The Best Bang for Your Buck at the Utah State Liquor Store 2020

[Gameface]

Best Bang for Your Buck at the Utah State Liquor Store​

This guide is intended to compare the relatively inexpensive selection of beers at Utah State Liquor Stores. On Nov. 1st, 2019 Utah redefined the definition of “heavy beer” from anything over 4%abv to anything over 5%abv. This has changed the landscape of beer somewhat. The selection available outside of liquor stores, bars and restaurants has changed and grown some. The selection at the Utah State Liquor Stores has changed some but has not grown.


I will be evaluating beers using three criteria.

--The first is an objective measure of the amount of pure ethanol per dollar (oz of beer * abv / cost of beer).

--The second will be my subjective opinion of the beer's taste and quality on a scale from 1-5 (1 = nearly undrinkable, 2 = not enjoyable, 3 = drinkable, 4 = quite good, 5 = exceptional).

--The third will be the Total Value Score. This will be the ethanol per dollar score multiplied by the quality score.

Leaderboards:

Pure Value Leader: Icehouse Edge -- 1.11 (ounces of ethanol per dollar)

Quality Leader: Genesee Cream Ale -- 4.0

Total Value Leader: Genesee Cream Ale -- 2.80

 

[Gameface]

So, my first entry is “Stack 101 High Gravity Smooth Lager,” Yeah, that’s the name. I was fooled as I DO NOT include Malt Liquor in this list. This can said “Smooth Lager” and “Smooth Brewed Lager” all over it. It is only in one sort of obscure location that it says “Stack High Gravity Malt Liquor” and thus this beer is DQ’d from the official rankings.

I bought it, though. So I’m going to drink it and I’m going to run it through the paces of this process.


Let’s jump right in! this is a 24oz can that proudly proclaims this is a 9.9%abv “Smooth Lager.” So as I was scouring the beer section of the Liquor Store hunting for candidates for the Best Bang for Your Buck this jumped off the shelf and into my arms. I figured that at the very least this would be a strong candidate for the highest ethanol to dollar beer with a price tag of $2.99. So, before I get into my impressions of this beer let’s run the numbers.


24oz * 0.099 / 2.99 = 0.795


Your oz of pure ethanol per dollar is 0.795.


Since this is the first entry I’m not sure if that’s as impressive as I imagined it was going to be, but there it is.


Now that we have that out of the way I’ll share my impression of the beer. There is a reason I don’t include Malt Liquor on this list and that’s because I don’t like it. As I began pouring this into a glass… (This being the first entry I should explain that I don’t drink out of the bottle or can a beer comes in, I always pour the beer into a glass. No exceptions!) I’m hit with a perfume like aroma. Like cheap perfume. Really cheap. I stopped pouring with only a couple of the 24oz in the glass and took a whiff to get the full effect. It smelled sweet and like it was a light thin beer with 9.9%abv. I was turned all the way off. Tasting the beer verified the impression the aroma gave off. It was sweet, very sweet. There was a floral note along with the impression of honey. The alcohol was not overpowering at all but was present. The sweetness was doing a fine job keeping the alcohol from being too strong, but I would have much preferred to let the alcohol shine through a little more so that I wasn’t being drowned in cloying sweetness.


I considered just dumping it, but that’s not like me. Besides, this is for science, or for a review of cheap beers, or for something to do on jazzfanz.com or something. Regardless, I was going to finish the beer. I’m still trying… as I write this I have about 6 more oz to go. I can already feel a slight headache that I think is from the aroma. Strong perfume gives me a headache and this beer has cheap perfume nailed to a T.


My score for this beer is a 1.5. I left a little room just in case something truly disgusting makes its way onto this list, but I hope that doesn’t happen. A 1.5 is a pathetic score for a commercial beer.


I’m not going to make an overall quality assessment of this beer since it is disqualified. But unofficially let’s just say the only reason you should ever drink this beer is because you’re 17 years old and you sent your Uncle Joey who still lives with your grandparents to get you and your friends some alcohol and this is what he came back with.

EDIT:
When applying the current total value score this beer gets a 1.19, which is bad.

 

[Gameface]

The first official entry is trusty old Pabst Blue Ribbon, but this is the "Extra" version.

Pabst Blue Ribbon Extra is sold in a 16oz can and costs $1.25 for this 6.5%abv beer.

Let's run the numbers on this one!

16oz * 0.065 / $1.25 = 0.832

Your ounces of pure ethanol per dollar comes in at 0.832!

I think we have a strong pure value candidate here. Time to see what it tastes like.

