var json_comments = new Array("

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tmed

August 11, 2009 3:01 PM

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Ad campaign is less annoying than the beer. Like making love in a canoe.

5 replies

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August 11, 2009 5:29 PM

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@tmed: Am I the only one who likes the commercials, at least compared to the alternative? Everything else tries to make themselves so classy, and don't even get me started on \"The most interesting man in the world\"... Lame Chuck Norris \"facts\" rip-off. Those were funny for a day, in 2003.
Yep, I'll gladly take BL and their regular-joe approach. I'm not fooled by the imports' pretentiousness.

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August 12, 2009 2:24 AM

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@Easton21: I love that guy ! Plus I actually like Dos Equis (especially the Amber (especially on tap)).

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August 21, 2009 5:25 PM

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@ChunkyBarf: I don't have a reply for what you said, but your name almost made me spit out my V8!

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zandar

August 11, 2009 5:12 PM

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@tmed: perfect image. it's really true. bleh!

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August 11, 2009 3:24 PM

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@tmed: @

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August 11, 2009 3:08 PM

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@tmed: Pretty F&!^ING close to water.

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zombies.like.lattés.too

August 11, 2009 3:04 PM

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You know what else is drinkable? Water.

I want my beer to have some flavor, thank you.

10 replies

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August 11, 2009 6:25 PM

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@zombies.like.lattés.too: Hoegaarden and other belgians. Pale ales, lagers, I love me some Heineken. Hell, I'll even drink Red Stripe.

Bud Light is barely a notch above Keystone and one below Miller/Coors. Keystone is the cheap/high school/college party beer. When you decide you want to spoil your guests and go all out with the cheap shitty beer, BUD LIGHT WOOHOO!

If you just want to get drunk, why don't you just drink something that has more alcohol per volume so you don't have to drink so damn much of it? Vodka? Have some jello shots? A sweet girlie mixed drink?

Unless you're playing pong.

Cheap beer is pointless. If you're just a college student, get some real beer. If you just want to get drunk, get some cheap liquor. Or hell even PBR instead

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August 11, 2009 8:55 PM

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@EinhornIsAMan!: Yeah - I'm firmly in the camp now that if I can't afford to drink a beer I like, I can't afford to drink beer. That's that.

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August 11, 2009 3:57 PM

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@zombies.like.lattés.too:

Exactly. This crap, and Coors Light especially, can only appeal to people who actually don't like beer. Because they don't taste like beer. They taste like slightly fuzzy water. This crap should be banned...

Amstel Light is about the only light beer I've ever tasted that actually didn't taste like water.

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Eyebrows McGee (now with more baby!)

August 11, 2009 4:45 PM

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@YouDidWhatNow?: Oh please. Lagers -- and lighter lagers -- have an important role in the history of beer. Most early American field worker contracts specified a pint of beer at lunch and at dinner, and if you drink anything BUT lager in 100-degree heat and high humidity and then go back out to do field work, you are going to barf like a mofo.

Lager is SUPPOSED to be light, refreshing, watery, and not have much taste, because it's MEANT for folks like those fieldworkers who were drinking it as a rehydration lunchtime beverage before water is a safe alternative. And it took hold in the US because of its widespread use in manual labor employment agreements.

If you're sitting in air conditioning, don't drink a hot-weather, manual-labor beer, and then bitch that it's too light and watery!

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August 11, 2009 8:44 PM

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@Eyebrows McGee (now with more baby!): You said it. Damn Kelly girls and their over-malted, over-hopped gravy beers.

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August 11, 2009 6:29 PM

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@Eyebrows McGee (now with more baby!):

BS.

Not only is an amber or a porter or whatever else not going to make you \"barf like a mofo\" in 100-degree heat, there is also no excuse in there for making pilsners utterly tasteless.

There are plenty of good pilsners out there that have, you know, flavor...Pilsner Urquell for example, who purports to have invented the Pilsner. Or go with a hefeweizen or white or something. If you don't want a stout on your hot summer day, then whatever...but don't pretend that there's some \"need\" for a pilsner to be tasteless.

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August 11, 2009 10:11 PM

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@YouDidWhatNow?: The excuse is that as beer brewing spread west in the U.S., rice and corn were added, since they were more plentiful. A guy from Budweiser told me that they're not ashamed of using rice in the beer since it's a \"unique American beer style.\" That's the origin, and the excuse, and they're sticking to it.

Hefeweizen is by far my favorite... but my daily beer is usually a Yuengling. I was pleasantly surprised that Yuengling Light almost tastes like the non-light version.

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August 11, 2009 6:28 PM

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@Eyebrows McGee (now with more baby!): I prefer lighter beers because I don't like feeling like I just ate a loaf of bread. But it better not taste like crap

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BrewMe

August 11, 2009 5:22 PM

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@Eyebrows McGee (now with more baby!): I think you need to differentiate between the American Larger and every other larger that is not \"light, refreshing, watery, and not have much taste\". I personally like Shiner's Bohemian Black Larger which is not ligh, watery and has a ton of taste.

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August 11, 2009 6:14 PM

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@BrewMe: Looks like you've been drinking that Shiner while making that post.

