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Everyone drinks cheap beer in their youth. Isn’t that like some type of rite of passage? Don’t you have to go through years and cases of Natty Light before you can be called an adult? But most people grow out of the PBR stage. Most people eventually start drinking Blue Moon, or Guinness. This is exactly why I get major side eye when I casually order my Bud Light at the bar.
I expect this side eye now. I know that it is coming from the second that the word Bud leaves my mouth. I get it from the bartender. I get it from the guy I’m with. I get it from my friends. Hell, my own father makes fun of me for my decisions when it comes to beer. I don’t know if their judgment ever bothered me, probably because I’m a strong independent woman who will get whatever beer she damn well pleases.
But you know why I always get Bud Light? It’s because it never disappoints. Sure I could get some cool craft beer, one that has some citrus, or maybe one that is full bodied. How about one that is wheat based? But trying out those beers is hit or miss. Do I really want to take a gamble on my beer just because people will give me side eye if I order the cheapest one? Absolutely not. Every single dollar counts for me right now, and the last risk I’m going to take is on beer. I’ll take a risk at a casino. I’ll take a risk and see if I really like the catfish Po-boy. But I will be damned if I am going to chance my beer choice. That’s, at least, twelve ounces and a couple dollars away from my buzz. Do I chance that because I want to look like I know anything about beer? Absolutely not.
And do you know how expensive “good” beer is? If you live in a town like mine that has breweries on every corner, you’ll know this struggle. Eight dollars for a beer is highway robbery. How am I supposed to get drunk on a budget with beer that expensive? Sorry, I’m not sorry at all for being fiscally responsible. I can get like three Buds for the price of your one craft beer. I’ll save so much money that I’ll be able to take a trip, and while I’m on that trip I’ll drink my shitty beer, and I’ll be just about blissful.
I know at some point I should graduate onto better beers. I know there will come a day when I no longer get a six pack of Bud Light Lime for a barbecue at a friend’s house. I know that eventually I will be laughed completely out of my friends’ lives because of my beer choices. But doesn’t one sip of crappy beer just make you feel young? It takes me back to college. It takes me back to day drinking for no reason other than a pretty day. It takes me back to days when that was all I could afford, and wasn’t complaining.
Judge me for my beer choices. Go ahead, give me side eye when I order my Bud Light. Don’t worry, I’ll be laughing when you can only order two because you are over your budget for the night, and aren’t nearly as drunk as I am..
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Lauryn Polo
Writer, queso enthusiast, traveler, caffeine addict, and part time philanthropist.
@LaurynPolo
@LaurynPolo
I mean, who doesn’t love an ice cold Busch Light every now and then?
Cheap beer and expensive liquor has always been my trademark.
I brew beer and like a lot of different styles, but Coors Light is my go-to beer when I’m drinking beer to drink beer. If you get any side-eyes from people drinking goddamn Blue Moon (Coors Light with a handful of wheat and ale yeast), you need better drinking buddies.
Don’t forget the Coors Summer Brew!
Is that like Coors’ competitor to Bud Light Lime? If so, gonna take a hard pass.
C’mon folks, it’s fine to put a lime in your beer if you want. I’m a G&T fiend so I always have limes on hand and don’t mind putting a wedge in a lager, but Bud Light Lime tastes fucking awful.
Summer Brew has no lime in it and is way better.
Miller High Life is my go to. Let the haters hate.
I still enjoy a nice bud heavy at night before bed
Yuengling is my go to. Might be a dollar more than a bud light or a coors, but tastes better and I’ve never been disappointed.
Went to school in Philly. I love Yuengling way more than I should because of A) nostalgia and B) can’t get it in Chicagoland
I’ve come to like a nice cheap beer because it tastes of nostalgia, of when times were simpler and more fun. Ahh college…
Ain’t that the truth. I keep some Natty Light in my fridge at all times to bring back that feeling of perpetual freedom.
Bud Light is the most expensive “cheap beer” out there. True budget ballers know the sanctity of Busch, High Life, and the stones.
Bud Light puts off that upper middle class redneck vibe for only a few cents more.
This was beautifully written. I don’t discriminate much when it comes to drinking, but an ice cold Coors light will never not put me in a great mood and make me want to party.
Especially the Summer Brew
Sometimes I don’t want a $6 beer, I want 3 beers for $6.