# Cheap beer outside the U.S.A. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 8, 2011, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-beer-outside-the-u-s-a/566818 "2011-01-08T01:11:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2011, 10:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-beer-outside-the-u-s-a/566818/21 "2011-01-08T10:59:41Z")
> [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](#): > > In Vietnam once I went to a bar where a bottle of beer was actually cheaper than a bottle of water. And that wasn’t just because the water was hugely inflated in price. It was a green glass bottle and called Castle Beer - I think it cost about 10c. And, amazingly, it was drinkable! It wasn’t that long ago that beer was cheaper to produce than safe water. People drank beer because the water wasn’t safe to drink. Of course, back then, beer was much weaker too. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2011, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-beer-outside-the-u-s-a/566818/22 "2011-01-08T12:41:38Z")
> [@pkbites](#): > > That is really cheap. But everything I’ve seen on line says this stuff is only 3.5% alcohol. I’ve seen a couple of versions that were only 2% alcohol. > > I’d get a better buzz slamming a diet cola. It’s only relatively recently that 3.5% has been considered “weak” for beer. Traditionally, most ale and bitter was in the 3%-4% category - it’s only since lager became popular that 5% or more has become usual. In the UK, yes there are the ultra-cheap supermarket beers but a better alternative in my experience is crates of small (25cl) bottles of French lager (Bière d’Alsace or something) that work out at about 30p each. ---
**Author:** ![Neptunian\_Slug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce7236/32.png) [@Neptunian\_Slug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neptunian_Slug)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2011, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-beer-outside-the-u-s-a/566818/23 "2011-01-08T15:49:20Z")
> [@aruvqan](#): > > We were discussing beers in teamspeak yesterday, and brands were being discussed and I have introduced the idea that cheap nasty beer should be poured back into the horse to my corp mates =) > > Oddly enough, they all seem to dislike Stella Artois, never drank it but it seems to be advertised heavily in Connecticut right now. Is it really that bad? I enjoy Stellas. Not sure what they don’t like about it. Seen an increasing number of Stella-sponsored events around. I suppose InBev is trying to use their US distrbution channels to sell their European brands. ---
**Author:** ![hibernicus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hibernicus/32/2802_2.png) [@hibernicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hibernicus)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2011, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-beer-outside-the-u-s-a/566818/24 "2011-01-08T16:24:11Z")
A low-priced supermarket beer in Ireland (Dutch Gold, Tesco, etc.) would be around €1 or less for a 500 ml can. There’s a nameless beer which is just labelled with the German and English words for beer, so it’s called “Bier Beer”. You can often buy a box of small (25 cl) bottles of French beer called “Bière d’Or des Flandres” for around 40c per bottle. ---
**Author:** ![scruffycat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scruffycat/32/200_2.png) [@scruffycat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scruffycat)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2011, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-beer-outside-the-u-s-a/566818/25 "2011-01-08T17:18:38Z")
> [@aruvqan](#): > > We were discussing beers in teamspeak yesterday, and brands were being discussed and I have introduced the idea that cheap nasty beer should be poured back into the horse to my corp mates =) > > Oddly enough, they all seem to dislike Stella Artois, never drank it but it seems to be advertised heavily in Connecticut right now. Is it really that bad? Stella is known as ‘Wife Beater’ in the UK, it has a really bad rep. However I like it (jokes aside) Oh and under no circumstances ever try Frosty Jacks or White Lighting referenced by a couple of other posters in the thread. It isn’t really cider it’s sort of a pulp apple left over crap mixed with corn syrup and alchohol. the hangover is…well lets just say Tramps drink it. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2011, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-beer-outside-the-u-s-a/566818/26 "2011-01-08T17:42:05Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > It’s only relatively recently that 3.5% has been considered “weak” for beer. Traditionally, most ale and bitter was in the 3%-4% category - it’s only since lager became popular that 5% or more has become usual. 😕 Are you talking about Europe? Because lager has been the style of choice in the U.S. for about 150 years. ---
**Author:** ![Norse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a9adbd/32.png) [@Norse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Norse)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2011, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-beer-outside-the-u-s-a/566818/27 "2011-01-08T19:20:49Z")
> [@pkbites](#): > > 😕 Considering that **Colophon** talks about lagers vs. bitters and ales, I’m willing to bet a pint that s/he’s from the UK. Which, IMNSHO, is almost on par with Belgium from a beer-lovers’ point of view… ---
**Author:** ![Fish\_Cheer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fish_cheer/32/17179_2.png) [@Fish\_Cheer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fish_Cheer)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2011, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-beer-outside-the-u-s-a/566818/28 "2011-01-08T20:04:01Z")
You can get 6 half-litre bottles (plastic!) of store-brand beer for something like €1.69 - that’s 100 fl. oz. for $2.20. There’s a beer tax, but that’s only a couple of cents per litre. You pay the full 19% VAT for beer, though. ETA: in Germany, that is ---
**Author:** ![Dahu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dahu/32/3416_2.png) [@Dahu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dahu)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2011, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-beer-outside-the-u-s-a/566818/29 "2011-01-08T20:17:05Z")
> [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](#): > > In Britain, you could buy a box of 20x250ml bottle of passable lager for about £6. Someone might correct me but I believe the tax for beer is 17.5%. In Scandinavia tax makes the beer VERY expensive, but alternatively it’s very cheap in Eastern Europe. A pint of beer in a UK pub is subject to two taxes. Excise duty is around 50p for a 5% beer, then there is VAT on the net selling price of 20% (up from 17.5% as from 4th January). So on a pint that costs, say £2.80, you’re paying nearly £1 in tax. ---
**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2011, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-beer-outside-the-u-s-a/566818/30 "2011-01-08T22:33:47Z")
> [@zatarra](#): > > Essentially if you want to get drunk as cheaply as in the UK i suggest trying Frosty Jacks or White Lighting or any other cheap white ciders most are around 7.5% ABV if memory serves The alcoholic who used to hang around Queen’s University Belfast, seemingly for 24 hours a day, alternatively listening to his stereo while asleep, or drinking heavily, would wholeheartedly agree. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2011, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-beer-outside-the-u-s-a/566818/31 "2011-01-13T19:00:12Z")
> [@hibernicus](#): > > A low-priced supermarket beer in Ireland (Dutch Gold, Tesco, etc.) would be around €1 or less for a 500 ml can. There’s a nameless beer which is just labelled with the German and English words for beer, so it’s called “Bier Beer”. You can often buy a box of small (25 cl) bottles of French beer called “Bière d’Or des Flandres” for around 40c per bottle. Bavaria seems to be the cheapo beer du jour, in Galway at the very least. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-beer-outside-the-u-s-a/566818/32 "2011-01-14T14:38:59Z")
> [@An\_Gadai](#): > > Bavaria seems to be the cheapo beer du jour, in Galway at the very least. 🙂 It used to vie with Steiger for that honour, but both appear to have been chased out of the supermarkets by own brand white label lagers. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-beer-outside-the-u-s-a/566818.md?page=1)