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August 11, 2009 5:19 PM

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@Eyebrows McGee (now with more baby!):

I couldn't agree more . I was in the south field yesterday picking cotton , (you know , the field that they found the rattlesnakes in after 'ol Cletus done up and died of consumption ?) well ,anyway ,I was in this field here and I turned to Caleb , Eli and Marcell (them's my brothers you know) and I said \"Caleb ,Eli and Marcell \" , \"We needs us sumpin' refreshing and light ,without much taste.

Well ,damned if Eli didn't flash his tooth at me in the midday sun and IMMEDIATELY holler \"Bud Light\" ! Then we drank an entire case and got so polluted that we accidentally married a sheep.

That ornery cuss put all of that book learnin' to good use, obviously.

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zandar

August 11, 2009 5:18 PM

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@Eyebrows McGee (now with more baby!): Hear hear, and I'd to namedrop Pilsner, a light lager that meets just the needs you speak of. And the Czech Pilsners are all a damn sight tastier than any American product that I have tried.

Personally, I find an ice cold Belgian White to be the most thirst quenching of all beers.

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August 11, 2009 6:31 PM

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@zandar: Thank you! I've been trying to get my friends into Hoegaarden. Their idea of beer is something watery and tasteless. Whatever, I had plenty of cheap nasty beer in my day, but they get so surprised when they drink a beer that actually has flavor.

General rule for determining if it's a cheap, crappy beer or not-if you can play beer pong with it, it's cheap crappy beer, i.e. if you can chug it without gagging, it's probably frat party quality beer (but I can chug most lagers if I wanted to). Don't chug Hoegaarden! Relax and savor it! Yes, it's heavy and cloudy and may taste odd at first. But it's delicious!

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eccsame

August 11, 2009 3:48 PM

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@zombies.like.lattés.too: If you want flavor, you shouldn't be drinking \"light\" beer in the first place. Compared to other \"light\" beer, Bud Light isn't the worst.

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Burning pakalolo not even noticing the weather

August 11, 2009 4:29 PM

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@eccsame: Sam Adams light has flavor and is amazing. I haven't drank a Budweiser product since I was in College.

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thisheregirafFe

August 11, 2009 4:49 PM

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@SuparnaBabalas: i also enjoy a slight note of burnt tires in my beer... ugh. seriously, a cold budweiser in a bottle beats any sam adam's crap any day. just because you advertise like you're a microbrew doesn't make it so...

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August 11, 2009 3:23 PM

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@zombies.like.lattés.too: Well in that case we also offer the taste treat Bub Light lime with all the synthetic goodness of lime. What, you want to move up scale to show that you're no blue collar Joe then try Michelob Ultra the carbonation you love plus the white collar flavor of manila folder.

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zombies.like.lattés.too

August 11, 2009 3:27 PM

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@Scrutinizer: Haha, oh my stars, Bud Light Lime. And I thought there would never be a synthetic fruit flavor to rival the disgustitude of fake banana.

Bud Light did it.

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August 11, 2009 3:07 PM

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@zombies.like.lattés.too: I second that.

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August 11, 2009 3:20 PM

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@zombies.like.lattés.too: Was just going to post that. If I'm looking for \"drinkability\" I'll hit up my Brita filter. Otherwise, I'll find a quality (hopefully locally brewed) beer that doesn't taste like beer-water.

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zombies.like.lattés.too

August 11, 2009 3:21 PM

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@Christopher: Don't get me wrong, I can enjoy some beer-water when I'm floating around the pool and need to hydrate. But if I do, it's usually 'The Champagne of Beers.'

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August 11, 2009 3:07 PM

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Well maybe its because they sold out and are no longer an American company. Honestly though, Bud Light is terrible, the only thing worse is the frat boy special Coors Light.

6 replies

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August 11, 2009 6:33 PM

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@gqcarrick: Keystone Light is frat boy standard. Bud Light-for when you have an extra $30 in your beer budget!

PBR is the only cheap beer I can stand

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SharkD

August 11, 2009 3:22 PM

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the only thing worse is the frat boy special Coors Light.

So, I take it, you're not acquainted with Milwaukee's Beast and his friend, Pabst Blue Ribbon, then?

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varro

August 11, 2009 11:05 PM

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@sharkd: Any of the name-brand advertised beers were too expensive for UChicago frats.

Busch was the top-of-the-line beer, then Meister Brau, Beast, and Black Label. (Banning kegs sent every house's beer quality down - from Bud, Miller, or Old Style down to cases of the low-end beer.)

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The Porkchop Express

August 11, 2009 4:15 PM

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@sharkd: whooaa now, you leave PBR out of this! PBR, while cheaper, is much better than the other \"frat boy specials\"

oh and Miller High Life, if it's still made, is the worst non-ice beer of them all. at least the next day it is.

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varro

August 11, 2009 11:06 PM

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@The Porkchop Express: PBR is on par with Bud.

Natty Ice is what we feed the slugs.

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August 11, 2009 4:00 PM

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@sharkd: PBR is far better than Natty Light or the Beast.

I mean...it won a blue ribbon!

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zombies.like.lattés.too

August 11, 2009 3:24 PM

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@sharkd: or Natural Light?

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August 11, 2009 3:10 PM

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How is American beer like having sex on a boat?

They're both fucking close to water.

Ba dum dump.

