# What is the worst beer you've ever had? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** beer\ **Created:** [November 26, 2009, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-beer-youve-ever-had/519065 "2009-11-26T21:43:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2009, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-beer-youve-ever-had/519065/61 "2009-11-27T19:22:44Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > When I was a kid, I used to collect beer cans. I thought Black Label had a nice can design. > > Then, I moved back to Ohio at age 30 and actually drank the beer. YUCK! This wasn’t even a good beer to drink when I chilled it in the freezer like I used to in college with the cheap beer I bought back then. Black Label was what I thought of when I read the thread title. My mom used to give our dog a little beer sometimes, Michelob. When I was about 16, I could have a beer now and then. She had bought Black Label, and it was _nasty_. I tried giving it to the dog, and _she_ wouldn’t drink it either. ETA: I’ve had Zima, and it wasn’t bad if you didn’t think of it as beer. Tasted more like a gin and tonic. ---
**Author:** ![StoutHearted](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2bfe46/32.png) [@StoutHearted](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StoutHearted)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2009, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-beer-youve-ever-had/519065/62 "2009-11-27T19:40:07Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > I’ll see your Stork and raise you a Stella. Not Stella Artois, the Belgian piss, but Egyptian Stella, which has things floating in it. Was probably yeast - yeast floaties are common among beers that have gone bad, or in the brew of struggling new homebrewers. It won’t hurt you, but if you’re like me, you’re not a fan of chewing your beer. ---
**Author:** ![StoutHearted](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2bfe46/32.png) [@StoutHearted](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StoutHearted)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2009, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-beer-youve-ever-had/519065/63 "2009-11-27T19:45:42Z")
> [@Olentzero](#): > > Do you mean a gueuze, which is what a lambic starts out as before they add the fruit? 'Cos that stuff is _divine_. Fat Tire was experimenting with a gueuze when I took their tour a couple of years ago and they handed out free samples; half the party couldn’t stand it, which meant more for me. I was quite pleasantly surprised when I first tasted it and the guide was impressed I knew what it was just by taste. Gueuze is not for everyone. It’s supposed to be tart and sour, and there are even seasoned beer geeks who will turn up their nose at it. Cantillon makes the world’s best gueuze - though you do have to pay a lot for one of their bottles. Some bartenders will warn patrons before they serve gueuze about its flavor. As for me, I love the stuff. Sometimes I want a brew that’s not the usual thing, know what I mean? ---
**Author:** ![Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8edcca/32.png) [@Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superfluous_Parentheses)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2009, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-beer-youve-ever-had/519065/64 "2009-11-27T20:08:51Z")
**Best Bier** and **Schultenbrau** are some of the nastiest “economy” beers I’ve had over here. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Scrivener](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@The\_Scrivener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Scrivener)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2009, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-beer-youve-ever-had/519065/65 "2009-11-27T20:16:07Z")
A Rolling Rock with a strongly soapy aftertaste. Holy crap, that was nasty! Dunno if it had gone skunky or if they’re all like that, but I have no desire to try another. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2009, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-beer-youve-ever-had/519065/66 "2009-11-27T20:16:36Z")
> [@ZenBeam](#): > > Black Label was what I thought of when I read the thread title. My mom used to give our dog a little beer sometimes, Michelob. When I was about 16, I could have a beer now and then. She had bought Black Label, and it was _nasty_. I tried giving it to the dog, and _she_ wouldn’t drink it either. > > ETA: I’ve had Zima, and it wasn’t bad if you didn’t think of it as beer. Tasted more like a gin and tonic. Black Label always struck me as having a chalky taste. I did not like it. ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2009, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-beer-youve-ever-had/519065/67 "2009-11-27T20:20:21Z")
> [@The\_Scrivener](#): > > A Rolling Rock with a strongly soapy aftertaste. Holy crap, that was nasty! > > Dunno if it had gone skunky or if they’re all like that, but I have no desire to try another. I drink Rolling Rock not infrequently and I’ve never noticed a soapy taste. Maybe you got a bad batch or there was soap contaminating the inside of the bottle. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2009, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-beer-youve-ever-had/519065/68 "2009-11-27T20:23:35Z")
Rolling Rock. I know it has devotees, but I couldn’t stand it. ETA: I see I’m not the only one. ---
**Author:** ![Surly\_Chick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@Surly\_Chick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surly_Chick)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2009, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-beer-youve-ever-had/519065/69 "2009-11-27T20:51:16Z")
**Birra Tirana** , made, oddly enough, in Tirana, Albania. You could go to brewery and buy a bucketful. As long as you brought your own bucket. It was the worst swill I ever tasted. ---
**Author:** ![typoink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@typoink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/typoink)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2009, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-beer-youve-ever-had/519065/70 "2009-11-27T22:15:23Z")
I’m amazed to see people nominate Steel Reserve. I’ve only had it once, but I remember thinking it was bordering on flavorless. Not GOOD, but there wasn’t much to object to. Ironically, now I want to try it again because I fear I missed something. ---
