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Mass-market macro brews

Rimbo

By Rimbo
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Rimbo

Rimbo 26482

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I gotta admit, I 100% did not expect these results.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/dining/craving/ct-macro-beer-tasting-food-0712-20170706-story.html

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There's a question people like to ask craft brewers: "What's your favorite mainstream beer?"

It's a fun and instructive question for the people who spend their days crafting gorgeously fruity IPAs and weighty stouts.

But it's not so easy to answer.

"Every time I get the question I say, 'Eh, they're all the same. I can't tell them apart,'" said Matt Gallagher, co-owner of Half Acre Beer Co. "But when you put them side by side, you can tell there are some major differences."

 

We were three beers into our tasting of the nation's most popular beers when Gallagher was struck with the realization. And that was the goal.

The biggest-selling beers are mostly a sprawling canvas of sameness. They're light. They're bland. Even more than beer, they're brands. Ad campaigns. Sponsorships. Marketing.

But they are beers, too, and they are the most popular beers in the nation. And that led to a question: Which ones are actually good?

The only way to find out was to crack open a bunch of bottles and cans with some of the savviest taste buds in Chicago: Gallagher, who has helped grow Half Acre into one of Chicago's most beloved breweries; Revolution Brewing brewmaster Jim Cibak, who previously worked for Goose Island Beer Co. and Firestone Walker Brewing; and Brian Pawola, co-founder and brewmaster of Pollyanna Brewing, in suburban Lemont.

On a Tuesday afternoon, I loaded a cooler with 16 major domestic beers and 22 pounds of ice (the Chicago Tribune paid for the beer used in the tasting) and headed to Revolution's Kedzie Avenue taproom for a tasting that lasted nearly two hours. Our judges sipped four beers at a time from 6-ounce glasses.

...

"Nothing sorts things out better than a blind tasting," Cibak said. "The second you see a logo, you immediately have something in mind."

Hamm's is a ringer in this list...and also not a mass-market beer. (I can't even get it here in San Diego.) But interesting results, interesting list. 

This guy tried the same thing, but with 30 beers instead of 16, more taste testers... and the top 3 were the same.

https://www.pastemagazine.com/drink/best-lagers/30-of-the-best-cheap-macro-lagers-blind-tasted-and/

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smoky

smoky 842

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I'd like to see the results of this done in other parts of the country. 

You choose what you know, and Hamms and PBR are known in Chicago.

Outside of work trips, I haven't really had Yuengling until they entered Texas a year or so ago.  But it's got a distinct taste to me.  And I'd bet "distinct" pushes a beer down the list.

But I could probably pick out a Lone Star or Miller Light out of this list because they're my lake/ beach/ tailgate go-tos. 

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Carl Spackler

Carl Spackler 3560

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This hits home with me because many, many moons ago some friends and I did a blind comparison of the shitty beers we drank in college.  Competitors included Milwaukee's Best, Meister Brau, Carling Black Label, PBR, Old Style, Busch, and a few others that escape me.  PBR won, but the comparison kind of broke down into full-scale drinking with very little grading after a while.

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elfenix

elfenix 34394

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3 hours ago, smoky said:

I'd like to see the results of this done in other parts of the country. 

You choose what you know, and Hamms and PBR are known in Chicago.

Outside of work trips, I haven't really had Yuengling until they entered Texas a year or so ago.  But it's got a distinct taste to me.  And I'd bet "distinct" pushes a beer down the list.

But I could probably pick out a Lone Star or Miller Light out of this list because they're my lake/ beach/ tailgate go-tos. 

the second link in OP, done in atlanta, also ranked PBR and hamms highly. 

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Guest

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I support the Hamms notion. I will drink PBR as a cheapo beer too, but hipsters have killed its truly 'cheap factor.'

Not sure if Yuengling Lager counts as a macro, but I'd take it over anything on the list.  Its price has crept up as of late however.  I used to think of it as East Coast Shiner...but better and cheaper.  That is becoming a rarer situation on the pricing.

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Rimbo

Rimbo 26482

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2 minutes ago, CooterBrown said:

I can't believe Bud Ice is still a thing. I remember when the Ice fad happened around '90. Icehouse was the go to "craft" beer back then. That and Honey Brown.  

Icehouse was always gross tho

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52-80

52-80 19285

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16 minutes ago, CooterBrown said:

I can't believe Bud Ice is still a thing. I remember when the Ice fad happened around '90. Icehouse was the go to "craft" beer back then. That and Honey Brown.  

getting the highest ABV% for a given $ or a given OZ is no fad, sir.

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texasdago

texasdago 7594

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In college it was Coors Light and Keystone Light for me.  Now, I tend to drink drastically better beer but if I want to cheap it out, its a Lone Star for me.  Tecate used to be my cerveza barata but a couple bucks more gets you a 12-pack of Modelo or Pacifico so that's a no-brainer.

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Rimbo

Rimbo 26482

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1 minute ago, texasdago said:

In college it was Coors Light and Keystone Light for me.  Now, I tend to drink drastically better beer but if I want to cheap it out, its a Lone Star for me.  Tecate used to be my cerveza barata but a couple bucks more gets you a 12-pack of Modelo or Pacifico so that's a no-brainer.

i probably should've specified domestic... feels like calling out Pacifico, Guinness or Kirin Ichiban is cheating. 😁

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'stache

'stache 21922

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I can appreciate a Bud Heavy every now and then. The fact that Old Milwaukee is as high as it is and above Coors Banquet pretty much makes this an invalid list. Also that they put the hipster beers at the top,. It very much feels like "I can justify drinking these because the hipsters are okay with it" and placing the big brands artificially low. I mean Keystone is above Budweiser. That's absurd. 