6 replies

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Jeff180

August 11, 2009 7:06 PM

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@TinkishDelight:
These are the top 10 American owned breweries:

1. Pabst Brewing Co.
2. Boston Beer Co. (Sam Adams)
3. D.G. Yuengling and Son Inc.
4. Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
5. New Belgium Brewing Co. Inc.
6. High Falls Brewing Co.
7. Spoetzl Brewery
8. Widmer Brothers Brewing Group
9. Redhook Ale Brewery
10. Pyramid Breweries Inc.

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August 11, 2009 4:33 PM

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@TinkishDelight: Bud is no longer an American beer. Anheuser is owned by the Belgian Beverage Conglomerate InBev. Nice try though.

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stre

August 11, 2009 9:51 PM

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@harvey_birdman: oh don't get your hopps in a bunch. it's still an american beer. it's brewed in america, and it was developed in america. it's like saying the statue of liberty isn't american because it was given to us by the french. deal with it.

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August 11, 2009 9:19 PM

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@harvey_birdman: It was still American when I heard the joke!!

Also, the Flinstones episode where Barney and Fred are in the mafia? Classsssic!

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gStein_*|bringing starpipe back|*

August 11, 2009 3:34 PM

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@TinkishDelight: only 9 minutes later than tmed

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August 11, 2009 3:44 PM

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@gStein: Yeah I just noticed. I got trigger happy because that's one of only two jokes I know. The other one is about a duck asking for his chapstick purchase to be put on his bill. *sigh*

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JonThomasDesigns

August 11, 2009 3:13 PM

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No offense to Bud Light but once you become an adult and try a Nice Extremely Hoppy IPA .. Its hard to go back ..

8 replies

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August 12, 2009 2:22 AM

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@JonThomasDesigns:
{shudders}

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beast464

August 11, 2009 9:03 PM

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@JonThomasDesigns: That's why I'll be drinking Pliny the Elder tonight! Bud light is for people who don't like beer.

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BrewMe

August 11, 2009 5:25 PM

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@JonThomasDesigns: Or a 90 Minute IPA

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August 11, 2009 5:19 PM

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@JonThomasDesigns: Seconding the comments above, I enjoy a wide variety of brews, and even an occasional pale ale ... but the Beer Police can keep their Extreme 720 Minute IPAs.

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August 11, 2009 4:01 PM

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@JonThomasDesigns: I'm not a hoppy person. Give me a porter.

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The Porkchop Express

August 11, 2009 4:17 PM

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@Smashville: that's the problem with SOME people who think \"bud is for people who don't like beer\"...they only like one kind of beer. hmmm, almost like they \"don't like beer\"

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August 11, 2009 6:35 PM

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@The Porkchop Express: I agree somewhat. I also think, as a corollary to that, I propose:

At least 60% of people who say they do not like beer have only tried cheap/light beer. You know, they get to college, go to a frat party, take a swig of the warm Keystone/Coor's and swear off beer as the grossest alcohol ever.

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Cant_stop_the_rock

August 11, 2009 3:49 PM

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@JonThomasDesigns:

I don't care much for Bud Light, but the taste of a \"nice extremely hoppy IPA\" makes me cringe. And I'm an adult. I just don't like the taste.

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zombies.like.lattés.too

August 11, 2009 3:20 PM

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@JonThomasDesigns: Bud Light is what's offensive. Your comment is spot on.

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yasth

August 11, 2009 3:17 PM

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Eh A close reading of the article seems to say that the campaign is effectively finished. All that remains is the face saving. Drinkability will probably not remain a slogan for over long past this little salve to some exec's ego.

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August 11, 2009 3:20 PM

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Still rather have bud light than miller no matter what.

Were gonna see all these dorks sitting at their work desks talking about all the manly drinks they have.

When it comes down to it, a lot of times at a picnic or party you may want a beer but this is all they have. Its not always fantastic to have 7 killians for a long night of celebrating.

When it comes down to it if I had my choice between coors, miller, natural, mb, pbr, or bud, ill probably go for the bud. That being said I think drinkability is stupid and they need to back to the

REAL MEN OF GENIUS. MR ROLLING COOLER COOLER ROLLER!

I thought those were pretty good.

8 replies

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gman863

August 13, 2009 4:08 AM

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Bud Light is the only product I purchase solely due to its ad campaign. The \"Real Men of Genius\" ads are hilarious and - since I only drink beer a few times a year - I might as well say thanks for the laughs.

My favorites were Mr. Company Computer Guy (the best 60-second description ever of an IT person's job!) and Mr. Silent Killer Gas Passer (an ad I have a feeling many radio stations passed on).

If you want to hear your favorites again, many people post them on P2P sites such as eMule and BitTorrent.

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gStein_*|bringing starpipe back|*

August 11, 2009 3:35 PM

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@CopyPaste: weren't those originally \"Real American Hero\" spots?

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August 11, 2009 3:44 PM

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@gStein: They were, but they changed it to \"Real Men of Genius\" after the 9/11 attacks.

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August 11, 2009 4:04 PM

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@aloria: I always kinda figured they got sued by G.I. Joe...

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August 11, 2009 3:42 PM

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@gStein: Yeah, they changed it after 9/11.

No joke.

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wgrune

August 11, 2009 3:41 PM

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Yes, they were. I seem to remember them switching to \"Real Men of Genius\" sometime after 9/11. It probably seemed inappropriate to compare the inventor of the foot-long hotdog to a first responder.

