thoughtnot

Some of you may recall that in Round 1 of the “Cheap Beer Playoffs“, I tried out six different inexpensive beers. I have grown tired of paying $8 for a 6-pack, and honestly this economy doesn’t justify it. Sure, I’ll still enjoy a nice craft beer from time to time. But to me, there’s nothing particularly outstanding about Michelob Ultra Lite or Bud Select that justifies its price. From Round 1, the advancing challengers were:

- Keystone Light (KL)
- Miller High Life Light (HLL)
- Pabst Blue Ribbon (PBR)

Round 2: Miller High Life Light vs. Keystone Light
First, I put the Keystone up against the Miller High Life Light. I found them both to be fairly full-bodied and malty, which I liked. But I found the Keystone to have a bit of a bitter, sharp finish that seemed to settle funny in my stomach. On the other hand the HLL had a pretty smooth finish. Again, I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. 

Winner: Miller High Life Light

Round 3: Miller High Life Light vs. Pabst Blue Ribbon (PBR)
The final contest was between the classic PBR and the HLL. I had given PBR the ‘bye’ in this contest because, after Round 1, I honestly thought it would be the winner. After all, it is sort of the American standard “working-man’s” beer. And I have to say, it was another close contest. Though the PBR is a little more bitter and carries a little more after-taste, it was still a refreshing beer. BUT, every so often, it would kind of sour my stomach. Sometimes I take a beer to have when I finish riding, and I found this was especially true if I let it warm up slightly before or during the time I was drinking it. On the other hand, the HLL was always consistent. It maintained it’s full taste, and always had that nice malty flavor. And though it gets a little harder to drink when it warms up a bit (despite whatever T-bone may say), I still found it drinkable. It is easy to have one or two of these and really enjoy it. And at rougly $13 for a 30-pack, it beat many of the contenders.

So the overall winner is Miller High Life Light!

You know, as a beer that kind of found its way into the competition at the last minute, this was surprising even to me. It’s not one I would have singled out, initially. And to be honest, this competition has been over for most of the summer now. But I kind of figured I’d hold off on posting the results to ensure that I was committed to my choice. I have now gone through a couple of cases of this, and still find myself enjoying it. So I’m sure it will work for me for a while. But if I need a change of pace, I’d still pick up a case of PBR. =)