A guide to rotgut beer
by Steve HammerSo I did a massive taste testing and review of the beer that the retailers don’t want you to buy, the rotgut cheap beer that will, if you’re lucky, only make you sick and not land you in the ER for alcohol poisoning.
Beer: Natural Ice
Brewer: Aneheuser-Busch, St. Louis
Found in: White-trash neighborhoods
Price: $5.99/12 pack
Goes with: Ramen, Banquet Frozen Dinners
A beer is a beer, but Natural Ice is a beer with a little something extra, namely an extra kick of alcohol. While most beers are content with a 5 percent alcohol content, Natural Ice delivers an astonishing 5.9 percent alcohol content. And you can taste it, too: It packs a punch of bitterness on the first swig that lasts all case long. It’s more of a lifestyle statement than a beer, and that statement is, “I’m poor and I want to get wasted as quickly as I can.” People I know have reported going through a 30-can cube ($10.99) and not remembering anything for days afterward. It’s the No. 1 choice of homeless people and college students everywhere.
Beer: Northstar
Brewer: Huber Brewery, Milwaukee
Found in: Only at Aldi
Price: $4.99/12 pack
Goes with: Happy Harvest canned peas
You know you’re down on your luck, or at least your cash, when you go shopping at Aldi, the German-owned chain that caters to the most thrifty and/or poorest among us. Nestled in between crates of graham crackers and a pallet of pork rinds, you’ll find Northstar. The label promises it to be a “craft” beer, whatever that means. Surprisingly, for a beer that’s so inexpensive, it’s actually not bad. People I’ve forced it upon say it reminds them of Blue Moon. But after a few of them, you’ll find yourself strangely wishing for Germanic world domination. If you’re at Aldi, and you really, REALLY need beer, this is your choice.
Beer: Pabst Blue Ribbon
Brewery: Pabst, Milwaukee
Found in: Counties that voted for Bush, punk rock bars
Price: $5.99/12 bottles, $11.99/30 cans
Goes with: Potato chips, chili
This is the best beer for everyday drinking, meaning that if you drink every day, this is your beer. Once consumed only by retirees and hard-core alcoholics, it’s become something of a cult beer among punk rockers and other anti-establishment types. While it’s most popular in can form, I find that the bottled Pabst is far superior. The canned version is a little tinny, while the bottled version is full-bodied and flavorful, kind of like a poor man’s Heinekin or Molson. If you want to dabble in the world of cheap beer, there’s nowhere better to start. Tip: It tastes better if you chill it almost to the freezing point.
Beer: Milwaukee’s Best
Brewery: Miller
Found in: College towns, blue-collar neighborhoods
Price: $11.99/30 pack
Goes with: Beer Pong, home-detention ankle bracelets
By far the most popular beer among broke college kids, Milwaukee’s Best is perhaps the nastiest beer brewed in America, eclipsing even the dreaded Mickey’s Malt Liquor and the notorious Hamm’s, the Beer Whose Name Dare Not Be Spoken. It combines the flavor of aluminum and vinegar, the fizziness of store-brand ginger ale and an aftertaste that makes you want to gnaw off your left shoulder. The stories are legendary of what has been done under the influence of this concoction. Unless you’re a masochist or a sadist, depending on whether you’re drinking or buying, stay far, far away from this beer. In keg form, however, it crosses the threshold of “good enough.” And sometimes that’s all you need in a beer.
Editors note: This column first appeared in 2005.
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