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wgrune

August 11, 2009 3:42 PM

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Wow, I guess I was right:

[en.wikipedia.org]

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August 11, 2009 3:32 PM

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@CopyPaste: Um. You almost had me nodding my head in agreement (I'm fine with a Bud Light, say, at a ballgame on a hot afternoon ... it's what's available, it's cold, etc), but your point of reference for a \"manly drink\" is ... Killian's?

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GitEmSteveDave+$240InPudding

August 11, 2009 3:27 PM

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@CopyPaste: I liked Mr Deli Meat Cutter guy, only because I used to cut deli meat, and it made me feel appreciated.

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August 11, 2009 3:21 PM

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@CopyPaste:
Why did i say when it comes down to it twice?

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Jesse

August 11, 2009 3:21 PM

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I'm a Guinness fan myself but for the mass produced beers, I will drink Miller High Life or Coors any day over an Anheuser Busch product.

6 replies

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August 12, 2009 5:25 AM

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@Jesse:
I like a nice, chewy porter, India pale ale, heffeweisen (sp?), or wheat simply for the enjoyment. (Very few of those available where I live.--sigh.) But if I'm finished working out in the heat, those aren't cutting it. Coors light in a can, almost frozen, for all it's crispy, metallic flavor to cool my weary bones.

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August 11, 2009 9:14 PM

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@Jesse: I third with damn near anything is better than Bud. I never, ever want a beer that damn bad to drink it.

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August 11, 2009 6:18 PM

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@Jesse: Um...Guinness is mass produced. I think Diageo might rival Anheuser-Busch in terms of world market...

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kaplanfx

August 11, 2009 5:05 PM

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@Jesse: Guinness is a highly mass produced beer. It's low in alcohol, and flavor in my opinion. People just think it's good or strong because it's dark in color. Try drinking an Imperial Stout from many a fine micro brewery here in the US of A. There are a hunddred stouts out there that will blow Guinness out of the water.

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Hooray4Zoidberg

August 11, 2009 7:35 PM

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@kaplanfx: Of course there are way better stouts out there, but you have to love the the market penetration of Guiness. I for one am happy that these days no matter what bar I go to I can rest assured I'll at least be able to get a Guiness rather than the old days of settling for miller or bud or nothing.

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ElPresidente408

August 11, 2009 4:59 PM

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Second on the Guinness and Coors over Bud

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DoubleBaconVeggieBurger

August 11, 2009 3:22 PM

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I love it so much, I hope other industries follow. \"McDonald's: Our food is edible!\". Gap: \"Our clothes can cover your body!\".

3 replies

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tmed

August 11, 2009 4:00 PM

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@Ayarkay: McDonald's: \"Eatability\" (certainly not \"Digestibility\")
Gap: \"Wearability\"

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Kimaroo - 100% Pure Natural Kitteh

August 11, 2009 3:56 PM

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@Ayarkay: Well McDonnalds is almost there.. They claim their food is \"natural\".. I laugh every time.

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August 11, 2009 4:17 PM

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@Kimaroo - 20% More Kitty Added!:

...as opposed to what? Supernatural?

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Jetts

August 11, 2009 5:33 PM

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@YouDidWhatNow?: McDonalds: Food that can be explained by science.

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Kimaroo - 100% Pure Natural Kitteh

August 11, 2009 4:35 PM

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@YouDidWhatNow?: Yeah.. everything is natural if you go down to the molecular level.

It's just amusing to me because they have all of these images of dancing carrots and other veggies. They're trying to pass off as healthy and I'm just not falling for it.

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August 12, 2009 2:37 PM

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@Kimaroo - 20% More Kitty Added!:

...the point being that advertisers prey on the naivete of consumers with things like \"all natural\" - as if being \"all natural\" implies that, first of all, there's any possibility of sometihng not being natural - and secondly, the concept that it in any way implies that it's better for you. Arsenic is all natural...you get it for free in well water all around the world. The phrase is less than worthless.

Another good one is \"chemical-free.\" That would be quite impressive indeed...to see some kind of substance that does not contain any chemicals. I'd pay big money for, say, bottled water that doesn't contain any of that nasty chemical dihydrogen oxide. Which reminds me of another common fallacy...the mere concept that bottled water is somehow better or safer than tap water...oy. Apparently I shouldn't get me started.

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kaplanfx

August 11, 2009 5:06 PM

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@Kimaroo - 20% More Kitty Added!: That's why I laugh when I hear about \"organic\" foods. I mean, doesn't every thing we eat have carbon in it?

-kap

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August 12, 2009 2:39 PM

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Hey, no worries about \"organic\" farming. I heard one of the head honchos on that side of the fence declared that we could properly feed 4 billion people if we switched all farmland over to \"organic\" farming.

...thankfully, I wouldn't be one of the 2.5 billion people that doesn't include.

Inorganic food FTW.

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varro

August 11, 2009 11:17 PM

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@kaplanfx: I only put organic gasoline in my car from Whole Hydrocarbons.

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armeck

August 11, 2009 3:22 PM

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It's the Obama effect. :)

1 replies

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jokono

August 11, 2009 8:19 PM

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@armeck: I know your post could come off as a troll, but that was my first thought too. Bud Light is what was served at the recent \"Beer Summit.\" It's not unreasonable to consider whether this is a result of some sort of backlash.

