Someone explain this to me...

[Diomedes]

The local 7-11 sells a 6 pack of 12oz Budweiser for $5.99.

They sell a 3 pack of 24oz Budweiser for $3.99.

What the fuck is going on?

[Death Surge]

If you're foolish enough to drink Budweiser, we're betting basic math escapes you as well.

[devincf]

Beer costs even less by the ounce when buying in kegs. It's about packaging.

[Diomedes]

Let's circumnavigate the cheap shots and say I'm on limited means.

[Dario Delfino]

24 x 3 = 72

12 x 6 = 72

$3.99 < $5.99

And thus, it is explained.

[Brian Wehman]

If you're foolish enough to drink Budweiser, we're betting basic math escapes you as well.
This thread is quite silly, but there really isn't a need to bring beer snobbery into it. I've never quite understood this.

Very rarely do you hear people put down someone's taste is vodka or rum. No one ever goes on about how if you drink Paramount Vodka, you are a person of bad taste. When the bartender asks if you want well (when ordering a mixed drink), and you say yes - no one turns around and shoots you a look.

Yet, when it comes to beer people are so stuck on their own choice, that it is funny to see them put down someone else. Hell, even Old Milwaukee or Natural Light. Yeah, they don't taste as good to me, but I know people who like the taste very much.
Yet, if you order a Dortmunder - you are some kind of beer coinsure??

It's like blasting someone who likes Pepsi instead of Coke. they are both cola's and certain people like certain taste.

I don't even drink Budweiser; I prefer a Coors Light - I just think it's quite silly and extremely arrogant to call out someone's beer choice.

[Guttenberg Fan Club]

That's like saying you can't make fun of someone for liking a shitty band or a Uwe Boll movie.

And yeah, people are called out on thier taste in liquer. Of course, I've never seen anyone outside of college order well vodka for anything other than a drink where it doesn't matter what rot-gut is in the thing because you can't taste it anyways.

[Alan "Nordling" Cerny]

I don't call out people's tastes in beer if they're in college. They're broke and new at this sort of thing and don't know any better. Plus, it's an economical drunk they're going for. Busch was invented for just this sort of thing.

Now, if you're in your 30s and still drinking Budweiser, well, you're not doing it right.

[P-3]

Although not a very interesting topic based simply on mathematics, I do find it interesting from the marketing perspective, and I'll give you the benefit and assume this is what you are wondering about.

I'd guess AB's marketing has determined lower income beer drinkers do not have much, or any, social concern in regards to holding or being seen with a 24oz beer, while the more sophisticated Bud drinker wishes not to upset the delicate social circle of fraternity bros and parking lot tailgaters, thus, they purchase the more community acceptable 12 oz size.

The beer itself probably doesn't cost very much to produce, it's similar to a fountain Coke. Which is why you can get 128 oz bucket for $.19 more than a 32oz. If you can handle the akwardness of looking like a dumbass holding a soda of such size, you deserve the financial windfall the relative bargain awards you.

[Brian Wehman]

I don't call out people's tastes in beer if they're in college. They're broke and new at this sort of thing and don't know any better. Plus, it's an economical drunk they're going for. Busch was invented for just this sort of thing.

Now, if you're in your 30s and still drinking Budweiser, well, you're not doing it right.
I'm 32, highly educated, well-paid ,and drink Budweiser products quite often. I very much prefer the taste of Bud to an imported beer. I don't get how money or age has any correlation to the beer you drink.

And yeah, people are called out on thier taste in liquer. Of course, I've never seen anyone outside of college order well vodka for anything other than a drink where it doesn't matter what rot-gut is in the thing because you can't taste it anyways.
Man, I must really be doing this wrong by the standards established here. If I am not drinking beer, I typically drink vodka or gin "and tonics", I almost always get well. Apparently my palette is not as "mature" as the rest of you. I just don't need Grey Goose or Tanqueray with my tonic and slice of lime.

That's like saying you can't make fun of someone for liking a shitty band or a Uwe Boll movie.
I think it's slightly different. Those are not extremely popular products enjoyed by the masses.

[Guttenberg Fan Club]

I think it's slightly different. Those are not extremely popular products enjoyed by the masses.

Shitty bands and shitty movies aren't often extremely popular?

Here's the difference; you can have a well gin and tonic, and be fine with it. It doesn't taste bad, in fact it really just tastes like lime and tonic water. If you have some Bombay Saphirre in that gin and tonic, though, you're also having a great tasting booze. You bring a lot more flavor to the drink. And things like martinis and gimlets are impossible with well booze.

I don't believe you 'enjoy' well booze. You just drink cocktails where you can get away with cheap shit. Fine enough. But let's not pretend there isn't a difference. I think you just haven't tried the really good shit straight up.

