Your guilty non-craft pleasure...

[theBryon]

OK, so we all love craft beers and home brew, but lets be honest you still drink some of the non-craft beers. You've had a few Corona's in the summer heat, or you've settled for a Bass... Maybe you had too many Red Stripes or Sols on your last cruise, of maybe, just maybe, you held your nose and tried a Bud Lime... (BLECH!)

So, what's your guilty pleasure?

[Michael from MidwestMicroBrews]

I have to admit that when I visit my favorite small Mexican restaurant here in Green Bay (El Sarape), I always get a Negra Modelo. They don't have any craft beers, but I think even if they ever started carrying them, I would stick with the Negra Modelo. After years of having it accompany my bean and avocado burrito it just feels right.

I am loathe to admit this anywhere other than in the strange and anonymous ethers of the internet though. My beer snob friends would never let me live down my taste for that swill.

Cheers!
Michael
MidwestMicroBrews

[theBryon]

LOL! Now that's too funny... I guess that would make this discussion a form of therapy for you...

Michael from MidwestMicrobrews said:

I have to admit that when I visit my favorite small Mexican restaurant here in Green Bay (El Sarape), I always get a Negra Modelo. They don't have any craft beers, but I think even if they ever started carrying them, I would stick with the Negra Modelo. After years of having it accompany my bean and avocado burrito it just feels right.

I am loathe to admit this anywhere other than in the strange and anonymous ethers of the internet though. My beer snob friends would never let me live down my taste for that swill.

Cheers!
Michael
MidwestMicroBrews

[Shawn, the Beer Philosopher]

We discussed a similar topic here a while back. I'm always interested to hear what what beers, outside the pantheon of "craft," other beery folk enjoy from time to time. I've elsewhere expressed my fondness for A-B's Winter's Bourbon Cask Ale. What can I say, I'm a freak for vanilla.

I always feel like I will be struck down by the beer gods when I admit this.

[The Beer Babe]

Blue moon is my guilty pleasure. Their pumpkin is good too. Though, I have to admit that Blue Moon was one of the first "different" beers I ever tried (different being not Bud Light or something else awful) and it may have been my gateway beer into good stuff. It is a good fallback, however, at a restaurant with a tiny beer selection.

[Eli the Mad Beer Man]

Many a time I've run into a scenario where a place had nothing on tap (or in bottle) that I would ruin my taste buds with, and I literally went hard alcohol instead of consuming the swill they did have.

As The Beer Babe suggested, Coor's Blue Moon could be a guilty non-craft pleasure... but honestly it's been around these parts so long it's no longer considered second tier. I actually REALLY like it. Same with A-B's Shock Top. Those are damn fine, quality beers IMHO.

If ya wanna go real "guilty non-craft" I'm thinking... Bud American Ale. I just had it over the weekend and I gotta say... it's drinkable. Unlike their "American Lager" which is pure swill.

[Matt Peters]

I actually like Shock Top better than Blue Moon. It's much more flavorful, IMO. I'll second Negra Modelo. And you know... I had a sip of my girlfriend's Miller Lite last weekend. It had been so long since I had one, and I was curious. It wasn't as bad as I remember it being. It took my snobbishness down a peg (thankfully).

I find myself ordering a Smithwick's now and again. I also find myself being wrongly corrected by serving staff saying "Smith-wick's" when I pronounce it "Smiddick's". Most of the time, I just smile and let it go, but every so often, when I'm feeling a bit cheeky, I'll correct their correction. This brings my snobbishness back up a peg (or two!).

[Useless Brewing]

I guess my "Gateway beer" (to quote The Beer Babe;-) from BMC has to be Guinness stout. It was my first beer that was not a BMC. After that came Bass and Fat Tire. I still drink them as a stand by and to be frank I still have some BMC in the fridge for those poor souls that I have yet to win over to the darker side of beer. Granted it usually takes 3-4 BMC's before I even mention the darker side of beer.
Cheers
Preston

[John LeMasney]

I have to say, I'm basically (not thoroughly) excited about both Budweiser American Ale and Michelob's Craft Advertising, not because it's great beer, but because it introduces the idea of great beer to the masses. Even if it still tastes just okay, it's a beginning, and it's amazingly cheap. ;)

[John LeMasney]

Hoegaarden is basically macro, and better than both of these. All apologies.

Matt Peters said:

I actually like Shock Top better than Blue Moon. It's much more flavorful, IMO. I'll second Negra Modelo. And you know... I had a sip of my girlfriend's Miller Lite last weekend. It had been so long since I had one, and I was curious. It wasn't as bad as I remember it being. It took my snobbishness down a peg (thankfully).

I find myself ordering a Smithwick's now and again. I also find myself being wrongly corrected by serving staff saying "Smith-wick's" when I pronounce it "Smiddick's". Most of the time, I just smile and let it go, but every so often, when I'm feeling a bit cheeky, I'll correct their correction. This brings my snobbishness back up a peg (or two!).

[KegGremlin]

Guilty pleasure, huh? Something I'm not very proud of. Whenever I go to Major's (best burgers and pub grub in my area) we get Killian's on tap by the pitcher. It's the only time I ever drink the stuff, and we usually go through 4 or 5 pitchers because they're so cheap ($7.50 a pitcher).

[Ragutiene]

Ugh, you asked.

My grandmother is mexican, and when I was very small I used to see my relatives drinking Tecate with dinner at every family reunion. They had a party trick, involving ringing your Tecate can with Margarita salt, filling the unopened top with lime juice, popping the top and downing it.

This trick includes three things I don't approve of:
1] Tecate.
2] Salt, lime, or other things added to my beer.
3] Chugging a beer.

However, when I was 15 my family decided it was acceptable to allow myself and my similarly aged cousins to indulge in this family tradition, and ever since when I get together with that side of the family I can't resist participating.

[Da OD]

My guilty pleasures, I hate to say are the Malt liquors. Be it Old English, Mickeys, or dare I say it Schlitz. When I get together with my old crew, am watching my beloved Redskins, or are just thoroughly stressed I reach for 1 of those.

Other vices- I supose would be Kirin Lager with sushi. Red stripe with Bacon-Cheeseburger Pizza. Other wise if no quality beverage is available, I will switch over to Whiskey or Bourbon.