Previously, I asked [what’s the most 3/5 chain restaurant.](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskAnAmerican/comments/123w6ik/out_of_all_the_restaurant_chains_in_america_which/) That is, the restaurant that thrills or outrages no one; everyone in a large group would simply be okay with it. And now, beer.
You’ve got 100 people and can only serve one beer. Some of them are insufferable beer snobs (like that one guy at the office), some of them are reverse beer snobs (like your cousin Randy who never shuts up about how ‘country’ he is), the rest run the gamut. Which beer will elicit the least amount of complaints from this group?
43 comments
Budweiser is pretty inoffensive. After all, who gets offended by water?
Probably Corona.
The beer snobs will drink it and so will the bud light kind of people.
Blue Moon? I don’t like beer myself, but I’ll have a Blue Moon if offered.
Yuengling! I usually grab this because of the price for most events. Normally my friends who are coming can’t find any in their state, so it could be why I’ve always bought it.
Sam Adams Lager. Several tiers above the basic macrobrews like Bud or Coors, so that one obnoxious beer snob at the office (who, incidentally, is definitely me) can’t complain *too* much (at least it’s not Bud!), but not so fancy (or even fake-fancy) that Cousin Randy would refuse to touch it.
Miller High Life is the best nationally available macro beer.
Root Beer (A&W probably)
I think it only makes sense to limit the discussion to macros that can be easily found just about anywhere in the country.
With that criteria in mind, I think the best answer to this question has to be:
***Miller High Life***
It’s mild-to-medium bodied and easy to drink, but still has some body and character without so much that it will turn off the very casual drinker. It’s a very traditional flavor profile for the american beer drinking palate, with just enough malt and hops to tell they are there and give it some interest for the snob, but not so much that it will bother the light beer drinkers. You can slam it back ice cold from the cooler, but it’s just as nice slightly warmer with a burger or pizza.
Before I liked beer that much, Rolling Rock and Blue Moon were what I would get.
Coors. Acceptable to both craft beer and pisswater lovers.
Really any of the major beer brands are inoffensive. They aren’t great, but all of them are drinkable on a 115 degree day.
There are regional ones that the bud crowd are mostly fine with and the craft crowd will treat as a “yeah fine, at least it’s not Coors”.
Yeungling has spread quite a bit from the Pennsylvania start, Shiner Bock around me, etc…etc…
Every region seems to have one.
Most of the “Light” beers are very similar and inoffensive. I find Natural Light to be the lightest of the light and only 4% alcohol.
Modelo I think.
Honorable mentions include Blue Moon (my favorite macro) and Sam Adam’s, but I have met people who won’t drink those.
I’ve never met anyone who wouldn’t drink Modelo. Although to interject personally again, I prefer Dos Equis for Mexican style macro lagers.
For me, the most inoffensive beer is one that’s free. I’m a beer snob, but if someone offers me a free Bud Lite, I’m not complaining because I didn’t pay for it.
Yuengling or Coors Banquet.
For the latter, it’s a pretty decent macro beer. Good lager. You won’t remember it much after drinking it, but you also won’t remember it after drinking it.
I’d buy something like Shiner Bock, Leinenkugel’s Original or Bohemia, or a pilsner or lager style from a larger, better known craft brewery — something like Firestone Walker Pivo Pils, Victory Prima Pils, Bell’s Lager for the Lakes.
Shiner is my default, always keep something easy drinking in the fridge on top of whatever craft beers strike my fancy
Bud Light
Sierra Nevada Pale Ale
Blue moon. Never heard of any complaint from friends that like beer or my dad who’s a huge beer snob
Raaaaaaaaaainieeeeeeeeerrrr Beeeeeeeeeeerrrr
Sierra Nevada Pale Ale here in California.
Coors, there is a reason Smokey needed to get it to Atlanta
In Texas, it would be Shiner Bock. Even the shadiest dive bar will have it on tap. It has enough blue collar cred that the anti-snobs can’t complain, but also enough local cachet that the snobs won’t either.
Personally not a fan but 805 (Firestone) is what I would consider just a step above Bud/Coors?Miller and about 3 steps below the “craft” stuff. It’s like a Nerf IPA.
PBR for me
Narragansett
Yeungling
Fat Tire.
Tasty enough to drink all winter and light enough to drink all the summer.
Is there anything in the rules that says you cannot buy a variety pack? Usually when I am hosting or volunteer to bring beer, I usually get a variety pack from a local brewery. Living in Chicago, there are really good variety packs of Revolution and Goose Island.
Firestone’s 805 is pretty generic and inoffensive
Yuengling. Pronounced “Ying Ling”.
It bills itself as America’s First Craft Beer. But it tastes like regular beer, mostly. There are some hops in it. I don’t like most craft beer, but I drink Yuengling.
Pennsylvania and Yuengling have a strong association with each other. If your first beer was anything but Yuengling, you’re not from PA. It’s now spreading to other places and it is billed as the new, exciting beer in those places.
Probably the only beer that I’ve seen beer snobs, rednecks, and college kids drinking together.
Yuengling by a long shot.
It’s reasonably priced and tastes good enough
Pabst blue ribbon.
I’m a beer snob, I cannot answer this…
But, in general for a party, I’ll get a lager (local if I can). If not, probably a Sam’s variety pack or, because I’m close to Canada, Labatt Blue or Blue light.
Here in New Mexico, you can never go wrong with Dos Equis
In California I’d say it’s Stella.
Coors banquet.
It straddles the line between lighter adjunct lagers and more robust traditional brews.
It’s fairly sweet, but not cloyingly so, and goes down easily without being watery.
It has enough flavor to at the very least register as “beer” on the palette of most beer snobs, but doesn’t overwhelm the senses of novice or light beer drinkers.
It’s respectable enough for a fine establishment, legitimate enough for hipsters, and “American” enough for rednecks.
It’s just beer, and it’s pretty great for what it is.
Stella, it’s the Manhattan Miller Lite.
In Texas, Shiner Bock. Decent beer, so beer snobs will like it. And even cousin Del, who’s ten times worse than Randy will drink it because it’s from Texas.
Sierra Nevada is the best semi big beer
Shiner beer in TX. Good enough for those who don’t like the Bud Lights of the world and uniquely Texan to satisfy country folks’ desire.
Bud Light. Taste it in a blind setting and you’d be amazed.