Bud Light

I'm breaking from tradition (though I would argue that 3 posts can't really count as "tradition" anyway) and reviewing a beer that typically costs above 14 dollars a case. That's ok though, because it's my staple beer. Let me explain what I mean by that.

In this day and age of enlightened microbrewing (see Summit, James Page, or any number of "brew-pubs" popping up in the urban landscape), there still exists a need for a beer that can just be drank with a minimal of fuss. I enjoy the finer beers in life just as much as the next guy (while noting that finer beer for many e-leaguers is a Mich golden light), but I always need a brew around to have a few (or 10) after a particularly hard day at work. Frou Frou beers don't always fit the bill. Instead, the staple beer comes into the picture. Some have called them Macro Brews, or whatever, but I just call it the beer that I revert to when all else fails. Bud Light is that beer for me. It's there when I need it, and there's nearly always a case of it in my fridge. It's at every bar (unless they have some retarded exclusive contract with SAB Miller) and it goes down easy.

I have a few rules for staple beers:

1. It must be available in cans (Heineken Keg cans don't count, sorry. Heinekin violates rule #2 anyway)
2. It must be american – no imports(this one's tough, since Miller is technically owened by a company in another country)
3. It must not leave a sharp aftertaste of any sort
4. It must not cost an arm and and a leg, but doesn't have to (and probably shouldn't) be the cheapest available (varies by region, time of year)

I used to be a company man in the major american brew area – Miller it was. This was back when I first started getting my beer legs. Pops worked for Kraft foods, a division of Phillip Morris (now called some other alltruistic name that escapes me), and at the time they owned Miller. Miller Light or MGD was, at one point, my staple beer. Not any longer. I can barely drink the stuff any longer. I changed over at some point in my early 20s and never looked back. It didn't hurt that pops retired and sold most of his stock, and that Miller was sold to South African Brewing Company. (funny side note: this is the same reason I smoked Marlboro Reds in college, but later switched to Camels-I was such a company man).

Anyway, Bud Light is a beer you will often see me consuming at venues such as Tony Jaro's River Garden or the Northeast Yacht Club. It tastes pratically like water, I can drink a shitload of it, and it doesn't leave me feeling bloated or stuffed.

One drawback to Bud Light – it causes some nasty hangovers if you drink way too much of it. I can start getting those feelings before I even stop being drunk. It sucks. It has something to do with the way it's brewed, but I'll be dammed if I know any of the details.

We ended up with 2 cases of bud light in our softball beer stash last night (ironically, I've now brought beer twice and brought the same beer as the other person, independently, without any planning) and then I had a few at the bar. I woke up at 3 am with a raging headache and that dehydrated feeling. Water and Advil were consumed, however, a strong coffee was also needed this morning. Fucking bud light hangovers.