While we're on the subject, there's a brew pub here in Utah called Squatters, and their Hefeweizen is my fave.

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dwb

August 11, 2009 3:26 PM

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I've never understood the whole drinkability campaign. If you say something is drinkable, that means it's just so-so. Perhaps this is their first attempt at truth in advertising.

5 replies

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August 11, 2009 6:38 PM

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@dwb: I know, do you hear this kind of advertising in any other industry? Or hell, for other alcohols?

Jameson-A serviceable whiskey

Drug X-won't kill you

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Hooray4Zoidberg

August 11, 2009 4:47 PM

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@dwb: One of the first commercials for this \"drinkability\" campaign actually started with a guy drinking water from a garden hose and comparing the drinkability of that to bud light. I thought, finally they're making an honest analogy. Although I failed to see how this was going to help sales.

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Quake 'n' Shake

August 11, 2009 4:06 PM

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@dwb: Agreed. In college, we used the term \"drinkable\" to describe cheap beers we were willing to consume. Not because they were great, the term was used as a synonym for \"not terrible.\" Some of those \"drinkable\" beers included:
Genesee (Light, Ice, and regular), Milwaukee's Best, Busch and Goebel's.

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The Porkchop Express

August 11, 2009 4:21 PM

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@Quake 'n' Shake: it's like \"doable\" which generally comes after some \"drinkable\" beer.

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Kimaroo - 100% Pure Natural Kitteh

August 11, 2009 3:57 PM

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@dwb: Yes and if someone can explain the idea behind the XX \"Stay thirsty, my friends\" ads I'd appreciate it.

I would think they would want me to be not-thirsty after their beer. You know.. thirst quenching or something.

Maybe that's Gatorade.

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ElizabethD

August 11, 2009 3:28 PM

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If I'm going to have an \"American\" style beer of any kind, it's Miller Chill. Refreshing on a hot summer evening. I cannot fathom why anyone would choose to drink Bud Light. My brother won't touch anything else. I don't get it. \"Here, you can have a drink that tastes like weak fizzy pee, and pay for it, too.\" Sold me! (not)

3 replies

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tbax929

August 11, 2009 10:04 PM

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@ElizabethD:
I love Miller Chill; it's my summer beer of choice. I used to be a Yuengling gal until I moved to a part of the country where I can't get it.

My friends all HATE Miller Chill, which just means more for me!

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August 11, 2009 8:24 PM

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@ElizabethD: cant really tell the difference bwtween PBR & Bud light, except in price...

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August 11, 2009 4:06 PM

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@ElizabethD: Which is kind of funny because Miller Chill is their answer to a Mexican-style salted rim Corona with lime.

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robotrevolution

August 11, 2009 3:29 PM

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A few reasons Bud could be faltering:

1. Bud Light's constant logo changes are more offensive than even Pepsi's. Non-light Bud has the same look as ever. Bud Light keeps trying to appeal to the casual weekend-warrior demos and women, and failing.

2. The taste. Bud Light has none. As microbrews, imports, and domestics like Sam Adams and even Amber Bock get people drinking beer with flavor, Bud Light goes down.

3. Annoying ad campaigns. They're infantile. Adults don't want farting horses or \"Drinkability.\" They want a good-tasting beer they aren't ashamed of ordering. Sure, Bud Light has the 16-year-old demo nailed, but they lose everyone over the age of 25 forever.

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Hooray4Zoidberg

August 11, 2009 4:32 PM

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@robotrevolution: I like to believe out culture is waking up and realizing that beer can actually have flavor rather than just an onslaught of commercials trying to convince you that a can of carbonated slightly alcoholic barley water is bursting with flavor.

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winshape

August 11, 2009 3:36 PM

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@robotrevolution: Yeah! We want bikinis and mountains!

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earlclemson

August 11, 2009 3:34 PM

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It's almost like beer.

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earlclemson

August 11, 2009 3:34 PM

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how come my comments never appear?

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Hooray4Zoidberg

August 11, 2009 7:36 PM

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@earlclemson: who said that?

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August 11, 2009 3:36 PM

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Bud Light's market is probably getting eaten up by even cheaper beers like Milwaukee's Best and Natural Light. When it doesn't have much flavor, any not-much-flavor beer will do, so why not get the cheapest one?

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P_Smith

August 11, 2009 3:51 PM

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\"Light beer\" makes \"decaffeinated coffee\" look legitimate by comparison.

Most beers are pisswater, but \"light\" beer looks and smells the same going in as it does coming out. It's probably the same stuff.

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August 11, 2009 3:51 PM

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I know there is going to be a lot of bragging about Bud Light is watered down wee, and the high end, microbrewed by trappist monks on 3 hours of sleep with hops that were hand picked by virgin angels beers are the be all end all of alcoholic consumption.

But to be honest, high end beers taste like ballsweat to me. I'd rather have the cheap, watered-down wee, or if I am feeling fancy, a Yuengling. If that makes you feel superior to me, then so be it.

6 replies

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Hooray4Zoidberg

August 11, 2009 4:43 PM

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@aloria: To each his own I guess, but realize the two main characteristics of beer are malt and hops flavors. American light beers severely lack both. It's ok to prefer that, but before you put down \"high end\" beers, realize they embody what beer truly is. At the risk of sounding too snobby, bud light is barley considered a beer, it's closer to a malt beverage.

