]

I love this time of year. You can find Winter seasonals for clearance prices lower than Guinness.

 

[Octave]

Now this is my kind of thread.

The only thing I loved more than beer was cheap beer.

 

[I Should Coco]

Sorta. Married a Yank and been living in the Bible Belt of the PNW for six years now.

Well, I didn't know we had an SJ.com member in Bonners Ferry, Idaho ...

Just kidding ... welcome back.

 

[Chef2]

If I'm going to mix it with tomato, orange, or grapefruit juice, then I'll get the cheapest I can find.

We do a summer brew every year......
4 cans beer (used Natty last time)
12 ounce can of frozen lemonade
Fill the can with vodka

Dump it all into a big pitcher.
Stir well.

Pass out as needed.

 

[micropolitan guy]

If I'm going to mix it with tomato, orange, or grapefruit juice, then I'll get the cheapest I can find.

We do a summer brew every year......
4 cans beer (used Natty last time)
12 ounce can of frozen lemonade
Fill the can with vodka

Dump it all into a big pitcher.
Stir well.

Pass out as needed.

Skip & Go Naked. We'd mix those in styrofoam coolers and then take out the pontoon boat on the lakes in Minnesota.

 

[DanOregon]

Found a 12-pack of Lost Coast IPA for less than $9 - which is insane. It's not hazy or imperial but its bitter and goes down smooth. 6 pct abv doesn't hurt either.

 

[X-Hack]

For cheap beer, I'm going High Life every time. Simpler Times is a good one on that list on the first page -- higher ABV than the typical swill and it doesn't taste terrible. They sell it at the Trader Joe's near me and it's the cheapest beer around. I generally drink Sierra Nevada pale ale, Fuller's ESB, Belgian ales and anything from the good craft places here in Massachusetts, like Jack's Abby (in my town), Exhibit A (also in my town), Night Shift and Tree House. But boy am I sick of the IPA trend -- especially the New England IPA. You go into a store and about 80 percent of what they have are mediocre, almost identical IPAs. I like IPAs fine, but that trend needs to go away. I'll take a great pilsner over most IPAs (other than the great ones like Bell's Two Hearted, Cigar City Jai Alai, Lawson's Sip of Sunshine and Jack's Abby's Hoponius Union) any day.

 

[micropolitan guy]

Most of the "cheap beers" of my Buffalo-area youth were also local beers, independent before they either got bought out by the mega-brewers, or went out of business. They had good market share. Now they're almost all gone.

Genesee and its assorted brands. Utica Club. Simon Pure. Iroquois. Stroh's and Goebel from Detroit. Koehler from Erie, Koch's from Dunkirk/Fredonia, Iron City from Pittsburgh, Buckeye from Cleveland, Schmidt's of Philadelphia, Schaefer from NYC. All easily found at the local convenience store, along with the national brands like Bud, Miller and Schlitz. Could not get Coors.

Every major metro had it's own local beer, a pre-merger form of micro beer. Seems as if they have pretty much disappeared.

 

[Cosmo]

I've been screwing around a little bit with hard seltzers of late and I'm pretty stunned to say that the Natural Light Catalina Lime Mixer might be the best one I've had, better than White Claw and Truly. Though the Truly strawberry lemonade one is really good.

 

[Chef2]

I've been screwing around a little bit with hard seltzers of late and I'm pretty stunned to say that the Natural Light Catalina Lime Mixer might be the best one I've had, better than White Claw and Truly. Though the Truly strawberry lemonade one is really good.

The Natty Seltzers are good.

 

[wicked]

Your options for cheap beer are dwindling.

Molson Coors to sunset 11 economy brands

 

[Shropshire Slasher]

Your options for cheap beer are dwindling.

Molson Coors to sunset 11 economy brands

Steel Reserve 211 is the cheapest way to get drunk... and the vilest, nastiest swill known to mankind.

 

[Driftwood]

None of those will be a loss to me.
I'm actually drinking MGD right now.

 

[Michael_ Gee]

Cheap beer in the Philly area in my youth was Schmidt's. It was terrible. Second cheapest beer was Rolling Rock, which while very light flavored, was not actually offensive. New England's cheap beer for decades was and is Narragansett (hiya, neighbor, have a 'Gansett!). Surprise! It's actually decent lager. Good on a hot day.

 

[micropolitan guy]

Your options for cheap beer are dwindling.

Molson Coors to sunset 11 economy brands

One of those sunsetting brands is Henry Weinhard’s Private Reserve. When it was brewed in Portland by Blitz-Weinhard, Henry's was quality stuff and had a huge market share. I certainly drank my fair share.

They sell a lot of Rolling Rock out here. Probably because an 18-pack is often less than $10 before deposit. It's the cheap cooler-filler at our tailgates. We are supposed to get Yuengling next year as they start West Coast distribution.

 

[Michael_ Gee]

One of those sunsetting brands is Henry Weinhard’s Private Reserve. When it was brewed in Portland by Blitz-Weinhard, Henry's was quality stuff and had a huge market share. I certainly drank my fair share.

They sell a lot of Rolling Rock out here. Probably because an 18-pack is often less than $10 before deposit. We are supposed to get Yuengling next year as they start West Coast distribution.

I hate Yuengling. Too sweet.

 

[micropolitan guy]

I hate Yuengling. Too sweet.

My wife is partial to the Yuengling Black & Tans.

Schmidt's was $.99 a six-pack in Virginia when I was in college. Sorry to say we drank our share.