[Death Surge]

This thread is quite silly, but there really isn't a need to bring beer snobbery into it. I've never quite understood this....


As GFC mentioned, people like a lot of inferior things, and thus become targetable by people with expertise in those areas. I've been power drinking every form of fermented beverage available for the past 25 years, so I'll claim to be more than a little qualified to chime in on a person's choice of brewery product.


Man, I must really be doing this wrong by the standards established here. If I am not drinking beer, I typically drink vodka or gin "and tonics", I almost always get well. Apparently my palette is not as "mature" as the rest of you. I just don't need Grey Goose or Tanqueray with my tonic and slice of lime.

If you really can't taste/smell/feel the difference between a superior brand of vodka or gin, than more power to you cleaning out the bottom shelf. Those of us with operating taste buds like to enjoy what were drinking as well, so make a point to purchase superior brands if they are within our means.


I think it's slightly different. Those are not extremely popular products enjoyed by the masses.

Not sure the point you're making here. The masses also spend a lot of dollars at Adam Sandler movies and gave Jessica Simpson a #1 album. Popular rarely equates to superior.

[Alan "Nordling" Cerny]

I'm more of a beer elitist than a liquor elitist anyway. Shiner Boch is my beer of choice in restaurants, but with friends I go for more of a German selection. I'm always trying new ones.

[Brian Wehman]

I can taste the difference, I just don't need it. It's not about price either.

I guess I am just a simpler person. I enjoy wine as well (damn, I am starting to think I need help), but I don't need to sniff the glass, swish it in my mouth, spit it out, and tell people it taste like woodchips and berries.

My whole point wasn't really about the taste anyway. It was more about beer drinkers condemning those who like Bud or Miller type products. This thread isn't the first time this has happened. I have had many, many types of beer and I like them just fine. I think a Shiner Boch (for example) taste just fine. I just prefer my Coors Light with my steak than a Guinness.

I dunno, maybe it is the same as liking a Uwe Boll movie, or some emo-pop-punk band. It's just a choice that others look down upon, and you have to like what you like. I just happen to like Bud beer but not Uwe Boll or crappy bands.

Maybe it's looking down on what others enjoy as a whole that bugs me. Man, I could use a beer right now.

[Lee Harvey Cobblepot]

My uncle, who has worked as a production manager in a large brewing company and knows more about beer than, well, *everyone*, claims that Budweiser is an excellent beer. The good hygiene in the production process gives a beer with very few defects, and its character makes it easy to taste the defects when they in fact do occur.

[devincf]

Its character being "watery."

[Lee Harvey Cobblepot]

Yes, I wasn't sure anyone would catch that. :)
Personally I don't like it, but my point was that "beer snobbery" in general, and specifically when directed against Bud, is quite silly.

[Guttenberg Fan Club]

You could make that arguement about anything.

[Lee Harvey Cobblepot]

I just consider it to be especially silly when it comes to beer. There are other areas (liquor, movies, music) where I might be more inclined towards snobbery.

[Guttenberg Fan Club]

So, you're snobby about what you can and can't be snobby about?

[P-3]

As much as some are willing to accept or deny, it's about marketing.

Bud is marketed at 22 year old white males. Us more sophisticated beer tasters want to dangle our pinkies as we sip our finer barley and hops.

We do not wish to get lumped in with the Bud crowd, regardless if the beer is crap or not. Or crush a beer can against our head, or jam a lime into our Corona as we listen to Legend, or fantasize about the twins, or whatever other image the brand dictates. Michelop could be fine beer, but it's for yuppy Eric Clapton fans, so I'm not interested.

Sam Adams could be a fine beer, but dudes who drink it wear Docker's. Not for me.

[Guttenberg Fan Club]

Budweiser is NOT marketed at 22 year olds. Bud Light is, but that's marketed to everyone.

[Lee Harvey Cobblepot]

So, you're snobby about what you can and can't be snobby about?Well, I'm better than most, so I can afford to be.

[Jacob Singer]

People who worry about how a beer is marketed might make them look while drinking it should just switch to heroin.

[P-3]

My mistake, Bud Lite. (I'm just throwing out top-of-mind generalities, I don't have any marketing plans in front of me.)

Most people DON'T think about how the beer is marketed. But the way it is marketed either speaks to them or it doesn't. This is true about anything. Anything consumed has an image, which in some way affects the consumers decision.

[Alan "Nordling" Cerny]

People who worry about how a beer is marketed might make them look while drinking it should just switch to heroin.

