Back 2 School Booze: Beast

I now know why we used to play drinking games, use beer bongs and just chug beer.  It's because the beer we drank in those years isn't really sipping beer.

What I drank in college depended on the year, the group of friends and which cheap beer might have been on sale - but the go to was always Beast.  I'm sure that Miller Brewing Company hates that name and would prefer I tell you it's called Milwaukee's Best.

Photo Courtesy: Club 68 member Matt Clark

Memories of Beast flooded back recently when a college friend put up some old photos online to celebrate nearly ten years since graduation.  Back then we started drinking Beast at an exclusive club that had epic parties.  Club 68 had a kegerator that was barely used because we could never afford to keep the CO2 filled, a tiny kitchen that I often remember many of us standing in and a round table that was perfect for playing three man - rules for that drinking game vary and I can't say I remember ours so you can check Wikipedia if you're looking to play something while putting down some Beast.

When I went to buy some before writing this article I had a hard time finding it.  I figure is was because of one or more of the following:

• I am not used to looking for it anymore
• I actually had to go inside the cooler
• The label has changed since I was in college
• There is now Beast Premium, Beast Light and Beast Ice (at least I don't remember variety)
• I no longer live in the desert and micro brew is more popular here
• I don't live next to a college campus

For a minute I thought I was going to have to buy an entire case, though 30 cans would have been less than 20 bucks.  Luckily, I found one of three 24 ounce cans hiding up on the top shelf, though they were Beast Premium.  I got home and cracked it open, debated pouring it into a glass, decided that was too classy, took a swig out of the big can, felt trashy and then drank some more.  It had a pretty strong nose and start to the sip but quickly faded out by the end leaving nothing to savor.  I looked for a description on the MillerCoors site and found this:  

"Introduced in 1984, Milwaukee's Best Premium features premium flavor, without the premium price. Brewed for a man’s taste, Milwaukee’s Best Premium is a lager of the finest quality malted barley, selected grains and choicest hops. Highly drinkable. Highly affordable."

The "Highly affordable" description is why we bought it and the "Highly drinkable" description isn't inaccurate, it just isn't the same "drinkable" that most of us who read and write for this blog think about.  Milwaukee's Best is the perfect beer to crack open and take a long swig of after a long day of work, a big project around the house or on a hot day.  It's the type of beer that you drink instead of water, not something you pour into a pint glass and savor while trying to decide exactly how many IBU's are in it.

I might not be stocking my fridge with Beast during this Back To School Season but if there is ever a Club 68 reunion, I'll buy the first case and bring the dice.