Is Milwaukee's Best Beer Really that Bad?

It's hard to find more variety than you do shopping through the different brands of beer at your local grocery store. From Corona, to Budweiser, to Guinness, many of the brand names are as recognized among the general public as favorite TV shows or fast food joints. Sometimes you'll even stumble upon more localized brands like Narragansett, which is a hard find outside of the New England area. There's other beers, though, that many people have never heard of - and there's those beers that most people choose to avoid, whether it's from simple heresay or bad experiences.

One of those beers is known simply as Milwaukee's Best Ice. But is it really as bad as its reputation makes it out to be?

According to some people, such as this anonymous source who asked not to be named, it certainly is;

"Milwaukee's Best is probably the cheapest beer on the market, comparable to Genesee...but as far as taste, it tastes a lot like fermented corn with a little alcohol thrown in. Actually, piss tastes better. I just hope it's not really the best beer that Milwaukee has to offer."

Milwaukee's Best Ice, infamously referred to by many drinkers as "The Beast," is owned by the Miller Brewing Company as one of the three beers in its "Milwaukee's Best" economy label - contrary to what many people believe, Milwaukee's Best is an entirely separate label from Old Milwaukee, owned by the Pabst Brewing Company, hence the extremely different taste. Priced an exceptionally low cost at most grocery stores and with an alcohol content rating of 5.9% ABV, one would think that Milwaukee's Best would have more fans.

There's just one problem. The taste.

The source of the nickname "Beast" is, simply enough, a description of the beers reportedly awful taste. The taste is described by beer drinkers in such endearing terms as "burnt corn mixed with moldy rice, with a bitter, watery aftertaste" and "metallic urine." While many do volunteer the opinion that it's not "that bad," and at least on person interviewed claimed, albeit sarcastically, that it was "the beer choice for true beer drinkers," few people seem willing to raise their hands too quickly in its defense. It seems that the Beast is a beer that no one truly loves.

So why's it still around? The answer's as simple as can be. It's cheap as dirt and has a high alcohol content, so in many ways, it's one of the most affordable beers out there; a true example of quantity over quality. In many ways, the continuing sales of Milwaukee's Best are perhaps the ultimate proof that you get what you pay for. Many things change as time goes on, but as long as the Beast is cheap, it'll always be around.