I really had to coax some aroma out of this beer. Just taking a casual sniff left me empty so I really had to swirl it around a bit and partially cover the glass and put my nose in the opening and take a big whiff. It's pretty neutral. There is a slight sweet grain smell. Now to be clear I'm not saying it smelled sweet, but that it had a nice, very appropriate for the style, smell of malted grain.

The flavor is again, pretty basic. I know many people like to get into deep debates about one mass produced lager vs another, but for me they all sort of fit in the same box. And while one might be a little more dry while another might have a slight flavor from rice vs barley, I think of these beers as taking up the same space. And in this instance I'd call that a good thing! There is a little more mouthfeel (body) in this "extra" version as compared to the 5%abv stuff in the store. The flavor of grain takes up a bit more of the profile vs the ultra dry little brother. This is a clean beer with a pleasant full bodied flavor. Nothing special by any stretch, but nothing bad, either. I think I'm going to set the mark with this one and call it a solid 3. I debated going 3.5, but it's not there. This is the definition of "It's fine" in my humble opinion.

Total Value Score: 2.50

 

[Gameface]

As a bit of a curveball I've decided to throw a few local craft beers into the mix. I don't expect these beers to compete on the oz of ethanol per dollar scale. But they will do well in the personal impression category. They don't fit the criteria for this list so they will not be officially entered.

First on this exception list is Kiitos Double India Pale Ale.

This is a 16oz beer that clocks in at 8.5%abv and costs $3.45. Sounds like we're ready for the numbers...

16oz * 8.5 / $3.45 = 0.394

Ouch!

No real surprise, local craft beer is not trying to win this game I'm playing. They are trying to make premium craft beer and charge premium prices for it.

This beer has an enjoyable aroma. I smell pineapple.

Tasting it everything gets more fuzzy. I can still taste pineapple if I want to. But I can also taste some harsh bits. What we want to call them, I'm not sure? Is it just hops? Yes, in primary it is stuff that comes from hops, but when we talk about certain things we say hops as a positive. But we're at the part when we have to talk about hops as a negative. Hops can be harsh. They can be overpowering. They can be unpleasant.

This beer is a Double IPA, so as a style it has a very strong presence of hop aroma and flavor. In that it delivers. The aroma is ever present and the flavor represents the style well.

But here I'm going to judge this beer as a member of this list. As that it suffers. It's more expensive, it is "harder" to drink in quantity and not everyone enjoys hops.

I'm going to give this a subjective score of 4 out of 5. That's a good score. I don't go higher than that unless there's something worth talking about.

 

[gandalfe]

Best Bang for Your Buck at the Utah State Liquor Store​

This guide is intended to compare the relatively inexpensive selection of beers at Utah State Liquor Stores. On Nov. 1st, 2019 Utah redefined the definition of “heavy beer” from anything over 4%abv to anything over 5%abv. This has changed the landscape of beer somewhat. The selection available outside of liquor stores, bars and restaurants has changed and grown some. The selection at the Utah State Liquor Stores has changed some but has not grown.


I will be evaluating beers using three criteria.

--The first is an objective measure of the amount of pure ethanol per dollar (oz of beer * abv / cost of beer).

--The second will be my subjective opinion of the beer's taste and quality on a scale from 1-5 (1 = nearly undrinkable, 2 = not enjoyable, 3 = drinkable, 4 = quite good, 5 = exceptional).

--The third will be an overall value score. This is a work in progress that I will finalize once I have enough samples so that I can play with the numbers to see what works for this scale.


In this OP I will update with the current leaders in each category as I add beers to the list.

A) For total value, simply multiply the two scores - so if something is .5 e/$ but it tastes great and gets a 4, the result would be a 2. If something is really cheap (say, .75 e/$) but bad (score of 2) that would be 1.5. Maybe multiply that by 10 for fancier looking scores, or multiple the e/$ by 2xQ (Q for quality), to weight that a little higher.

B) What kind of glass are you using for these, a standard pint glass?

 

[Rubashov]

Quality thread, gameface and day drinking, the forum needs more of this.

 

[Gameface]

A) For total value, simply multiply the two scores - so if something is .5 e/$ but it tastes great and gets a 4, the result would be a 2. If something is really cheap (say, .75 e/$) but bad (score of 2) that would be 1.5. Maybe multiply that by 10 for fancier looking scores, or multiple the e/$ by 2xQ (Q for quality), to weight that a little higher.

B) What kind of glass are you using for these, a standard pint glass?

I generally use nonick glasses, sometimes called English pub glasses. I have both 16oz and 20oz sizes. My 20oz ones have the crown as shown in the pic.

I have a **** ton of different types of glasses, though. I just usually use the nonicks.