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August 11, 2009 5:00 PM

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@Hooray4Zoidberg: Please provide a source for some sort of authority which states that in order to be a \"real\" beer, it must have a certain level of hops/malt flavor, because I haven't found one.

And I'm not putting down high end beers, just beer drinkers who snub their noses at me because I'd rather have a Miller Lite than a Chimay. Oh, it's not a \"real\" beer by somebody's standard? Who cares?

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August 11, 2009 8:44 PM

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...\"what are you eating?\"

\"Tofu Steak\"

\"...ummm, that's not a real steak.\"

\"Says who? There's no law that says a steak has to look, feel, taste or smell like meat in order to be a \"real\" steak.\"

...

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August 11, 2009 8:49 PM

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@YouDidWhatNow?:
From Wikipedia (yeah, I know. I know.)

*A steak (from Old Norse steik, \"roast\") is a cut of meat.

*Malt beverage is an American term for both alcoholic and non-alcoholic fermented beverages, in which the primary ingredient is barley, which has been allowed to sprout (\"malt\") slightly before it is processed. By far, the most predominant malt beverage is beer, of which there are two main styles: ale and lager.

So I'm not seeing how claiming a brand of beer is a malt disqualifies it from being beer.

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August 11, 2009 9:44 PM

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...naturally, Bud Light et al are \"beers\" - I was making fun of it based on the utter lack of flavor.

Bud Light may look, and feel (I guess) like a beer...there's a chance it might smell like beer. But it sure as hell doesn't taste like beer.

I was poking fun at the comment about whether or not something needs a certain amount any particular kind of flavor to be a \"beer.\"

I could just as well squeeze a drop of lemon juice into a gallon of water and call it \"lemonade.\"

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Hooray4Zoidberg

August 11, 2009 9:24 PM

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@aloria: Well Malt Beverage is one of those terms that you could ask 100 different people the definition of and you'd get 100 different answers. But it's typically used to define carbonated alcoholic drinks like beer but not quite beer. The Wikipedia definition isn't entirely complete as their same description could as easily be used to define the process of making whiskeys from malted barley though you'd never consider it a malt beverage.

Generally things like Zima, Mike's lemonade, Smirnoff Ice fall under the category of malt beverage even though they're sometimes not even made with malt. But if you read a bottle of Mike's it says \"malt beverage\" on the side. I've even seen the tile on wine coolers and most 40oz's are considered malt beverages like Colt 45.

It's a strange term. Please note however, I do consider bud light to be a beer, but I was just saying it teeters on the bottom line of what would be consider so having such a low hops and malt profile, it's more in line with Colt 45 (a malt beverage) than what's typically considered beer (strong malt and/or hops profiles). Again there really is no clear definition of which is why a source is so hard to produce.

I'm not saying there is anything at all wrong with drinking bud light, I'm just trying to clarify why some people might be snobby about it. Mainly the reason beer snobs hate bud light is because it's generally what most people associate the taste of beer since it's usually those types of beers we're first exposed too growing up the USA. Typcially people have decided they hate all beer but have really only tried bud/miller/coors etc. in college/high school and refuse to try beer again.

These beers represent the lowest common demoninator of beer. This makes people who love beer for all it's complexities somewhat angry because we've all at one point or another had to attempt to explain to friends who claim to hate beer, that they haven't really tried beer. It's kind of like saying you hate all soda because you don't like tonic water.

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August 11, 2009 6:46 PM

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@aloria: It's more or less common knowledge. He didn't say it's not a \"Real\" beer, just not a beer in the same way as other beers. As he said, a malt beverage is basically just any drink made by putting grains in water. Malt beverages are rectangles, beer is a square to demonstrate the relationship. His point was not that it's not a \"real\" beer, but given the vastly different processes and ingredients, they're for all intents and purposes different kinds of drinks that happen to share the common name of beer.

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August 11, 2009 8:43 PM

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@EinhornIsAMan!: @Hooray4Zoidberg: What I was asking for, essentially, was some kind of definition on what makes a beer a beer versus a malt beverage (but not a beer.) You're both making the claim that Bud is not a beer, but a malt, and while I'm not expecting you to pull out direct quotes from the Beer Pope (or whomever your reigning authority is,) a quick definition of explanation of the difference would be nice.

For instance, if you just come out and say \"Bud is 40% rice and 60% barley, and a malt is anything over 50% barley,\" then I can happily concede that yes, Bud is a malt (though Wikipedia claims that the sets of malts and beers intersect, so it doesn't necessarily disqualify Budweiser as perhaps being both.) But if your argument is that you can't taste the hops, then I only have to point you to the plethora of dry beers to show you why that argument is specious.

So sorry if I came off defensive, but it's really easy for beer snobs to come up to someone, no matter what they are drinking, and scoff \"heh, that's not a beer.\" It happens all the time, whether they are drinking a single run ale or a Corona. 90% of the time, it's simply because they don't like that style of beer, not because they're actually drinking Colt 45 or something.

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August 11, 2009 9:13 PM

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@aloria: \"You're both making the claim that Bud is not a beer\" I know I

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August 11, 2009 9:17 PM

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@EinhornIsAMan!: Why can't I edit my posts! I know I didn't make that claim, and I'm pretty sure Zoidberg didn't.

