Dearfolk,
The worst beers I remember from the past have to be Master’s Choice Bavarian Style and its (redundantly) Light compatriot, brewed for Albertson’s stores by Duncan Brewing in Auburndale, Florida. In very close second would be anything from Eastern Brewing in Hammonton, New Jersey. I swear they used soybeans instead of barley malt.
In the dreadful Malt Liquor division, I think of Cool Colt (Colt 45 Malt Liquor with added menthol!). Champale I could at least get down on a blistering hot afternoon… but not the Pink!
Beers I really do miss include Ballantine India Pale Ale (when it was brewed in Newark and then Cranston, held in wood for 9 months, and contained a proud 65 units of bitterness), the old recipe version of Stegmaier Porter from Wilkes-Barre, PA. (it tasted like a licorace/anise milkshake), Old Shay Golden Cream Ale from Jones Brewing (Stoney’s) in Smithton, PA. (was almost orange and reminded me of carrots), and Blind Man Ale, Blind Man India Brown Ale, Blind Man Espresso Stout, and Blind Man Summer Wheat, made here in Athens for too short a time… bottle-conditioned ales would go over in Georgia now, but they were far ahead of their time… much like the late, lamented Riley’s Red Lyon Ale from Little Rock, Arkansas.
Whoever posted regards Bell’s Eccentric Ale: I owe you a pint somewhere, sometime. It broke me to tears of joy to be alive when I tasted it; that’s the best accolate I can apply to a beer.
Thirstily Submitted, Ort. Carlton in Athens, Georgia.

I just remembered Rhinelander beer. Vaguely. Burp.

The reason that there’s not a lot of NW participation on this thread is that, get this, the beer is generally pretty decent here. The companies that survived the first round of consolidation made technically decent, if not inspiring beer. Even Olympia, prior to its manufacture in such premium water-rich areas such as Longview, TX and Godknowswere, FL wasn’t total bongwater; it was a light, decent-enough lager that was darned tasty after mowing the lawn, while fishing, or any of the other settings where people like a "session" beer (IE, they’re having more than one). Hamms will, of course, not garner a lot of support from beer fanciers, but it was pretty common during my college years.

Lucky Lager, from lovely Vancouver, WA was probably the default cheap beer in my misspent youth – I seem to recall it being around $5 a case plus bottle deposit in Oregon. Blitz-Weinhard (not Henry Weinhard Private Reserve, which qualifies as Decent Lager) may in fact have been named for it’s effect, rather than any Blitz family members in the organization. The Strohs/Heiliman/Miller/Pabst mergers/brand acquisitions/licensing deals have really eliminated any true popular-priced beer that is actually made in the NW. While we certainly have an active micro and macro-brewing scene, the last mega-brewery, the Olympia facility now owned by SABMiller, will be closing at the end of the year.

If we go with the theory that what you drank in college was the crap beer of your area and age, then that would have to fall to Henry Weinhard’s Ale. Very popular post-Rugby.

Eric

Coors was special in 1972 and now is Sterling Marlin wasn’t driving for them, I would not touch it.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

Some of these beers were good until another company bought them out, or they reached mass distribution, such as Stroh’s and Coor’s (remember when Coor’s was the Rage?) I remember: Schmidt’s of Philadelphia, Schaffer "the one beer to have when you’re having more than one", National Bohemian the pride of Bawlmer, Helieman’s Old Style, Blatz, Fallstaff…just to name a few.

What goes in must come out. That reminds me of a beer that use to be made in NO called that I believe was called "JAX". Every major city on the Tennessee, Ohio, Mississippi and each of the tributaries empty their sewage treatment plants in the river and eventually end up way down south. That brings up all sorts of differenent scenarios. Seafood, shrimp, oysters etc. It is probably not healthy to think about it or you might have to resort to being a vegetarian.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

"Its in the water"

Best of the bad beers from college days. None were bad then but looking back 40 some years and going down the Ohio River: Burger from Cincinnati, Oertels(sp) from Louisville and Sterling from Evansville would certainly win ribbons in your contest.

OK, we had a malt liquor back in the 70’s, I’m sure it was brewed by FX matts, called Maximus Super…very popular with high school kids looking for a quick buzz. We called it Maximus Stupor. Anyone had that?

I could Tell you stories of Bell’s Eccentric Ale …
But this column is for Bad Beers,
Not for beers the brewer describes as "A Monster of a brew" [:0]

Anyone remember a beer called Buckhorn? I first had it in the late 70’s in Houston. If I remember right, it was about a dollar a six-pack back then. We were on a college roadtrip and short on cash…