I need to post in the OP that not all pictures will be ones I take. I might take some of the pictures but it's easier to just grab something off a google image search most of the time.

 

[Gameface]

Okay, I waited to put this one to the test because I don't think it will be beaten in the ethanol per dollar department. I don't think anything else will even get very close.

I'm talking about Icehouse Edge.

This value warrior is sold at the Utah State Liquor Store in 16oz cans and has an impressive 8%abv. What's most impressive, especially for the sake of this thread, they sell it for $1.15! That's one of the least expensive single servings of beer you can buy at the liquor store, even compared to most 12oz offerings, and few of those have 8%abv.

16oz * 0.08 / $1.15 = 1.11

1.11 ounces of pure ethanol per dollar. This bad can of barley has broken the 1.0 barrier with room to spare.

So with the raw value score out of the way I'm now tasked with drinking this thing. This is not on the same level of bad as Stack, but I also wouldn't call it good. Nowhere does it indicate this is a malt liquor, but it has some of those qualities, although only subtly. There is a sort of fruity, floral aroma and the taste is a bit on the sweet side. I think the 8%abv comes through in the aroma much more than it does in the flavor. This is a pretty smooth drinking beer for such a high alcohol content.

I came into this expecting to give this one a score of 2.0 on the flavor, but I don't think that's fair. The thing is, I don't want this beer to win it all. That said it earns every bit of my official score of 2.5.

Total Value Score: 2.78

 

[Gameface]

Here is a beer that I really knew going in was not going to be competitive in the pure value department. I included it, however, because it has what as far as I saw was the lowest price per can at the Utah State Liquor Store, $0.89. Not only that, but it is not another lager.

Genesee Cream Ale.

This easy drinking beer just snuck into the Liquor Store with 5.2%abv, so it's going to be one of the lowest ABV beers on this list. I'm interested to see where it actually comes in so here it goes.

12oz * 0.052 / $0.89 = 0.701

Okay, 0.701 ounces of ethanol per dollar, that's better than I expected.

Cream Ale, as a beer style, is an easy drinking beer with a little more character than most light lagers but remains approachable by people who tend to shy away from other "exotic" types of ale. This is a decent example of that style. If you like the occasional hefeweizen to break up the monotony of Bud Lights then this is another beer you can add to the mix.

The aroma is a little faint but what I can pick up is a nice malty note and if I really try I can maybe pick up a slight corn aroma. The flavor is smooth (might even call it creamy) with decent malt presence, an enjoyable level of associated malt sweetness in what is overall a pretty dry beer with a neutral flavor profile. I was actually going to leave it there but as I typed and let all the other flavors fade, thirty seconds or so after I took a sip, there is an ever so faint and enjoyable bit of hop bitterness as a VERY after aftertaste. This is a beer I would buy and drink anytime. A beer you could easily drink in quantity. I don't know if there will be a beer I like better on this list. There's no chance this beer gets a 5 but I'm trying pretty hard to talk myself into a 4.5. I can't get that high. The beer is good, especially for this list, but the right score for this beer is 4.0.

Total Value Score: 2.80

 

[Gameface]

I'm taking the advice of @gandalfe

I liked the way the numbers looked when I multiplied the e/$ and the value score.

OP update in progress...

 

[Gameface]

So now we take a look at the @fishonjazz favorite, Icehouse. Not to be confused with Icehouse Edge reviewed above. This is the 12oz can that sells for $0.95 and has 5.5%abv. Yeah, it's $0.06 more expensive than Genesee Cream Ale but has 0.3% higher abv.

Now this beer has a bit of an identity crisis. The beer I bought was listed at 5.5%abv. The Utah State Liquor Store has carried this same beer at 6.9%abv. I've seen it, fishonjazz has seen it. It's real. I'm not sure what the deal is, but the can I got listed 5.5%abv, so that's what I'm working with. If I find the 6.9% big brother I'll do a review there and for the purposes of this thread I think this beer would be more competitive at 6.9% if it doesn't give up too much in flavor and drinkability.

12oz * 0.055 / $0.95 = 0.695

0.695 is not a bad score, but for fun I ran the numbers with a 6.9%abv. That would get a score of 0.872. Pretty big difference.

So let me say, if I had to do a blind taste test between this and a PBR, well honestly I think I would pass the test. I'm cool like that. But I don't think 99% of you could pass that test. In fact, I'd put money on it. This is a pretty standard full strength light lager. It is clean, dry and easy to drink. The difference in mouthfeel and malt character is there, but if you are not super tuned-in to detecting those qualities this might as well be the same beer.

