June 3, 2009: Busch

One of the great things that I love about drinking beer and beer culture in general is how truly international it is. There are so many places around the globe that have such rich brewing traditions, and each is different from the other in many ways. Being almost as insane about traveling the globe as I am about beer and soccer, for me trying beers from different parts of the world is like transporting my tastebuds to those places that I can't go myself. My usual rule of thumb is the more exotic the country of origin, the more eager I am to try it, but this is not always the case. It's so easy to get caught up in the search for exotic imported beers that I sometimes forget that there are so many American born brews for me to try. As wonderful as an imported Belgian ale is on most nights, sometimes you just need a little bit of that down home, American lager to hit the spot.

Tonight I've decided to forgo all the fancy, expensive imports and go with a good old can of Busch. There are no frills with this beer. Nothing fancy, no enticing aromas, no sophisticated or interesting ingredients; simply cheap American brewed lager that's guaranteed to bring the party with it. As much as I strive to portray myself as a person who thrives on culture, education and the arts, there is always that little latent spark of redneck that needs to come out every now and then. Busch is the kind of beer that you can pound with your buddies while playing flip cup or beer pong. Busch is the kind of beer that is always there when all you've got is a $5 bill in your pocket and an insatiable desire to get hammered. Busch is the kind of beer that a snob like me will turn down at a certain kind of party, but will gladly toss back at a tailgate. Put quite simply, although Busch is near the very bottom of the list of beers that I've deemed worthy of drinking, there is definitely a time and a place for it. Tonight I'm sitting in a car with my buddy Mike, listening to bands like NOFX, Guttermouth and MxPx, and reminiscing about our bygone high schools days that were full of debauchery, drunkeness, and all around good times. For tonight, there aren't many other beers that could take the place of Busch.

Cheers!
Ian

http://www.anheuser-busch.com/