Most students tend to stop at the suitcases of beer and seldom venture into the possibilities that are out there for the thrifty (but not necessarily cheap) spender who seeks a pleasurable taste and a memorable experience. Bringing a higher-quality beer to a social gathering will not only impress friends but may also take the party up a notch.
There are several good imported beers available at most major beer retailers that only cost a buck or two more than the major domestic brands. Kirin Ichiban is a Japanese lager that is light with a faintly bitter aftertaste, making it a very refreshing alternative to Budweiser or Miller. It costs about $7 per six-pack. Red Stripe, a Jamaican lager, is also an excellent thirst quencher with its light flavor and slight after-taste; it costs about $7 per six-pack. Even though both cost roughly $2 more per six-pack than your standard beers, they have more character and complexity.
Several American micro-brewed beers are also good to keep in mind. Most micro-breweries focus more on quality rather than quantity and are typically family-owned, generational businesses. Anchor Steam, brewed in San Francisco, is an amber colored beer with a nice, full-bodied complex flavor and a subtly bitter after-taste. The standard Anchor Steam is the best one to start with, but Anchor’s Liberty Ale and Porter varieties are also recommended when you’re ready to try a richer tasting or darker blend. All varieties of Anchor Beer cost roughly $7.50.
Woodchuck Cider, from Vermont, comes in Amber or Green Apple as well as Pear varieties. As would be expected, all these ciders have a sweet and fruity taste—invigorating but not too overwhelming. They are wonderful separate, but to spice things up, mixing and matching the three varieties is quite popular. All Woodchuck six-packs cost approximately $6.50. Like their imported counterparts, both brands cost a couple of dollars more than Miller or Bud. However, both have a higher alcohol content, which means that a six-pack will actually last a bit longer. Best of all, they are of better quality and have a much cleaner taste.
For those who want to sample a variety of imported and micro-brewed beers, some local retailers offer the option to create your own six-pack. McDade’s, with three stores located throughout the Jackson area, lets you mix and match beers so you can try different kinds of beers without having to buy an entire six-pack of the same brand. The cost for creating your own six-pack is $8.99 at McDade’s.
Several pubs in the area offer a nice selection of imported and micro-brewed beers. Lagers World Grill and Beer Emporium, located at 6111 Ridgewood Road near the County Line Road intersection, boasts the best beer selection in Jackson. They have 50 different beers on tap. They also have about 200 beers in the bottle. Refer to their beer menu for availability. Hal & Mal’s, located on Commerce Street near the Old Capitol, has a decent selection of bottled beers. They brew several varieties on the premises, making them the only “brew-pub” in the area. Martin’s Restaurant and Lounge, located across the parking lot from Hal & Mal’s, has a better selection of bottled beers than Hal & Mal’s but does not brew on the premises. I recommend Hal & Mal’s for locally brewed suds and Martin’s for imports and micro’s.
Previous Comments
Never realized that McDade’s let you mix and match 6-packs… sweet! Which other stores around town do this? Good to see BeerTalk! I hope it becomes a regular column!
#84363 | Author: millhouse | Date: Aug 25 2005
What about Hops at Briarwood and I-55?
#84364 | Author: This user is on probation for trolling. | Date: Aug 26 2005
Hops has been gone for a while now. Seems like it’s been around a year or so since it closed, but I couldn’t swear to that. I hated for it to close simply b/c they had different beer than you could get around town. I don’t remember ever being totally blown away by them of their food, but it was a nice enough place. I never heard a reason for their closure. I only went there a couple of times and never saw anybody messing with their brewing equipment and still wonder if they actually brewed on site or not….
#84365 | Author: millhouse | Date: Aug 26 2005
Kirin Ichiban has been my favorite beer for about 10 years now.
#84366 | Author: Jocelyn | Date: Aug 30 2005
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