# What's the worst beer you ever drunk? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** beer\ **Created:** [July 4, 2010, 8:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-beer-you-ever-drunk/545502 "2010-07-04T08:45:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2010, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-beer-you-ever-drunk/545502/121 "2010-07-07T14:29:32Z")
Olde Frothingslosh was just Iron City beer in promotional packaging. Pittsburgh radio/TV personality of the past, Rege Cordick, was the chief shill for it. IMS, and I was just a kid at the time, OF was marketed at holiday time. Promotional materials and packaging still turn up at flea markets pretty frequently. Now if you hate Iron City, hating OF makes perfect sense. ---
**Author:** ![villa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bc79bd/32.png) [@villa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/villa)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2010, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-beer-you-ever-drunk/545502/122 "2010-07-07T14:53:59Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > I’ll take all your share. I love chewy beers. You might want to rethink that. Hands down the worst beer I have ever tried to swallow is Chibuku, commonly known in Malawi as [Shake-Shake](http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A965036). My stomach turns even remembering it. ---
**Author:** ![Unintentionally\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unintentionally_blank/32/5418_2.png) [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2010, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-beer-you-ever-drunk/545502/123 "2010-07-07T15:22:35Z")
> [@Ferret\_Herder](#): > > The worst that comes to mind that was supposed to taste like that - I even had it at one of their brewpubs - was the [Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA](http://www.dogfish.com/brews-spirits/the-brews/occassional-rarities/120-minute-ipa.htm). Liked their 90 Minute, the 60 was a bit too much hops for me, but the 120 Minute was so goddamned sweet that my face involuntary squished up in distaste, and I passed the sample on to another in my group. None of us really liked that particular variety. Yeah yeah, heresy, whatever, I like their other beers, including the Raison d’Etre and Raison d’Extra. Mix it with Their World Wide Stout and you reportedly have ‘the ultimate black and tan’…So I bought both $10 18 ABV bottles and choked my way through them one evening. It was NOT enjoyable. I’ll go along with Iron City…the cans say “It’s the water”, I can’t tell if that’s an apology, or what. ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2010, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-beer-you-ever-drunk/545502/124 "2010-07-07T16:16:32Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > Olde Frothingslosh was just Iron City beer in promotional packaging. Pittsburgh radio/TV personality of the past, Rege Cordick, was the chief shill for it. IMS, and I was just a kid at the time, OF was marketed at holiday time. Promotional materials and packaging still turn up at flea markets pretty frequently. > Now if you hate Iron City, hating OF makes perfect sense. > [@Unintentionally\_Blank](#): > > I’ll go along with Iron City…the cans say “It’s the water”, I can’t tell if that’s an apology, or what. Beer trivia #1 - pass. Now, name that beer: “It’s in the water, that’s why it’s yellow”. ---
**Author:** ![lazybratsche](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ba8739/32.png) [@lazybratsche](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lazybratsche)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2010, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-beer-you-ever-drunk/545502/125 "2010-07-07T16:41:07Z")
I’ll chuck in another vote for Natty Ice. I think someone left it in our fridge after a party hosted by a roommate. A few people tried to drink it but we ended up throwing it out. And this was from people accustomed to cans of warm, skunky PBR. Normally I’m a big fan of any sort of wheat beer (though I haven’t yet tried Bud Light Golden Wheat…) Anyways, one of the better brewpubs around here had a berliner weisse, so I thought it’d be a good idea to try it. The stuff tasted like a mix of sour milk and skunked light beer. Though I later looked that variety up, and maybe it’s supposed to taste like that? Ever since I’ve made a point of tasting a little sampler of this brewery’s new varieties, since they can get a little… creative. Also I generally don’t like IPAs very much. I’ll occasionally sip on one with food, but I can’t stand the super-hopped varieties. Sierra Nevada’s not quite pale ale is about as hoppy as I can actually enjoy. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2010, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-beer-you-ever-drunk/545502/126 "2010-07-07T16:42:51Z")
> [@acetylene](#): > > I had a friend from Wilkes-Barre Pennsylvania who was proud of the fact that **Yuengling** is the oldest brewery in America. So on a trip to Penn, we bought a case for each of us. He was the only one who could drink the stuff. It honestly tasted like they were still selling beer from the first batch made in 1829. Four cases of beer went to waste. And I can tolerate Keystone, that’s how bad this stuff was. Really? Are you sure you didn’t buy skunked beer or something? I wouldn’t call Yuengling the Best Beer Ever, but it’s a damn fine cheap beer - unlike Budweiser or Michelob or any of that swill, it’s well worth drinking. Yuengling is my go-to barbecue/outdoor activity beer. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2010, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-beer-you-ever-drunk/545502/127 "2010-07-07T16:47:54Z")