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jimmyjazz

jimmyjazz 46508

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16 hours ago, Rimbo said:

This guy tried the same thing, but with 30 beers instead of 16, more taste testers... and the top 3 were the same.

Not exactly.  Hamm's topped both lists, but #2 was Miller Lite & PBR and #3 was PBR and Miller High Life.

Looks like Randall's claims to stock Hamm's.  I might take a test drive.  It would be nice to have a lower ABV alternative to my usual Shiner Bock that doesn't cost much or taste like ass.  (I realize plenty of people think Shiner Bock tastes like ass.)

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SimonBolivar

SimonBolivar 10962

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16 minutes ago, jimmyjazz said:

Not exactly.  Hamm's topped both lists, but #2 was Miller Lite & PBR and #3 was PBR and Miller High Life.

Looks like Randall's claims to stock Hamm's.  I might take a test drive.  It would be nice to have a lower ABV alternative to my usual Shiner Bock that doesn't cost much or taste like ass.  (I realize plenty of people think Shiner Bock tastes like ass.)

I'm no Shiner fanboy, but it really is good for a macro (I guess it's a macro right?)

 

Now Shiner Light is some straight up garbage.

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Rimbo

Rimbo 26482

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1 hour ago, 'stache said:

I can appreciate a Bud Heavy every now and then. The fact that Old Milwaukee is as high as it is and above Coors Banquet pretty much makes this an invalid list. Also that they put the hipster beers at the top,. It very much feels like "I can justify drinking these because the hipsters are okay with it" and placing the big brands artificially low. I mean Keystone is above Budweiser. That's absurd. 

I mean, it was a blind taste test. They didn't know what they were drinking until they drank it.

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Macanudo

Macanudo 13101

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13 hours ago, Carl Spackler said:

This hits home with me because many, many moons ago some friends and I did a blind comparison of the shitty beers we drank in college.  Competitors included Milwaukee's Best, Meister Brau, Carling Black Label, PBR, Old Style, Busch, and a few others that escape me.  PBR won, but the comparison kind of broke down into full-scale drinking with very little grading after a while.

I used to call that Saturday.

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Rimbo

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20 minutes ago, jimmyjazz said:

(I realize plenty of people think Shiner Bock tastes like ass.)

I'm certain something changed between the 1980s and 1990s that made Shiner Bock go from being garbage to great. 

I've avoided PBR ever since the 90's when my brother's roommate had it all the time, made him sick, and my brother warned me off it. This thing made me go grab a pack and try some.

It's very not bad. A bit of a metallic aftertaste. But certainly better than Coors.

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jimmyjazz

jimmyjazz 46508

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5 minutes ago, Rimbo said:

I'm certain something changed between the 1980s and 1990s that made Shiner Bock go from being garbage to great. 

I can't speak to that.  I just like that they somehow strike a decent balance between malt and carbonation.  And, I prefer a lower-alcohol beer for a daily driver.  I love American ales and some IPAs, but damn I get loaded quick on those.  

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Nueces River Rat

Nueces River Rat 5608

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If we are make comparisons to piss water, as far as Mexican beers it would have to be Corona.    But I have to give Grupo Modelo  a ton of credit for marketing it to 80's yuppies and hipsters as a cool beer like Heineken,   Then they got everyone on this side of the river to celebrate a holiday that no one really does on the other side.

What this thread does lack is Mickey's......  

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sith_horn

sith_horn 2407

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6 hours ago, Rimbo said:

I mean, it was a blind taste test. They didn't know what they were drinking until they drank it.

I question how well anyone can taste test that many beers in one sitting though. Sort of like differentiating smells but going partially nose blind after several fragrances. I get that these are veteran craft brew masters, but still.

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Rimbo

Rimbo 26482

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27 minutes ago, sith_horn said:

I question how well anyone can taste test that many beers in one sitting though. Sort of like differentiating smells but going partially nose blind after several fragrances. I get that these are veteran craft brew masters, but still.

They drink water or club soda in-between sips to clear the palate.

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sith_horn

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16 hours ago, slorch said:

I support the Hamms notion. I will drink PBR as a cheapo beer too, but hipsters have killed its truly 'cheap factor.'

Not sure if Yuengling Lager counts as a macro, but I'd take it over anything on the list.  Its price has crept up as of late however.  I used to think of it as East Coast Shiner...but better and cheaper.  That is becoming a rarer situation on the pricing.

 

Which Shiner are you comparing Yuengling to? ... their premium beer, a.k.a. lager, or something else?

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Covri

Covri 6273

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14 hours ago, 52-80 said:

getting the highest ABV% for a given $ or a given OZ is no fad, sir.

When I was in high school/college you could get a six pack of tall boys of ice house for $2.99 plus tax. Beer wasn't great but that sixer and a couple joints/bowls/blunts of the finest brick weed made for a pretty entertaining night. 

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8 hours ago, sith_horn said:

 

Which Shiner are you comparing Yuengling to? ... their premium beer, a.k.a. lager, or something else?

Yuengling Lager is better than Shiner Bock, IMHO. More flavor and character and especially with the way it was formerly priced. Shiner is almost always marketed as a premium product, including at stadiums and events. Yuengling on the east coast used to be priced with the big macro brews. 
 

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Deej

Deej 77283

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11 hours ago, MalibuSheriff said:

We’ll….Nothing beats Coors Light out of a Party Ball. 🤣

Olds….

We used to get party balls of Shiner Bock back before they changed the recipe. Shiner Bock used to be much more earthy in flavor. 

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