# What is good supermarket beer? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** beer\ **Created:** [November 22, 2016, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-good-supermarket-beer/772718 "2016-11-22T03:31:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lakai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de0a6/32.png) [@Lakai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lakai)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2016, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-good-supermarket-beer/772718/1 "2016-11-22T03:31:15Z")
What’s the best beer that is widely available in most supermarkets? ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2016, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-good-supermarket-beer/772718/2 "2016-11-22T03:35:01Z")
Depends on your tastes and budget. ---
**Author:** ![zombywoof](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/9e8a1a/32.png) [@zombywoof](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zombywoof)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2016, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-good-supermarket-beer/772718/3 "2016-11-22T03:38:10Z")
And the supermarkets in your area. ---
**Author:** ![Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/channing_idaho_banks/32/250_2.png) [@Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Channing_Idaho_Banks)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2016, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-good-supermarket-beer/772718/4 "2016-11-22T03:46:02Z")
Whatever is on sale. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2016, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-good-supermarket-beer/772718/5 "2016-11-22T03:51:40Z")
If I’m buying beer for people that I don’t know their tastes all that well, I stick with a variety pack of schell. I’ve never met anyone who turns down schell across the board. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2016, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-good-supermarket-beer/772718/6 "2016-11-22T03:54:09Z")
I would answer you but it just wouldn’t be fair-I live in Portland, Oregon, where farmhouse ales, barleywines and Rogue Dead Guy Ale can be found on just about any supermarket beer aisle. ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2016, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-good-supermarket-beer/772718/7 "2016-11-22T04:01:33Z")
Just buy a case of various Bud Light Lime-a-rrrrritas or Straw-brrrr-ritas and it will last you a lifetime. Everyone will quickly learn to BYOB. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2016, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-good-supermarket-beer/772718/8 "2016-11-22T04:05:06Z")
Someone did a blind taste test of mass domestics on the AV Club a little while ago and the winner was Bud Light. It depends on what you want, but the purchase of various small breweries by MolsonCoors and AB-InBev have expanded what’s out there even without the real local stuff. And there’s always Samuel Adams. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2016, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-good-supermarket-beer/772718/9 "2016-11-22T04:09:16Z")
There are about 15 billion beers in our supermarket, you can ‘craft your own six pack’ for $10 or $15 bucks. Those are fun - banana bread beer? chocolate beer?? hard cider? … As for beer for ‘pick up a six pack’ there are different Sierra Nevadas that we like, Sam Adams, Red Stripe, or good old Budweiser. ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2016, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-good-supermarket-beer/772718/10 "2016-11-22T04:18:58Z")
Sam Adams Blue Moon Dos Equis ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2016, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-good-supermarket-beer/772718/11 "2016-11-22T04:21:13Z")
Sierra Nevada Pale Ale ---
**Author:** ![harmonicamoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/65b543/32.png) [@harmonicamoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/harmonicamoon)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2016, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-good-supermarket-beer/772718/12 "2016-11-22T04:28:56Z")
> [@Rhiannon8404](#): > > Sierra Nevada Pale Ale Exactly. I noticed you are in Sacratomatoe. You been to the brewery in Chico? ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2016, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-good-supermarket-beer/772718/13 "2016-11-22T04:54:39Z")
I gave up on buying beer in supermarkets because the only one that wasn’t sex in a canoe is Blue Moon. I can drink it, but if I’m in an actual liquor store, I’d never buy it. ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2016, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-good-supermarket-beer/772718/14 "2016-11-22T04:55:43Z")
> [@harmonicamoon](#): > > Exactly. > > I noticed you are in Sacratomatoe. You been to the brewery in Chico? Yep! And you get so much beer for free at the end of the tour. Like 8 four ounce tastings. Plus they have varieties there for sale that you can’t find in stores. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2016, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-good-supermarket-beer/772718/15 "2016-11-22T05:10:06Z")
Sierra Nevada, Bells, or Founders are all pretty widely available around me. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2016, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-good-supermarket-beer/772718/16 "2016-11-22T05:24:53Z")
When I’m buying for parties, I buy Killian’s Irish Red. It’s always popular, and I never have trouble finding it. Personally, I don’t like beer, but I like most hard ciders, and a lager called Wild Blue. It has a slight blueberry flavor, and while it isn’t exactly sweet-- not nearly as sweet as hard ciders, it is a lot less bitter than beers. Marsh and Meijer always have it. Just putting in a plug for your non beer-loving guests. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2016, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-good-supermarket-beer/772718/17 "2016-11-22T15:45:05Z")
Mickey’s wide-mouth [bottles](http://www.mickeys.com/Default.aspx) (possibly NSFW) are easy to drink from, each cap has a rebus on the underside, and after you’ve knocked down a six-pack, you can take the empty grenades into the backyard, throw them into the treehouse, and pretend you’re storming the beaches of Normandy. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2016, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-good-supermarket-beer/772718/18 "2016-11-22T15:59:12Z")
> [@Lakai](#): > > What’s the best beer that is widely available in most supermarkets? “Best” is kind of relative. In my supermarkets, some brands that are typically sold and that are considered solid, if unspectacular are: [ul] [li]Sam Adams[/li][li]New Belgium[/li][li]Ballast Point[/li][li]Shiner[/li][li]Guinness[/li][/ul] just to name the ones I can think of off the top of my head. ---
**Author:** ![delphica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9a140/32.png) [@delphica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/delphica)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2016, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-good-supermarket-beer/772718/19 "2016-11-22T16:24:36Z")
If this is a question that means"hey, I am having a lot of people over for the holidays, what would be a decent enough beer that is readily available somewhere that I am already shopping?" Sam Adams (their basic product will be labelled “Boston Lager” and then the store might carry their seasonal “Winter Lager” so a mix of those would work well for holiday entertaining) For a broad appeal, for a middle-of-the-road crowd – if you think your guests lean a little more toward fancy beers, I would go for Stella Artois. If you think your guests lean more the other way, the “I don’t like those fancy beers, I just want a real beer” crowd, then Dos Equis. ---
**Author:** ![Casey1505](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@Casey1505](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casey1505)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2016, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-good-supermarket-beer/772718/20 "2016-11-22T16:41:04Z")
If I’m buying beer for a holiday party at the house, it’s going to be [Yuengling Lager.](http://library.bevnetwork.com/bottles/800/194047.jpg) It’s acceptable middle ground between a cheap lawnmower beer and Sam Adams. I’m not breaking my budget on craft beer for more than one or two guests. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-good-supermarket-beer/772718.md?page=2)