> [@DJ\_Motorbike](#): > > The worst for me had to be a maple flavored pilsner. I don’t remember what the brewery was that made it. I think it may have been [Point](http://www.pointbeer.com/point/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=18&Itemid=6). I picked it up because it was cheap. > > If you want to try if for yourself put several tablespoons of maple syrup in an otherwise decent lager. It was just foul. You know, I could actually see that working in a good stout. Not a lager, though - and not tablespoons! ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2010, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-beer-you-ever-drunk/545502/128 "2010-07-07T17:02:34Z")
The worst beer was the intentionally skunked beer I had at a tasting at one of the Busch amusement parts. The nastiest thing I tasted there was Mike’s Hard Lemonade\*, but that wasn’t beer. The worst beer since then was Sam Adams light. I don’t know if it was skunked or if it’s always that nasty. I don’t try a lot of new beers since you’re stuck with 6 of them if you don’t like it. \*Mike’s Hard Lemonade has to be the nastiest beverage I’ve ever tasted. It makes Zima taste like ambrosia. Do people really drink that stuff? It’s like someone tried to disguise battery acid and refrigerator drippings with lemon flavored medicine and sugar. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2010, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-beer-you-ever-drunk/545502/129 "2010-07-07T17:22:51Z")
Mike’s is pretty good on a hot day. I had one at Petco the other day. It was either that or Bud Light. If you are truly masochistic, try judging a home-brewing competition sometime. You get the extremes: the really, really good and the unbelievably bad. I once commented on a judging sheet “I’m afraid to inform you (the brewer) that your yak has a kidney condition.” ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2010, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-beer-you-ever-drunk/545502/130 "2010-07-07T18:23:58Z")
> [@lazybratsche](#): > > Normally I’m a big fan of any sort of wheat beer (though I haven’t yet tried Bud Light Golden Wheat…) Anyways, one of the better brewpubs around here had a berliner weisse, so I thought it’d be a good idea to try it. The stuff tasted like a mix of sour milk and skunked light beer. Though I later looked that variety up, and maybe it’s supposed to taste like that? Berliner Weisses are indeed supposed to be sour and a little funky, somewhat reminiscent of an unflavored lambic or a Belgian sour ale. They are quite often served flavored with either raspberry or woodruff syrup to add a nice bit of sweetness to them, but I like them as is. It’s a difficult style of beer to find, and quite lovely on a hot summer day, with the low alcohol content and sourness. ---
**Author:** ![TWDuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@TWDuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TWDuke)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2010, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-beer-you-ever-drunk/545502/131 "2010-07-07T18:28:31Z")
> [@Wile\_E](#): > > I don’t try a lot of new beers since you’re stuck with 6 of them if you don’t like it. Actually, many (most?) bottles are labeled for individual sale, so you can buy just one even if they’re sitting in six-pack holder (unless the retailer has a policy against). On further research, I see that some municipalities ban single-bottle sales. Apparently if you drink, they want you to drink to excess. Here in Southern California, however, it’s pretty common to see people buy one or two bottles. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2010, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-beer-you-ever-drunk/545502/132 "2010-07-07T18:34:29Z")
> [@Ximenean](#): > > They had the Brazilian beer Brahma on offer at the supermarket the other day, so I bought a four-pack. It’s virtually undrinkable (admittedly I did drink a couple just to make sure). It’s like brown fizzy water with just a hint of beery taste. I wonder if the export product is different from the local beer— I’ve had Brahma quite a bit in Brazil and found it to be a perfectly drinkable pale lager, good for washing down Brazilian food. Not full-bodied, but not flavorless either. Two horrible beers that come to mind are Michelob Ultra, which really was like urine-colored soda water, and (many years ago) an experimental can of Hamm’s, which cracked open with the aroma of a sick man’s fart and was undrinkable even to a group of buzz-desperate teenagers. ---
**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:** [July 7, 2010, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-beer-you-ever-drunk/545502/133 "2010-07-07T22:12:25Z")
Personally, I tend to think of bad beer like bad sex. It’s still sex. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![antonio107](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7ea924/32.png) [@antonio107](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/antonio107)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2010, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-beer-you-ever-drunk/545502/134 "2010-07-07T22:21:31Z")
I used to hate stouts and other dark beers. Malt liquors go without saying. I’m also not a fan of the microbrewer craze, since I see a lot of dime a dozen brewers load their beer up with way more hops than it could ever need, under the guise of giving it “more flavour” than macro beers. As someone who homebrews wine (and on the very odd occasion beer), I believe that it is infinitely more difficult and complicated to make a beer with a subtle flavour a la Ashahi(sp?) Or Budweiser than it is to make a crazy bitter, over complex flavoured beer. Worst beer you would have heard of? Leffe. I really dislike Leffe. It has these weird aftertaste notes to it, which I can best describe as “hickory smoke” and “pennies.” ---
