Worst beer out there?

I forgot my second least favorite, and unfortunately my first experience with beer. Goebel. We always pronounced it with a nice French accent to make us feel better about drinking it. I tried this when I was underage, and almost quit drinking beer after that.

Mark H and Jeremy J just reminded me of "dime draft" When I was a about 19 yrs. old, I worked in a bar in Richmond, KY. Yep. I was not legal and the owner knew it. We used to have dime draft every Friday from 4pm til 7pm. The beer was literally a dime and it was served in these little 4 or 5 oz. cups. The jocks used to come in and order five dollars worth and I'd have to make 50 of those little drafts at a time. Aargh. But I had fun. That was about 1 million years ago. I wonder if they still do dime draft? I can't remember what beer we served, but I'm sure it was bad.

I can't honestly say that I tasted this beer - I was only about 7 or 8 the last time I saw it - but I distinctly remember (and have photographic proof) that my Grandpa used to drink 'Cost-Cutter' beer from Kroger back in the early '80s. It came in a solid yellow can, with the crossed-scissors logo, and the word 'BEER' in all caps in about 96-point font across the front of the can. Even as a child I can remember that screaming out cheapness.

Also have to give a shout out to my friend Ron Taglieri for starting such interesting threads!

...still pretty nasty. The Firesign Theater used to tout a fictional brew called Bear Whiz Beer. The label featured a bear peeing in a mountain stream. The tag-line: "It's in the Water!"

[Robin Garr]

The tag-line: "It's in the Water!"

Olympia ("Oly") seriously had the slogan, "It's the water." Thinking back on it, it DID taste pretty much like water ...

I forgot my second least favorite, and unfortunately my first experience with beer. Goebel. We always pronounced it with a nice French accent to make us feel better about drinking it. I tried this when I was underage, and almost quit drinking beer after that.

Hah! I had forgotten, but my friends and I did the same thing -

"Another Goe-bel (heavy french accent), monsieur?"

"Why yes, I believe I shall, and please pass some cool ranch doritos!"

Cheers!

Heckuva thread, guys.

The only thing I have to add is cautionary: Note how many different ways exist to quantify "good" and "bad."

Once upon a time, it was only about price and the spare change in one's pocket. Then it became something different ... but not for everyone.

Also, consider the "old line" regional brands mentioned above, from Sterling to City to Schmidt (was Wisconsin Club even mentioned?), and ask yourself: Did they always taste this bad? We know that the answer almost certainly is no, and that they were cheapened at every juncture while traveling the path from locally owned and first or second generation to part of a portfolio of contract brewed "price point" offerings.

Here’s an excerpt to something I wrote two years ago about the newly voguish Pabst:

---

Readers will be shocked to discover that I’ve had my share of Pabst Blue Ribbon, beginning in the 1970’s and continuing sporadically into the Reagan years, then screeching to a complete and well deserved halt for more than a decade until a mercifully brief refresher course was experienced during an evening or two in 2003.

One thing kept coming back to me as I (considered this) latest beer marketing trend that has nothing whatsoever to do with the essence of the product being vended.

That’s the way Pabst tasted back when Grandpa actually drank it, long before the Internet and cell phones. It was a distinctly flavored product, and one that has very little to do with the inoffensive beer as it is currently manufactured.

Back in the day, you may or may not have liked Pabst, but you couldn’t accuse it of being watered down. In those days, you could pour it in a glass, and if you cared to risk your flatware, insert a spoon and see it stand straight up.

Now Pabst in a glass probably would be mistaken for Evian.

Yeah, I don't know if the Pabst as trendy hipster beer made it to Louisville or not, but I see tons of happening bars all over that have Pabst signs in the window and actually sell a lot of it. I was drinking it in Nashville, Tennesse last weekend, for example.

My dad drank PBR, and also Sterling. My Grandfather was a Wiedeman man. I drank Schafer Light in college because it was so watered down that it killed a lot of the harshness.

Fundamentally, most light lagers in the US taste the same as far as I'm concerend.

Still, my personal vote for the worst tasting beer I've ever had is Rolling Rock.

I recall being stationed at Lowry Air Force Base, Colorado and drinking 3.2 beer at the Airmans' Club...Talk about a beer that was "less filling"...

Here is a rather fascinating article about 3.2 beer in Colorado...Just one of six states where 3.2 beer exists...

Last Call

Rheingold

I drank a lot of Gennesse Cream Ale in college(Allentown, PA).
But it wasn't nearly as bad as Black Label - that should have been kept in the horse

don't forget Old Frothingslosh

"the pale stale ale with the foam on the bottom"

Alas, I am informed by my Distributor that Fall City may once again get the ax. Seems it is unavailable. Good seller. Here is a really cool site about Falls City http://www.falstaffbrewing.com/falls.htm

It definitely looks like Fall City is no more. I just received this from one of the folks at Seidenfaden's. RIP Falls City...

To the extent that Seidenfaden's Cafe is known for anything other than filth and the staggering ineptitude of it's bartending staff, it is known for cheap Falls City Beer. Every Wednesday for over four years has been 'Dollar Falls City Day'. Further, the Falls City logo 'graces' the hanging sign in front of the building.
Well, the Falls City manufacturer went belly-up a month or two ago, and though Mr. Heck, the Seidenfaden's proprietor, grabbed up the last supplies of our beloved watery swill, our supply is near exhaustion. There is little chance that there will be any Falls City left in the state of Kentucky after this Wednesday night's Karaoke Torture Session.
I have no idea how Mr. Heck will mourn/celebrate this event, or what undrinkable crap will rise to fill the void left by the passing of our dear old native-son, long lost and now defunct, shining, stinking Falls City Beer.

Falls City has always had a special spot in my heart. In the early '60's my Dad built a keg fridge with the help of a friend. They stuck it under the stairs in the basement and built a small room next to it to hold the compressed gas cylinders. The piping came out of the fridge and through the paneling where Dad had an assortment of taps he would change out every month or so. His buddies would come over and play gin rummy and watch golf. My first taste of beer was Falls City and before it stopped brewing here was pretty good keg beer. Over the years it did become watery swill but still it is sad to see the brand disappear.

there must be something sentimental about Falls City beer... Im a little too young to know about the "good old days", but my dad has a borderline obsession with the brand. Our entire basement is decorated with a Falls City theme.
The only thing he knows how to do on the computer is go to ebay and search for Falls City crap. er, i mean memorabilia.

Falls City has always had a special spot in my heart. In the early '60's my Dad built a keg fridge with the help of a friend. They stuck it under the stairs in the basement and built a small room next to it to hold the compressed gas cylinders. The piping came out of the fridge and through the paneling where Dad had an assortment of taps he would change out every month or so. His buddies would come over and play gin rummy and watch golf. My first taste of beer was Falls City and before it stopped brewing here was pretty good keg beer. Over the years it did become watery swill but still it is sad to see the brand disappear.

Well said, Ed. I have similar feelings about Falls City. My dad worked for them (Fehr's, too) way back when, so I guess the FC salary got me through grade school. We have a bunch of memorabilia from both breweries and I've collected some old CJ and Times articles on their rise and eventual demise. I get my fix at the Flabby's bar with a smothered roast beef sandwich and an ice cold canned Falls City - that's livin.