# Why does American mass-produced beer suck so hard? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** beer\ **Created:** [December 21, 2008, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-american-mass-produced-beer-suck-so-hard/478166 "2008-12-21T06:06:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-american-mass-produced-beer-suck-so-hard/478166/61 "2008-12-22T21:30:08Z")
> [@gaffa](#): > > I disagree. RC Cola tastes like cola, Coca-Cola tastes like high-fructose corn syrup. Given the choice, I’ll go with RC. Wait, so you’re saying that RC cola tastes more like Coke than Coke does? The concept of “cola” comes from the name “Coca-Cola”. They invented the genre. It’s like saying “lamb tastes like beef. Cow tastes like fat.” ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-american-mass-produced-beer-suck-so-hard/478166/62 "2008-12-22T22:20:35Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > No, it’s the truth. Cheap beer is cheap beer, wherever you go. Mass produced anything has to appeal to the lowest common denominator, which means the first thing sacrificed is distinctive taste. Dog crap has a distintive taste, which is NOT inherently in and of itself a good thing. ---
**Author:** ![5-HT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/5/f19dbf/32.png) [@5-HT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/5-HT)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-american-mass-produced-beer-suck-so-hard/478166/63 "2008-12-22T22:41:24Z")
> [@gaffa](#): > > I disagree. RC Cola tastes like cola, Coca-Cola tastes like high-fructose corn syrup. Given the choice, I’ll go with RC. um, you must mean that RC draft “premium cola” stuff, because normal RC cola uses high fructose corn syrup too. ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-american-mass-produced-beer-suck-so-hard/478166/64 "2008-12-22T22:51:28Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > If you want non mass produced beers ,you have to go to a local brewery. I don’t know how literally you were speaking here, but most large urban areas will have at least a few good microbrews anywhere beer is available. My tiny corner store has at least a dozen, and every, and I mean _every_ real bar (i.e. not Chevys or a wine bar) here will have at _least_ Anchor [Steam](http://www.anchorbrewing.com/beers/) and Sierra Nevada [Pale Ale](http://www.sierranevada.com/beers/paleale.html). I saw plenty of Goose Island in Chicago and Brooklyn Brewing in NYC. Microbrews are available much farther and wider than their brewpubs. -Troy McClure SF, who lives about 2,000 feet from [Toronado](http://www.toronado.com/). ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-american-mass-produced-beer-suck-so-hard/478166/65 "2008-12-22T22:53:31Z")
> [@DoctorJ](#): > > When Pabst saw they were gaining a little hipster cred, they put a fair bit of money and effort into sponsoring local and indie music scenes. It was the rare bit of marketing that was a win for everybody involved–a lot of shows got sponsored, Pabst sold more beer, and there was actual cheap beer to be found when the mood was right for it. > > (Somehow drinking a $6 microbrew at, say, a Hold Steady or a Reverend Horton Heat show seems wrong, but paying $4 for a Budweiser doesn’t feel much better. $2 PBR tallboy, you say? Now we’re talking.) Heh… when I get rich and open a bar in the Mission, I’m gonna charge $5 for PBR to subsidize the $3 RRBC and Speakeasy stuff. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![5-HT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/5/f19dbf/32.png) [@5-HT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/5-HT)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-american-mass-produced-beer-suck-so-hard/478166/66 "2008-12-22T22:54:45Z")
> [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](#): > > I don’t know how literally you were speaking here, but most large urban areas will have at least a few good microbrews anywhere beer is available. My tiny corner store has at least a dozen, and every, and I mean _every_ real bar (i.e. not Chevys or a wine bar) here will have at _least_ Anchor [Steam](http://www.anchorbrewing.com/beers/) and Sierra Nevada [Pale Ale](http://www.sierranevada.com/beers/paleale.html). I saw plenty of Goose Island in Chicago and Brooklyn Brewing in NYC. > > Microbrews are available much farther and wider than their brewpubs. > > -Troy McClure SF, who lives about 2,000 feet from [Toronado](http://www.toronado.com/). I find **gonzomax** ’s statement even more curious, as I live in Michigan as well and always found the local bars to be well stocked with non-major label beers. ---
**Author:** ![Rainbowthief](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/4bbf92/32.png) [@Rainbowthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rainbowthief)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2008, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-american-mass-produced-beer-suck-so-hard/478166/67 "2008-12-23T00:20:33Z")
Because they’re mass produced; that’s why they suck. No matter what they claim, they simply cannot procure quality ingredients in such massive quantities on a regular basis to produce premium beer. Not to mention, the cost of doing so would force them to charge more. ---
**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2008, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-american-mass-produced-beer-suck-so-hard/478166/68 "2008-12-23T00:29:15Z")
> [@Rainbowthief](#): > > Because they’re mass produced; that’s why they suck. No matter what they claim, they simply cannot procure quality ingredients in such massive quantities on a regular basis to produce premium beer. Not to mention, the cost of doing so would force them to charge more. There’s a line there though. Obviously Sam Adams and Sierra Nevada are mass produced too, but they aren’t awful. ---