Hahahaha

[Ali]

I'd guess AB's marketing has determined lower income beer drinkers do not have much, or any, social concern in regards to holding or being seen with a 24oz beer, while the more sophisticated Bud drinker wishes not to upset the delicate social circle of fraternity bros and parking lot tailgaters, thus, they purchase the more community acceptable 12 oz size.
You didn't note the current curious fad of drinking malt liquor like Steel Reserve or Colt45, or even Miller or Bud 40s, as sort of a joke. I've been to a few grad and college parties where that has actually been the theme. I, on the other hand, drink that stuff to get drunk cheap and fast.

Sweet, sweet alcholism.

Personally, if you prefer watery light beer, I wonder how someone could go for a Bud instead of much smoother brands like Miller or even a Coors light?
Those are good for some occasions but after having my fill of those drinks, and if I really want to enjoy my beer, foreign (and most likely german) beers are the way to go.

[DARKMITE8]

Personally, I don't like beer that's more see-through than my urine and I don't like the taste of metal while I'm trying to enjoy a cold one.

That rules out most domestics and especially if they're in can.

I always steer towards ales/lagers and prefer them on tap (or in a bottle). Guinness may be fattening, but it's so good when it hits your lips...
Harp or Smithwick's for me otherwise.

Money is still tight for me at 30, but at this point in my life I drink to enjoy a beer. I'd rather go for quality over quantity anyday. And only having $5 in my pocket= keeps me responsible for the drive home.

[P-3]

You didn't note the current curious fad of drinking malt liquor like Steel Reserve or Colt45, or even Miller or Bud 40s, as sort of a joke. I've been to a few grad and college parties where that has actually been the theme.

Ah, racist frat parties. Fun for all!

[DARKMITE8]

http://billydeecolt45.ytmnd.com/
http://www.livejournal.com/userpic/8675238/20245
"Does it... every time!"

The Billy Dee Williams Smoothness Test!
http://bfcgroup.com/helluvatough/smoothtest.html

[Ali]

I think there's some justice served when I can actually see their kidneys being destroyed while playing 40 hands.

[Guttenberg Fan Club]

Yes, because drinking a 40 is racist.

[Death Surge]

I always steer towards ales/lagers and prefer them on tap (or in a bottle). Guinness may be fattening, but it's so good when it hits your lips...


Suprising factoid:
Most stouts are generally low calorie. Guiness is only 120 calories per pint, which is actually lower than a few light beers. Of course, it's the carbs that kill you...

[Guttenberg Fan Club]

I always steer towards ales/lagers and prefer them on tap (or in a bottle). Guinness may be fattening, but it's so good when it hits your lips...

Guiness actually has less calories than most other 'regular' (non-light) beers on the market.

[DARKMITE8]

Suprising factoid:
Most stouts are generally low calorie. Guiness is only 120 calories per pint, which is actually lower than a few light beers. Of course, it's the carbs that kill you...
Hot Damn! Somebody buy me a drink! F**k Atkins...
I guess this spare tire's from all the junk food then.

[P-3]

Yes, because drinking a 40 is racist.

Drinking a 40. Not rascist. That's true.

College kids, probably white, having theme parties and drinking 40's as "a joke." Now why would that be "funny"? I don't get the joke.

[Patrick Ripoll]

Because that's what nig-

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

[Guttenberg Fan Club]

Collge kids, probably white, having theme parties and drinking 40's as "a joke." Now why would that be "funny"? I don't get the joke.

It's doing the things people they grew up admiring were doing. O.E. 800 cause that's my brand and all that shit.

Also, it's very cheap to get fucked up.

[P-3]

O.E. 800. Wha? I don't know what you are talking about. You crazy kids and your jazz. With your "teh's" and your LOL's.

Drinking 40's of Colt 45 because it's cheap and has higher percent of alcohol. Check. Got it.

Where's the joke in that, though?

[Sammy Jankis]

I'm not much of a beer drinker, but when I drink it, I prefer New Castle, or other medium to heavy (generally imported) beers. I find american beer tastes like water that has been left in a bottle for too long.

An oldie but goodie: how is american beer like sex in a boat?

[Guttenberg Fan Club]

O.E. 800. Wha? I don't know what you are talking about. You crazy kids and your jazz. With your "teh's" and your LOL's.

Drinking 40's of Colt 45 because it's cheap and has higher percent of alcohol. Check. Got it.

Where's the joke in that, though?

It's not a 'joke' like why'd the chicken cross the road. It's a joke in that it's people emulating the gangster posturing from music they listened to as kids and/or still listen to. Kids in high school see a fridge full of 40 oz in "Nothin But A G Thang" suddenly want to have a party where they have a fridge full of 40s stacked on top of one another. College provides these types of opportunities.

[Patrick Ripoll]

I'm not much of a beer drinker, but when I drink it, I prefer New Castle, or other medium to heavy (generally imported) beers. I find american beer tastes like water that has been left in a bottle for too long.

