Bierkultur

Little 500 presents an interesting dilemma for the craft beer drinker.

On one hand, those who drink craft beer know that price sometimes dictates how much one can drink and enjoy. On the other hand, it is Little 500, which presents a different set of priorities.

Generally speaking, race fans aren’t sipping Goose Island’s Matilda or North Coast’s Old Rasputin, but instead, they are littering Bloomington with cans of American light lagers.

So this presents a good opportunity to take a look at cheap beer. These are the beers that wouldn’t stand up internationally (in Germany, they can’t legally be marketed as “beer”) and are often made cheaply and with rice instead of grains. Here’s my list of the best of the worst in American brews.

ICEHOUSE — If you really like Icehouse, please email me, and tell me why. I see no reason to ever buy this beer under any circumstances. I’m all for making a purchase based on a budget but Icehouse? Really? That’s just plain deplorable.

NATURAL LIGHT — Natty Light isn’t much better, but it is at least worth — only a little bit — the low, low price. It’s a beer for games but not much else. My suggestion: Start on a better beer, and work your way to a point where drinking Natty is not as horrid.

KEYSTONE LIGHT — Keystone is the best of the really, really cheap beers. Again, it’s a good game beer but not a good drinking beer, and again, my advice is to start heavy and end light with something like Keystone.

PABST BLUE RIBBON — To the hipsters: I’m sorry, y’all. I know you really think you are chic and cool for drinking your PBR, but you’re not. It’s still awful. Budweiser is better than your drink of choice, which should tell you something. Drinking bad beer does not make you more hip.

BUDWEISER — Bud, even with its awful ad campaigns and cheesy American-flag cans, is in the top tier of the cheap brews. It’s cheap, easy to find and a good, solid party beer that’s worth the price for day drinking and games during Little 500 week.

MILLER LIGHT — Believe it or not, my favorite cheap beer is Miller Light. I can’t put my finger on it exactly, but I just prefer it to the other American-style light lagers out there. I could go on about really quality craft lagers, but as far as mass-produced cheap beers go, I always go for a case of Miller Light.

Now, to be clear, I am very much an advocate against the nonchalant attitude many 20-somethings have toward binge drinking. If you or someone you know has a problem with alcohol, please call IU CAPS at (812) 855-5711 or go to http://healthcenter.indiana.edu/ for more information. If there is an emergency, please call 911 immediately.

Stay safe this weekend, and cheers!