Dude, grow a spine and bring your own. And share. If the dude takes offense, he sucks. Hell, all that matters really is the first couple beers. After that your pallet is shot anyway, and the cheap shit can be tolerated. You will be more appreciated by the attendees if you bring decent beer and a can of pringles than the dude that brings some exotic pate.
Part of my protocol is that if 1. the host knows the invitee likes a better brew and 2. it isn’t an undue burden to provide it, it should be provided.
Really comfortable party goers can and should be able to bring whatever they want for themselves, but there’s a big difference between a Saturday night at lifelong buddy’s house playing Guitar Hero and an evening with a work colleague and all the stuff in between.
I’ll copy my response from What’s on Tap?, whose question today happens to be quite similar.
silenus- I honestly agree completely. Why people expect you to consume things you dislike is rude. If you just want to get drunk and don’t care how, do it right and take a shot of shitty vodka.
Not if you bring some for me! 
Seriously, I like the better beers too. Can’t stand the commercial stuff, especially “light” beers. So if I want beer, I have to bring my own.
And No, sorry Queen Bruin, but I ain’t drinking no fucking Miller Lite/Meisterbrau/Processed Effluent just because that’s “what’s on tap”.
But hell, I bring my own Cherry Coke to family events too. Because that’s what I like and my family doesn’t have it. Same thing. I sometimes bring an extra can because my nephew loves it (and they won’t buy it for him because he’d drink the 12 pack in one day), but otherwise…if I want it, I have to bring it.
Snubbing the host’s hospitality is bad form.
Bringing your own beer for just you is a direct insult (“the host’s offering is not good enough for me.”) Bringing beer along for several people is contributing to the conviviality of the evening.
You’re not obligated to provide better beer than the host. You’re also not obligated to go if you can’t graciously accept what the host provides or figure out some way to make it look like you’re doing so.
Said it much better than I could.
Don’t be That Guy.
You said you want to bring beer you like. You never said “better.” That’s totally cool…bring a six pack or two.
When it’s a casual get together (even if it’s escalated to “party” status), there’s nothing wrong with bringing beer. A six pack is the minimum. You must share, and if you want to guarantee a few for yourself, you should bring more than the minimum.
I would never bring beer to a formal party or to a party where there is going to be a keg. For a formal party, wine is appropriate. (And of course wine is appropriate at casual get togethers. In my circle, it’s actually mandatory.)
Fortunately, I don’t have friends who throw formal parties 
If I thought circumstances make it rude to bring my own, I would just say I’m driving, no thanks.
I brought wine once to a staff party with full intention of putting it on the table for all to share…the host told me I should just keep it. I felt HE was rude for rejecting my gift. I mean he’s letting me use his pool table, his 50 inch lcd TV, the least I can do is bring something for everyone to share.
If I go to a party is almost always very informal and I know most of the people quite well… An afterhours thing on a weekend. One of a couple of friends places. I bring maybe a twelve pack of just regular cheap beer and I know they’ll have much of the same. I just figure rather than drink beer they paid for and make them run out quicker I’ll just drink my own and hang out. If they run out they can have any of mine… I’m not going to be having it all and it’ll be less for me to carry home (all like 3 places I’d actually be at are close anyway, though). If they don’t run out then I just leave when the party is over and put the five or whatever is left for some other night I’m out and about back in the fridge.
If I were drinking super high class 9 dollar a six pack I could see how that might be pretentious… especially if I wasn’t offering any to anyone.
There is one place, though, that I rarely hang out at, but the guys there like lots of different kinds of beers and I’ll buy a nice obscure six pack and bring it… We generally just say “oh hey, that beer looks good, mind if I give ya one of this kind for it?” and all end up having a couple of each of 4 of 5 kinds.
Was gonna say.
Yup. You come in, you hand the six (or 12) pack to the host, then you take off your shoes and start partying.
(There is the risk of everyone drinking your good stuff if all the host has is cat piss, though. We’re polite folk, but not above stealing the Traditional in the fridge.)
Here in Australia no-one would think anything of it. And the fact that it is light beer would mean that no-one would expect you to share it because you aren’t going to be drinking the full calorie stuff that everyone else is drinking.
Too bad you can’t get access to some Aussie beer. With the advent of random breath tests many years ago one of the big improvements has been in light beers. They used to all be liked watered down beer from the drip tray at a pub but now we have decent light (low alcohol) and low carb (your lite) beers. Some of our low alcohol beers are still 3.2%.
I always bring something to any party I’m invited to, either a bottle of wine, or some beer and I expect it to be shared. In my experience (in the US) most guests bring something to a party.
If I followed your post correctly, I think you mis-read mine. Light beer is what will be served. *Real *beer is what I want to take.
Please allow me to take a snippet from my post in this thread:
I’m not that guy. I always bring enough to share or I’ll otherwise drink what the host is providing.
Round these parts, hosts pretty much expect that their guests will bring something, even if there’s already enough food and drink for an army. It’s pretty much what we do here - first question after an invite is always, “what can I bring?” It’s almost a midwestern statute: “Thou must not attend a gathering without bringing drink and snack.”
So yeah, feel free to bring your own. Do bring enough to share, and leave whatever’s left over with the host.
Wanted to relate my recent experience. Had my family over for x-mas. I used to drink a lot of beer, but haven’t drunk for 3-4 years, and my wife probably doesn’t go through a 6 a month. I had on hand a 12 of Goose Island Honker’s Ale, 6 Harp (my wife’s fave), 6 Sam Adams, 6 Sam Adams Winterfest, and 12 Bud Select (family history - 1 BIL worked for AB for 30+ years). That was probably enough for everyone who would be drinking beer.
2 of my BIL’s brought beer - both AB products. During the party, the beer drinkers probably drank 1/2 what I had provided, and 1/2 what was brought. They drank way less than I expected, such that I had over 1 1/2 cases left. I asked them to take some with them, as we would not drink it anytime soon.
My nephew goes into the garage, fills up a couple of sixers, and comes out with - you guessed it - nothing but Goose, Sam Adams, and Harp! As little as I needed a case of beer hanging around the house, I had even LESS need for a case of Bud Light! So I told my nephew to hang on, took the 2 sixers of good beer from him, and instead gave him all of the AB product - something around a case and 1/2.
I got the sense that he really didn’t care, but just didn’t want to appear greedy. Actually, I was a tad disappointed that my BILs brought so much brew, as I have never failed to have plenty of brew for my guests.
In response to the OP, feel free to bring good beer, but don’t be surprised/disappointed when you only get to drink 2 - maybe 3 - out of your 6. After your 2-3, either swill a couple of cheap beers, or switch to something NA or hard liquor.
Yep. Even though it’s true, it can’t SEEM like it is.
Anytime we go anywhere, the host usually has something on hand, but always welcomes contributions from the guests. I’ve never been to a party where a host got offended when someone showed up with their personal flavour of choice. Also, leaving the leftovers is pretty standard policy – I’d guess that as often as not, the house parties I’ve been at finish with as much or more beer than they started with, due to the contributions of the guests.
Personally, I wouldn’t sweat bringing your fave, especially if you know ahead of time that the host will be providing… gaaaack… light beer. (Just thinking of a party with only light beer made me throw up a little in my mouth)