Funny, I came to the conclusion that, since I like very light beer, I was probably wasting my money paying slightly more for Stella Artois when I went out and just embraced Bud Lite and other cheap beers. I'm thinking of doing a blind taste test to see if I'm right. I'm not sure I could tell that much of a difference. To save face around beer snobs I still might order the Stella over the other, but it's totally stupid.
**Note I know neither of these are fancy beers. My husband sometimes buys these $10 a glass microbrews that IMO taste like ass. Sour beer = disgusting.
The best beer is one you like. :)
Another way I like to think of it is based on a list of The World's Best Beers I saw online somewhere. The five best beers in the world are:
1. The beer you're drinking right now
2. The beer you'll be drinking next
3. The best beer you can remember
4. The beer that's free
5. The beer you make yourself
I've had all five of them, and I love them all. :)
Yet another way I like to think of it comes from Amy Dacyczyn of Tightwad Gazette fame. If Beer A costs twice as much as Beer B, is Beer A really twice as good as Beer B? Or three times, or four times, or however many times, depending on the relative costs?
Now, I looooooove beer--I love the fancy beers aged in bourbon barrels that taste of vanilla, the ones from Belgium that taste of caramel or banana or orange, the pale ales and IPA's that taste of pine and citrus and grass. For me, some of the fancy beers pass the Dacyczyn Test--Ommegang Rare Vos (for example) is multiple times as good as Bud Light to me, and I don't mind paying the premium for it. But some beers do NOT--I can't stand porters and stouts, for instance, because I loathe the taste of coffee; I'd waaaaaaay rather drink a Bud Light than a Guinness, any day. And there are times when a light lager like Bud Light is just the ticket--after a long day of yard work on a summer day, they are light and refreshing and perfect. A heavy, thick, complex beer is not what I would want in that situation.
You'll almost certainly be able to tell the difference between Bud Light and Stella Artois in a blind taste test. But the real question is which one you like--if Stella doesn't pass the Dacyczyn Test, drink your Bud Light with joy and tell your beer snob friends that they can go take a hike. :)