**Author:** ![Cyberhwk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7993a0/32.png) [@Cyberhwk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyberhwk)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2008, 10:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-american-mass-produced-beer-suck-so-hard/478166/69 "2008-12-23T10:26:04Z")
> [@SmackFu](#): > > Obviously Sam Adams and Sierra Nevada are mass produced too, but they aren’t awful. Personally had a couple of good evenings with the **Boston Lager**. ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2008, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-american-mass-produced-beer-suck-so-hard/478166/70 "2008-12-24T01:11:39Z")
> [@SmackFu](#): > > There’s a line there though. Obviously Sam Adams and Sierra Nevada are mass produced too, but they aren’t awful. Yes. There’s a fine line between “mass produced” and “ass produced.” 😛 ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2008, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-american-mass-produced-beer-suck-so-hard/478166/71 "2008-12-24T04:07:13Z")
> [@OneCentStamp](#): > > Yes. There’s a fine line between “mass produced” and “ass produced.” 😛 Yeah You just put some “mmmm” in it 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Lance\_Murdoch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/47e85d/32.png) [@Captain\_Lance\_Murdoch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Lance_Murdoch)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2008, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-american-mass-produced-beer-suck-so-hard/478166/72 "2008-12-24T18:19:14Z")
The big boys all taste almost identical. CoorsMillerBudOldStyle What’s the diff? I know lot’s of people who swear by one or another and treat the competition like bottled urine, but I really bet they couldn’t differentiate in a blind taste test no matter how forcefully they protest otherwise. I like Summit myself which tastes nothing like like the pop beers. I’m sure there are other micros that I would find practically identical to Summit, but that’s fine. I won’t swear by one brand and curse the others. ---
**Author:** ![butler1850](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@butler1850](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/butler1850)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2008, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-american-mass-produced-beer-suck-so-hard/478166/73 "2008-12-26T15:04:19Z")
> [@Theodore\_Striker](#): > > …but I have run into a few shit imports and micros (I’m looking at you Arrogant Bastard Ale). Whereas when I run across somewhere that sells it, I always buy a bottle. Of course, I drink it hunched over like Gollum protecting the ring, smelling, sipping and admiring, while looking over my shoulder for someone who might steal my treasure. To me, the bitterness and hop nose is the ultimate expression of God’s love for us, a gift of knowledge given to the brewer, and bottled and shared with me alone. If only I had the sack to try to make a homebrew that big and bold. Hopefully my “hop soup” recipe in the fermenter will help with this addiction. To each their own, and for the record, when camping with the guys, I’m a Bud-light man… supplemented by good bourbon, of course. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Theodore\_Striker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@Theodore\_Striker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Theodore_Striker)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2008, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-american-mass-produced-beer-suck-so-hard/478166/74 "2008-12-26T20:58:40Z")
I can generally tolerate the hopped up brews, although they are far from my favorite. ABA got the pour for the dead homies down the drain. Like you said though **butler** , to each their own. Now speaking of homebrews… looks like I need to start a new thread asking for equipment recommendations, ha. ---
**Author:** ![Cardinal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardinal/32/4000_2.png) [@Cardinal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardinal)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2008, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-american-mass-produced-beer-suck-so-hard/478166/75 "2008-12-26T22:26:54Z")
> [@OneCentStamp](#): > > In Budweiser and Bud Light, it’s rice, not corn, being added to the barley malt. With Miller, it’s corn. Either way, the problem is not the grain bill (though it certainly doesn’t help), but the decision making process. The easiest way to get rich making a consumer product is to make the product as inoffensive as possible, and dark, bitter, complex beers are harder to get used to. Plus, most of America is hot as hell in the summer, and even guys like me often switch to light, refreshing lagers (though nothing by BudMillerCoorsHeinekenCorona) in the hot months. According to Joel Achenbach in his Why Things Are books, it’s using rice (he doesn’t mention corn). He also notes that a guzzle-able beer makes better inroads to teenagers and college kids, setting them up better for brand loyalty. Most people don’t have the inclination, time, or money to become aficionados of things like beer. Hershey’s sells a lot of chocolate, but the chocolate lovers of the world think it’s completely forgettable. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2008, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-american-mass-produced-beer-suck-so-hard/478166/76 "2008-12-27T02:47:27Z")
