Our Favorite Off-Duty Beers (And Why We Love Them)

We love our cheap beer—and we know we're not alone—so why don't we feel the same way about wine?

When it comes to beer, we have a dirty secret. During a time when 1 1/2 breweries are opening every day, we're carting Budweisers to the beach and drinking Tecate after work. So when we saw a piece in Punch with the headline, Why Do So Many Sommeliers Love Crappy Beer?, we felt instantly validated for our mass-produced beer habits. (Sommeliers: They're just like us!) Just like Patrick Cappiello, sommelier and owner of Pearl & Ash and Rebelle, kicks back Modelo Especial after-hours and master sommelier Richard Betts pounds Coronas, our partnerships editor Samantha drinks Tecate all summer long and our design editor, Amanda, reaches for a "Bud" or Pacifico under the hot sun.

But, as the article points out, this affinity for cheap drinks doesn't necessarily extend to cheap wines. This isn't to say we don't drink cheap wines—I'm a frequent consumer of Trader Joe's boxed wine, and Samantha and Amanda often opt for a $5 bottle of Gazela Vinho Verde—but given the choice, we'll take beer. As Amanda says, "Cheap beer is better than cheap wine, unless you're in Europe, in which case, it's opposite day." But why is this? Why do we prefer cheap beer to a bottle of cheap wine?

The Punch piece explains that inexpensive beer can be nearly tasteless and offers sommeliers a break from wine, with its highly-flavorful tannins and acids. Plus, having a widely-available go-to beer alleviates the need for decision-making after a long day of work. Wine also has a long history of being critiqued and sought-out, while beer has only recently been coveted. Case in point: Chances are you're already familiar with the term sommelier, but cicerone may be a new one for you.

Associate editor Ali agrees, "It's about expectations. Wine has been high-brow for longer than beer has been." But it's also just the fact that beer is so darn refreshing—especially now that it's summer. Our assistant editor, Caroline, who prefers Narragansett, says that she'll drink any beer as long as it's "cold cold cold cold cold."

What are your favorite off-duty beers? Do you prefer them to wine, or exactly the opposite? Tell us in the comments below!

Photo by James Ransom