**Author:** ![dnooman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/839c29/32.png) [@dnooman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dnooman)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2009, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-beer-youve-ever-had/519065/71 "2009-11-27T22:32:55Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > Does Zima count? My brother threw a BLasphemy party one good Friday, and I was determined to win; among my several contributions to the party was a six-pack of Zima that I labeled “The spittle of Christ.” It tasted like water that cut flowers had rotted in, mixed with sugar. I choked down two sips–the second one much later in the evening, having trouble believing the first sip had really been that bad. I’d say that Zima is more of a “malt beverage” than an actual beer, but since you mentioned it… remember Zima Gold? That stuff tasted like a wino vomited in it. Even as an underage drinker at the time it came out, myself and my friends refused to drink it, and that was saying something given the nasty stuff we would resort to drinking. “Originally popular among young women, Coors made its first attempt at attracting young men to the brand in 1995 by marketing Zima Gold, an amber-colored beverage that promised a “taste of bourbon”; the drink was unpopular and disappeared from store shelves within the year.” I’d also vote for the Chili Beer, Rolling Rock (always skunky) and any of the “white” beers like the Sam Adams white, or Imperial whites. Bleeech! ---
**Author:** ![dnooman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/839c29/32.png) [@dnooman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dnooman)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2009, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-beer-youve-ever-had/519065/72 "2009-11-27T22:37:03Z")
> [@typoink](#): > > I’m amazed to see people nominate Steel Reserve. I’ve only had it once, but I remember thinking it was bordering on flavorless. Not GOOD, but there wasn’t much to object to. > > Ironically, now I want to try it again because I fear I missed something. Its flavor varies widely depending on how fresh it is, and how cold it is served. If you get it too old, warm, or both, you are in for some nasty taste. If it’s fresh, and ice cold I don’t really mind it. However, almost nobody drinks Steel Reserve for the taste, it’s main purpose in life (like all malt liquors) is to get you fighting drunk, for the cost of a happy meal. ---
**Author:** ![fandango](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b5ac83/32.png) [@fandango](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fandango)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2009, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-beer-youve-ever-had/519065/73 "2009-11-28T03:31:49Z")
I just had a **Bud Light with Lime** a couple days ago. I regretted purchasing it after the first sip. It was just awful with an artificial lime aftertaste. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2009, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-beer-youve-ever-had/519065/74 "2009-11-28T03:36:59Z")
> [@StoutHearted](#): > > Was probably yeast - yeast floaties are common among beers that have gone bad, or in the brew of struggling new homebrewers. It won’t hurt you, but if you’re like me, you’re not a fan of chewing your beer. I’d swear some of them were swimming. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Real\_Regency\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@The\_Real\_Regency\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Real_Regency_Elf)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2009, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-beer-youve-ever-had/519065/75 "2009-11-28T03:46:05Z")
Some crap in Finland that was supposed to be grape flavored. I think pure distilled goat bile blended with baby poop would be tastier. After one sip I wanted to punch someone; if not the person who invented that swill, then anyone. Anyone at all. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2009, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-beer-youve-ever-had/519065/76 "2009-11-28T03:56:47Z")
The ones that have made me vomit. Surprisingly it was often the same brand that earlier in the night didn’t make me vomit 10 to 20 times. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2009, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-beer-youve-ever-had/519065/77 "2009-11-28T05:32:15Z")
London’s Pride. I drank it at a pub while I was studying abroad, and not only was it served warm (kinda ok…European thing) but it was terrible tasting to boot. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2009, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-beer-youve-ever-had/519065/78 "2009-11-28T05:56:37Z")
> [@fandango](#): > > I just had a **Bud Light with Lime** a couple days ago. I regretted purchasing it after the first sip. It was just awful with an artificial lime aftertaste. Miller Chill is like that, though without the awful. The lime just seems to be an afterthought rather than an integral component of the taste. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2009, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-beer-youve-ever-had/519065/79 "2009-11-28T06:24:45Z")
Anyone ever taste Billy Beer? It came out in the late 70’s. Named and endorsed by Jimmy Carter’s brother Billy. I never had any. But, I’m pretty sure it was a cheap, nasty brew. ---
**Author:** ![crypto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b3f665/32.png) [@crypto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crypto)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2009, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-beer-youve-ever-had/519065/80 "2009-11-28T06:35:36Z")
Rolling Rock, and it’s not even close. Cheap, crappy, local beer (Latrobe, PA) that made the big leap to a national beer when the brewery was bought by (I think) LaBatts. For some reason, people like to hold that green bottle with the “33” on it and think it’s magical. I could get a case for $5 before it was big time, and always laughed when I saw people willing to plunk down $5 for a bottle of the swill. Man, this is a shit beer. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-beer-youve-ever-had/519065.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-beer-youve-ever-had/519065.md?page=5)