> [@Captain\_Lance\_Murdoch](#): > > The big boys all taste almost identical. CoorsMillerBudOldStyle What’s the diff? I know lot’s of people who swear by one or another and treat the competition like bottled urine, but I really bet they couldn’t differentiate in a blind taste test no matter how forcefully they protest otherwise. If you want to really see some stupid beer commentary, walk into a Canadian bar and ask them about how Canadian beer is better than American, and they’ll go on about it for half an hour… and yet they’re more than likely to be drinking Molson Canadian of Labatt’s Blue, which are pop beers completely indistinguishable from Bud, Miller, etc. The myth that Canadian beer is stronger, better or both than American beer is a remarkably well-ingrained concept in Canada, despite its being one hundred percent bullshit. The most popular beers here are just pop beers. Availability of actual quality beer is no greater here than in the States. ---
**Author:** ![Lust4Life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lust4Life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lust4Life)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2008, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-american-mass-produced-beer-suck-so-hard/478166/77 "2008-12-27T16:12:02Z")
Taste is subjective and changes over the years. I started off drinking pints of mixed bottled brown ale and mild ale as a nipper but its much too sickly for me now. Also Newcastle Brown ale which has a distinctive taste . Spent many years drinking real ale(because it was usually a lot stronger then keg fizz) but the taste of it now seems pretty gruesome to me . Have also drank cider and Scrumpy over the years and still do so on occassion. Used to love Guinness and have had it in Ireland aswell but made myself sick of it in the end. Have drank all sorts of beers all over the world,many of them totally forgetable. Have never drank any American Micro Brewery beer so cant comment on it but mainstream,mass produced U.S. beer for me at least is weak and fizzy and I would only drink it out of politeness. I drink Stella Artois now bnecause its strong and tastes quite nice. In the U.K. because we are surrounded by foreign countries drinking imported beer is not a big thing on the snob/elitism front so that doesn’t enter into the equation normally(And you’d be laughed at if it did)but ironically amongst the younger drinkers drinking Bud from the bottle became trendy for a while and Mexican beers with something or other stuffed in the neck of the bottle are still considered the “In” drink by upwardly mobile wannabes. Looks like distance may be a factor. Otherwise in my local supermarket you can buy beers from almost literally anywhere in the world. So sorry but most American beer isn’t very good. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2008, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-american-mass-produced-beer-suck-so-hard/478166/78 "2008-12-27T18:24:28Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I wouldn’t cry if I had to be stuck drinking Sam Adams for the rest of my life. Their lager is one of the few I actually enjoy. Around these parts, Sam Adams is brewed in Cincinnati. 🙂 I don’t care for most of the beers made by Sam Adams, but the regular Lager is very good. But I have to tell you, [Samual Adams Summer Ale](http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h199/LMcCulloch/beer/SamAdamsSummerAle.jpg) is _ **awesome** _. I heard vendors had a difficult time keeping it in stock. ---
**Author:** ![Hunter\_Hawk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/50afbb/32.png) [@Hunter\_Hawk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hunter_Hawk)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2008, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-american-mass-produced-beer-suck-so-hard/478166/79 "2008-12-27T18:31:57Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > If you want to really see some stupid beer commentary, walk into a Canadian bar and ask them about how Canadian beer is better than American, and they’ll go on about it for half an hour… and yet they’re more than likely to be drinking Molson Canadian of Labatt’s Blue, which are pop beers completely indistinguishable from Bud, Miller, etc. Come to think of it, _are_ there any notable Canadian microbrews? I’m not a beer drinker, so I don’t pay too much attention to the topic, but it seems that all of the well-regarded microbrews I’ve heard of are American. Do the Canadian ones just not get mentioned as much, are there fewer of them, or are they just not as good? (Or am I just not paying attention?) ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2008, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-american-mass-produced-beer-suck-so-hard/478166/80 "2008-12-27T18:42:55Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > The myth that Canadian beer is stronger, better or both than American beer is a remarkably well-ingrained concept in Canada, despite its being one hundred percent bullshit. The most popular beers here are just pop beers. Availability of actual quality beer is no greater here than in the States. It’s that Canadian Beer in Canada was often fresher than Canadian beer in America or American beer in Canada, thus the myth that the beer was better. Coors (which isn’t terrible) got it’s cache also based upon freshness. Especially with the lagers, freshness is more important than many dudes think. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-american-mass-produced-beer-suck-so-hard/478166.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-american-mass-produced-beer-suck-so-hard/478166.md?page=5)