An oldie but goodie: how is american beer like sex in a boat?
It's fucking close to water.

[Brian Wehman]

I just like how thie thread has turned into a conversation about racism. Who knew how badly beer could divide this country.

[Diomedes]

The odd thing is that I actually prefer Heineken when it comes to light beers, they were just out of it when I went to the store.

[Seabass Inna Bun]

My uncle, who has worked as a production manager in a large brewing company and knows more about beer than, well, *everyone*, claims that Budweiser is an excellent beer. The good hygiene in the production process gives a beer with very few defects, and its character makes it easy to taste the defects when they in fact do occur.

Sounds sterile. Yum.

[swedish miyagi]

The Nuthin But a G Thang and other videos of the early nineties had to have made 40 oz malt liquor sales increase at least a billion % among young white males. I can actually remember being a malt liqour snob (jokingly) when I was about 15. I might say something like "I'm not getting Schlitz or Colt 45, fuck Billie Dee Williams, I'm getting ST IDES, Wu Tang and Ice Cube can't be wrong. "

Regarding the actual question, like Devin and P-3 said it's packaging and dealing with the fact that holding an enormous can of bud makes you look like a real life Ricky Bobby. If the 24 oz monsters were purchased on a regular basis I'm sure huge soldiers would be left all the time as well. I can understand the price difference. I thought this was going to be one of those mind boggling situations where somehow the more bulkish selection costs more per unit. I eat blueberry eggo waffles for breakfast, the pricing on those at the grocery store blows my mind, if you buy the smaller 10 pack you pay less per waffle than if you buy the larger 16 pack. Somebody explain that to me, I guess they're trying to throw bulk buyers a curveball.

[ElCapitanAmerica]

Bah! It's all pointless, all beer looks and smells like piss anyways.

[Slestak]

I eat blueberry eggo waffles for breakfast, the pricing on those at the grocery store blows my mind, if you buy the smaller 10 pack you pay less per waffle than if you buy the larger 16 pack. Somebody explain that to me, I guess they're trying to throw bulk buyers a curveball.

By making the price on the smaller quantity more attractive, they convince to buy it. Thus you run out of waffles sooner and get your ass back in the store to buy more sooner as well.

It's not just waffles. There are a lot of food items priced this way.

[swedish miyagi]

eh, I don't really see how that holds up. Wouldn't they want you to buy as much as possible while they have you in the store? And I just buy 2 or 3 10 packs at once anyway.

[Slestak]

What they want more is for you to make as many trips into their store as possible, so you buy a bunch of impulse crap like pork rinds and chewing gum.

This is why you usually find the milk in the back of the grocery store.

[OCallaghan]

American beer just flat out sucks. Seek out some Coopers Lager:Guaranteed bliss.

[James May]

Sometime when you're drinking beer, you simply wish to get cheaply fucked up, other times its for beer taste enjoyment nothing more or less. My cheap=Miller, my premium=Kirin for light tastes and Guiness for something darker (darkest?).

[Neal]

Bah! It's all pointless, all beer looks and smells like piss anyways.

Go back to bed, grandma.

[swedish miyagi]

Slestak, good point with the impulse crap. For some reason I was thinking Eggo was coming up with these prices but of course it's the grocery store.

On the beer subject, I consider Bud Light and Miller Lite to be water with a splash of piss, supposedly there's alcohol in there but I mostly just pee a lot. Pete's Wicked Ale is an excellent mid grade selection. If faced with a decision between 12 Bud Lights or 1 Guiness I would take the one Guiness, unless it was really hot outside or something.

[OhioJones]

If I have to go to a cookout/party where it's BYOB - and typically leave what I don't drink - it's Bud. If it's a quiet night at home or cookout with close friends, it's the good stuff.

[Slestak]

My favorite is Newcastle, but 90% of the time I'm drinking Miller Lite. Why? It's cheap and easy to find. *shrug*

It's also more refreshing. To me, most of your major domestic beers are damn near soda pop. If I'm thirsty, I'm reaching past the bottle of Broon Ale and grabbing that shiny blue can of goodness.

[Ade Brooks]

Bah! It's all pointless, all beer looks and smells like piss anyways.

ElCapitan, if your piss has the same qualities as beer you might just be your own walking goldmine!!

[Lee Harvey Cobblepot]

Sounds sterile. Yum.Lacking hygiene in a brewery is really gross. Plenty of juicy substances (like yeast) for bacteria to feed on. So Sterile=Good is pretty much the rule of thumb. But that is the rule for most eatables.

[Vader]

Packaging does matter.

So many times have I wanted the little Heineken mini keg...just because it's so damn cute.