Now that "regular" beer in Utah is 5%abv and you can buy a 30 pack of PBR for considerably less than $0.95 per beer, this thing just doesn't make any sense. It just doesn't make any sense! Now if this was 6.9%abv, there might be an argument there. But at 5.5%abv it's not happening.

That said this beer tastes fine. Not hard to drink, not hard to drink in quantity. I'm giving this a 3.5 in the quality department.

Total Value Score: 2.43

At 6.9%abv this beer would be at a 3.02 and would be the current leader, just saying.

 

[Deleted member 95]

When's this continue? I appreciate it.

 

[gandalfe]

When's this continue? I appreciate it.

Depends on when Gameface gets out of rehab...

 

[Gameface]

When's this continue? I appreciate it.

Honestly I realized that the cheapest beers at the Liquor store are usually just barely above 5%, like the current leaders in this are 5.5% and 5.2%. The best bang for your buck is Pabst Blue Ribbon (or an even cheaper beer like Natty Lite or Busch) from the grocery store. And even your overpriced Budweiser, MGD and Coors are a much better bang for your buck. If you can accept the tiny difference in alcohol content, 5% vs 5.5%, then skip the liquor store.

I can keep going with a few more, but I think I'll include the numbers for some grocery store beer as well.

 

[fishonjazz]

Honestly I realized that the cheapest beers at the Liquor store are usually just barely above 5%, like the current leaders in this are 5.5% and 5.2%. The best bang for your buck is Pabst Blue Ribbon (or an even cheaper beer like Natty Lite or Busch) from the grocery store. And even your overpriced Budweiser, MGD and Coors are a much better bang for your buck. If you can accept the tiny difference in alcohol content, 5% vs 5.5%, then skip the liquor store.

I can keep going with a few more, but I think I'll include the numbers for some grocery store beer as well.

Thanks for this. For comparison how much is PBR per can at the grocery store vs my Icehouse at 95 cents at the liquor store. If it's a big enough difference then I will switch to PBR at the grocery store literally today.

Sent from my ONEPLUS A6013 using JazzFanz mobile app

 

[Ron Mexico]

Hmm, maybe I should do a China version. Beers are generally lower alcohol but much much cheaper. Although if I go to the small town breweries it's no comparison.

 

[Gameface]

For comparison purposes I'll be looking at 10 Barrel Breweries Pub Beer. This is a 5%abv beer available in gas stations and grocery stores. Their 6pk of 16oz beers is surprisingly inexpensive for what seems like it might be a little craft brewery out of Bend Oregon. Once upon a time that was true, but they have since been bought out by multinational beer giant AB-InBev, the largest beer company in the world, by a lot. They make all sorts of stuff that they brand to make look like some independent craft brewery. At one point they likely were, but now they are just part of the AB-InBev portfolio.

So as their rather generic can art indicates, this beer is indeed "cheap fun." I have seen it for a little more, but did run into at a Chevron Holiday gas station for $4.99 for a 6pk of 16oz "tallboys." That was cheaper than a 6pk of PBR 16oz tallboys, but usually I find them for almost exactly the same price.

16oz * 0.05%abv / $0.83 = 0.964

So this does not edge out Icehouse Edge, which is 8%abv and costs $1.15 per 16oz can. But it blows the pants off regular Icehouse which has a 1oz of ethanol per dollar score of 0.695.

So Pub Beer fits into that category of pretty standard lagers. Easy to drink, easy to drink in quantity (10 Barrel Brewery calls it "crushable"). I do think it has a little more flavor, which you might like or might not like. For me it has really depended. There are times when I like the flavor more than most other basic lagers and times I don't like it as much. It kind of depends on what else I have eaten or am eating when I drink it. I think it does feel ever so slightly heavier than PBR or Icehouse, but I didn't do a blind test to see if I could actually pick that out.

There is an extra challenge in putting non-Liquor Store beers in this test because prices vary depending on where you buy it and they also vary a lot based on the package size you buy. I found this a little cheaper than I had seen it other places so I based my score on that price, but I have seen the same 6pk I paid $4.99 for sell for $5.96, which would completely change the numbers. That said, there's really just no way I would buy Icehouse over this beer all things considered. And some of those things considered are that you have to go to the liquor store to buy Icehouse. It isn't refrigerated. They don't give a discount for buying a larger package size. I can pick Pub Beer up while I'm getting my groceries.

As mentioned I think this is essentially the same basic beer as PBR or Icehouse. Maybe you'll notice differences that you like or don't like, maybe you won't. But I'm giving this the same quality score as Icehouse, which is 3.5.

Total Value Score: 3.37

If this were being included in the official rankings it would be far and away the leader in total value.

I'll buy the absolute cheapest beer I can find at Walmart and do that next.