Regardless, I do not consider Bud Light to be a \"real\" beer, at least in the same league as my precious belgian whites. I'm quite honest about that. I would never sneer at someone for drinking Bud Light, or any light beer. When I go to a local football game, sure, I'll grab a Coor's Light. Nothing special, but a good, hey I'll have a hotdog watch the game get buzzed beer.

And don't knock Colt 45s! On Saturday nights in college I probably had more malt liquor than blood going through my body

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Hooray4Zoidberg

August 11, 2009 8:03 PM

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@EinhornIsAMan!: Thanks couldn't have said it better myself.

@aloria:

I wasn't trying to start a flame war or anything so please don't get so defensive and give me a break on the \"source\". I'm so sick of that response around here used to debunk anything anyone says. Just because I don't keep a manila folder of links on my desk to immediately validate any point I might make, doesn't mean I don't know what I'm talking about. The information is out there if you care to find it. I'm not going to scour the internet looking for an article that backs fairly common knowledge.

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August 11, 2009 8:28 PM

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@Hooray4Zoidberg: \"Just because I don't keep a manila folder of links on my desk to immediately validate any point I might make.\"

Thanks for making me laugh maniacally at work. A-hole!

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August 11, 2009 4:15 PM

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@aloria: I will add my support to your opinion. I like my beer to taste like a beverage, not like a meal. And this hop craze is making beer taste like medicine. I think people \"like\" these heavy beers the way they \"like\" habanero peppers - it's a macho thing.

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August 11, 2009 6:41 PM

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@ChuckECheese: There are lighter beers that aren't \"light beers.\"

Bud Light tastes like my refrigerated reprocessed piss.

Guinness tastes like shit and feels like I ate a loaf of bread.

A Heineken? Flavor, not heavy at all. Just one common example

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apd09

August 11, 2009 4:00 PM

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@aloria: here here. I am the same way. put me on an island and tell me I can pick one beer for my time there and it is Bud Heavy or MGD or Miller High Life.
I hate the over hoppy taste of IPA's, and other types of MicroBrews. I would rather have a regular tasting lager than some beer that tastes as bitter as super hoppy beers.

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August 11, 2009 4:20 PM

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...I don't see any possible way you could apparently have a taste for Yuengling *or* the piss-water beers like Bud Light or Coors Light.

Yuengling is a good, solid beer with a satisfying flavor. If you don't want to drink Old Peculiar, then fine...but I don't get how you're kind of equating Yuengling and the piss-waters.

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August 11, 2009 4:51 PM

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@YouDidWhatNow?: I don't think they taste the same, or are in the same \"class,\" or whatever... but I've tried a metric shitton of different beers and Yuengling is one of the few I like in addition to the piss-water beers.

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August 11, 2009 4:35 PM

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@YouDidWhatNow?: Yuengling is delicious.

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August 11, 2009 9:17 PM

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@harvey_birdman: Yuengling is a great beer. Not too heavy, most certainly not too hoppy. It's just a good drinkin' beer.

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Cant_stop_the_rock

August 11, 2009 3:51 PM

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I've never seen these Drinkability ads, but I'd think Bud Light of all beers would benefit from a recession. People are depressed, want to drink, and Bud Light is cheap. Maybe this recession is so bad that only Colt 45, Natty Ice, Milwaukee Beast, etc are benefiting?

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Preyfar

August 11, 2009 3:53 PM

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While I don't drink beer almost all of my buddies do. They're choosing to support the local microbrews around town who A) offer better quality at a similar price and B) offer a better atmosphere in which to drink it.

Second, most of my friends went back to regular beer for the taste. They got tired of diet beer. They'd rather have a few extra calories and enjoy their brew.

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squinko

August 11, 2009 3:53 PM

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Whoa. You mean, you can like, drink a liquid that's meant to be consumed? That's insane!

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Quake 'n' Shake

August 11, 2009 3:59 PM

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I thought the \"Drinkability\" ad campaign was the 2nd most retarded beer slogan ever. Coors Light's \"Coldest tasting beer\" taking top prize in that department. Turns out, the always hysterical Drew Magory shares that sentiment. He summed it up in a post on Deadspin last fall:
In a stunning revelation, it turns out what makes Bud Light so unique is the fact that you can drink it. My God! What a discovery! I've never had a beer I could actually drink before. Usually I pick up a beer and say, \"God dammit! I can't drink this beer. IT'S MADE OF PURE STEEL!\"
And then I realize I'm trying to drink an All-Clad skillet.
[deadspin.com]

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August 11, 2009 4:08 PM

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@CopyPaste: Wait...liking good beer makes me a dork?

But liking Red Dog/Killian's makes you manly?

1 replies

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August 11, 2009 4:15 PM

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@Smashville: None of the above. Liking beer means you like beer. There is no other significance.

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August 11, 2009 4:25 PM

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@ChuckECheese: That's what I thought...but...I was called a dork for liking the beer that I like...

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August 11, 2009 8:41 PM

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@Smashville: You'll just have to be strong. Sticks and stones (and beer bottles), they say.

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afrasso

August 11, 2009 4:31 PM

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I like bud light, and never have liked any of the \"hoppy\" beers. And, yes, I get s***-on all the time by my friends because of that. Oh well... lots of people seem to agree with me since it's almost always on tap in any bar you go to....

Also, while I could care less about the drinkability ads, I do like that redhead who was in one of the early ones....

