Much of the year I can depend on either my basement or porch to keep beer at the right temperature. I also make use of frozen mugs some times. It all depends on what beer it is, but generally, I don't really keep much beer in the refrigerator aside from the six weeks of Summer we get here.
I store some beer in my pantry, but it always goes in the refrigerator before I drink it. The beers I buy are high enough quality that if I start drinking on on my patio on a hot summer day, the last swallow tastes as good as the first even though the beer has "warmed" a bit due to the ambient temperature. Most American industrial beers taste like shit unless they're very cold (and even then...) I'd also argue that good beer actually doesn't taste very good when it's really cold. There's a Twin Peaks location near my house and the one time I went there I ordered a Newcastle with my meal. At 29 degrees (the temperature at which they serve their beer) it was terrible. I had to let it sit for a while before I could really taste the flavor. I'm sure Bud or some other crap beer probably tastes the same at that temperature as it does at any other.
spring, summer, fall - i like my beers ICY COLD. winter doesnt matter so much, though i generally chill them anyways... which is probably why i drink Brooklyn in winter as that is a more flavorful beer and as some of you say certain beers dont NEED to be iced up, even if they taste better that way. currently running very low on beer and only have Coors light left - that DEFINITELY needs to be well-fridged IMO... hope to get some Cobra, Chang, and see what the shoip has in stock to taste-test within the next 2 weeks. (was waiting for tax year to end yesterday - so i can raid my ISA, as it gets 1% extra interest thru last tax year!!)
I have a old end table that opens up, my dad used to keep his booze in it, I keep my extra beer in it. Plus I live in a finished basement where its always nice and cool.
I have an Uncle named Joe who loves beer, ANY BEER, the cheaper the better. Right now he drinks Natural light or Milwaukee's best light. Both beers I am not fond of. His only requirement is it's cold and wet.
I get dollar Buds at Marco's Pizza, you can't beat that. Buds not a bad beer, it's just not GREAT. But is is VERY Drinkable.
Drinkable is definitely the word. No great flavor per se, but nothing offensive about it either. Goes down well on a hot day.
I like the trend of an orange slice/citrus flavors in my beers. Then again, I tend to favor Belgian Whites that work well with the citrus notes. Blue Moon, Shock Top, and others like that. Boulevard Wheat Ale is another one that's good with an orange slice.
When all you want is something cold and carbonated to drink, drinkable cheap beer generally beats soda, and once I started thinking about it as a soda substitute I became a lot less of a beer snob.
Bud is pretty much the only low end beer I drink, so I'm still a snob to a certain extent, especially as I mostly don't drink bud either. But as I always say, people should drink what they like, and I'm not going to stand in the way of that, whether or not it's something I don't personally favor.
I generally prefer Tsingtao, when I can get it. But when it's 110+ degrees outside, I'm not walking that far. Bud from the corner gas station is good enough. I like Liet's thinking of it as a substitute for soda. That's sort of how I see it, too, and I hadn't thought to articulate it in just that way.
And with the lower alcohol content, you can drink more of that refreshing non-soda. It's better than Gatorade for hydration!
well....have to say I have a 15-pack Bud in the wine closet..... I used to really dig it, these days i put it down as a 'summer substitute' that saves cash to Chang, my continuing fav. Had a Chang this morning a i grabbed 4 when they were on offer. (unfortunately they only sell the larger 660ml ones in the UK - instead of the 375ml bottles that they used to sell in Aussie... but....) i remain open to try new beers - but favor a CHANG at 'any' time, a BROOKLYN in winter, and any COLD lager in summer. (Bud, Cobra, Singh, Blue Moon...)