**Author:** ![Jas09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2010, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-beer-you-ever-drunk/545502/135 "2010-07-07T22:22:14Z")
> [@Wile\_E](#): > > The worst beer since then was Sam Adams light. I don’t know if it was skunked or if it’s always that nasty. > [@VinylTurnip](#): > > Two horrible beers that come to mind are Michelob Ultra, which really was like urine-colored soda water, and… Interesting. I find both of these perfectly palatable (although far, far from my ideal beer). I’m thinking in both cases you probably got a bad batch or a skunked bottle, because neither has much objectionable in it as far as I can tell. As for worst ever, amonst non-skunked and/or otherwise maimed beers, probably Beast, PBR, or some rot-gut 40oz someone dared me to drink in college. Although I’m quite tempted to try Beer-30 now, just for the lulz. ---
**Author:** ![MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MPB_in_Salt_Lake)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2010, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-beer-you-ever-drunk/545502/136 "2010-07-07T22:35:02Z")
> [@antonio107](#): > > I used to hate stouts and other dark beers. Malt liquors go without saying. I’m also not a fan of the microbrewer craze, since I see a lot of dime a dozen brewers load their beer up with way more hops than it could ever need, under the guise of giving it “more flavour” than macro beers. > > As someone who homebrews wine (and on the very odd occasion beer), I believe that it is infinitely more difficult and complicated to make a beer with a subtle flavour a la Ashahi(sp?) Or Budweiser than it is to make a crazy bitter, over complex flavoured beer. > > Worst beer you would have heard of? Leffe. I really dislike Leffe. It has these weird aftertaste notes to it, which I can best describe as “hickory smoke” and “pennies.” Leffe is another beer that does NOT travel well at all, but it is quite exceptional when fresh, and is actually one of my favorite go to beers when I am spending time in Antwerp or Brussels… De Konnick is another tasty brew that is not the same when it has been shipped. (I don’t actually know if it’s imported into North America or not) ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2010, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-beer-you-ever-drunk/545502/137 "2010-07-07T22:36:06Z")
> [@antonio107](#): > > I used to hate stouts and other dark beers. Malt liquors go without saying. I’m also not a fan of the microbrewer craze, since I see a lot of dime a dozen brewers load their beer up with way more hops than it could ever need, under the guise of giving it “more flavour” than macro beers. > > As someone who homebrews wine (and on the very odd occasion beer), I believe that it is infinitely more difficult and complicated to make a beer with a subtle flavour a la Ashahi(sp?) Or Budweiser than it is to make a crazy bitter, over complex flavoured beer I don’t necessarily disagree with any of this, but Budweiser has a subtle flavor? I guess, if water is subtle. Not all the microbrews are just one ham handed hop bombs, by the way. Some do an excellent job creating genuine complexity. You just have to know what to look for. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Peyote\_Coyote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5f8ce5/32.png) [@The\_Peyote\_Coyote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Peyote_Coyote)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2010, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-beer-you-ever-drunk/545502/138 "2010-07-07T22:53:35Z")
Buckhorn. I would sooner drink fermented horse piss than that unspeakable brew again. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2010, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-beer-you-ever-drunk/545502/139 "2010-07-07T23:09:13Z")
All the worst beers I’ve ever had were homebrews. I’ve never tasted a commercial brew that even approached the awfulness of some of the homebrews I’ve had. Not even Labatt’s Blue is that bad. Probably the worst I ever had was one where they’d somehow put noodles into it. It was called The Beer That Eats Like A Meal. Yes, it did. Like a meal of horse shit. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2010, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-beer-you-ever-drunk/545502/140 "2010-07-08T01:32:43Z")
> [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](#): > > The worst beer in the world, bar none, is Beer-brand beer. It comes in a white can and the label says, simply, “Beer”. Lies, I tell you. Horrible, horrible lies. Sucking on the aluminum can itself can’t possibly be worse than what’s in the can. [Drank it when I was a stupid teenager.](http://platinumhomestaging.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/generic.jpg) Yuengling is very good - around here I buy it in cans as it is very easy to get skunked ones, and they frequently are skunked in the bottle. The VFW around the corner from me sells draft Yuenglings for 75 cents during happy hour, after which they go up to a buck. They have other domestics on tap as well at that price - I confess I do not know what they are. I got some of the lesser-known Chinese beers in a Sicilian Chinese restaurant and was sick for about two days. These would get my vote, along with Antarctica in Brazil. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-beer-you-ever-drunk/545502.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-worst-beer-you-ever-drunk/545502.md?page=8)