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East_Coast_Midwesterner

August 11, 2009 4:32 PM

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Miller Lite. Unquestioned.

Bud is a rice based beer.

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August 11, 2009 4:37 PM

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When the best thing they can say about their beer is that you can drink it, well, that's not very encouraging.

The beer commercials that annoy me the most are for Coors current bottle and can gimmicks. Like the cans with the \"vent\" in the top of the can, apparently so you can pour that swill down your throat faster. It's a totally unnecessary gimmick, and the commercial is super annoying. Dude gets a call from his buddy, gets a concerned look on his face and tells his girlfriend (who I think might even be looking through a bridal magazine) \"That was so and so, he really needs to vent.\" Girl's like \"you should be there for him,\" thinking what a sensitive guy he is, but THE JOKE'S ON HER 'cause dudes are just gonna pound beers, which is now even easier thanks to the vented can! The message of the commercial seems to be that dudes love beer and girls are stupid.

Then there's their bottle gimmick, where the mountains on the label turn blue when the beer is cold. I mean, FINALLY! How did we make it to the twenty-first century before getting Freezy Freakie technology on beer bottle labels to tell us at a glance when our beers are cold? The worst one shows a dude at a bar getting a bottle of Coors with the appropriate blue mountains on the label, so he starts spreading the word to his buds - CODE BLUE! As they each get the message, they abandon what they're doing; whether it's getting a haircut, mowing the lawn, or some boring-old business meeting, it's important that they drop what they're doing because it's CODE BLUE! The beer is finally cold! The message of this commercial seems to be that guys love cold beer, and will drop anything to get it immediately, but some of them are too stupid to tell when a beer is cold without visual cues. Thanks, Coors!

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jblaze1

August 11, 2009 4:38 PM

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In a bad economy, people tend to switch to cheaper beers, like Natural Light, Keystone Light, Busch Light...

Those beers taste the same as Bud/ Coors/ Miller but cost less.

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August 11, 2009 4:53 PM

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Another thing to keep in mind, the \"Budweiser Demographic\" is your red-blooded, American, NASCAR-watching, Good Ole' Boy. I USED to drink AB products for two reasons, #1 it was an American beer #2 they sponsor Kasey Kahne. I am still a Kahne fan, but no AB product has crossed my lips since they sold out to the foreigm-owned company...Belgians, I think.

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SLAAB

August 11, 2009 4:55 PM

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Well if they didn't make their new logo look like an Old Spice bottle I would probably drink it. Ha just kidding I would never drink this monkey piss.

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Sarcastichobbes

August 11, 2009 5:06 PM

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Anything made by Budweiser is piss.

Local Brews>All

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Costner

August 11, 2009 5:31 PM

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I'll admit the whole \"drinkability\" campaign makes about as much sense as Miller's \"more taste\" nonsense.

Ok - so the beer is drinkable. Is that really a compliment? Are we suggesting the threshold of acceptance is that a beverage is actually drinkable? In comparison to what exactly... battery acid?

Then you have Miller and their \"more taste\" mantra. I tell you what - urine probably has \"more taste\" than tap water, but if you ask me which one I would rather have... I'm going with the tap water thank you very much.

I guess I'm the minority here, but I'm not afraid to admit I actually prefer Bud Light over most other beers. Call me what you wish, but I'm not alone considering Bud Light is the most popular beer in the entire friggin' WORLD.

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August 11, 2009 6:14 PM

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@Eyebrows McGee (now with more baby!):

Good information.

Still doesn't mean they aren't crap.

The man on Man vs. Wild showed me I can rehydrate by squeezing the liquid out of elephant dung, too.

You are only saying their purpose was hydration when water wasn't safe. But like Zombie said, water is drinkable now, so who needs weak-ass beer?

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illtron

August 11, 2009 7:09 PM

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Personally I find Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA to be far more drinkable than Bud Light, but maybe I'm some kind of weirdo.

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August 11, 2009 7:29 PM

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water is drinkable. beer should be a taste sensation, a treat for the tongue. Bud is neither.

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kyle4

August 11, 2009 7:41 PM

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I'll drink:

Steamwhistle
Tuborg
Molson Canadian
Carling Lager (If that's all I can get)
Olde English (If I'm low on cash)
Heineken
Labatt Blue
Budweiser

What I won't drink?

Bud Light.

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August 11, 2009 8:48 PM

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I can't get over that someone was paid thousands (possibly 10's or 100's of thousands) of dollars to come up with this slogan/campaign...

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August 11, 2009 9:09 PM

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You guys act like flavor is a good thing or something. Obviously you've never had Steel Reserve, Natty Ice, or the Beast.

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catastrophegirl chooses not to fly

August 11, 2009 11:52 PM

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this is just my opinion on why bud light consumption has decreased:

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August 12, 2009 8:12 AM

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You guys obviously haven't been to West Texas (Midland-Odessa area). I visited my cousin's liquor store recently and was amazed by the amount of Bud Light consumed by locals. People don't just buy 6 or 12 packs. They buy 30 packs, not 1 but at least 5 or 6. Some people buy like 15 cases at a time. The Bud delivery guy brings in about 300 cases every week.

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asten77

August 12, 2009 4:30 PM

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I'd prefer if it had less taste... cause, honestly, the little bit it does have now is absolutely horrendous.

Sam Adams FTW!

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