My freshman year at Virginia Tech (1998), you could get 2 40s of OE AND a pack of Marlboros for $5, and still get a few pennies back. Then Michael Vick had to put us on the map and it shot up to $5.25. That being said, the last 40 I bought was High Life, and that had to have been at least 15 years ago. It'd be the only 40 I would consider now. I'd pour it into this glass (I have 2):
Probably Mickey's or one of the normal non-light macros. Crazy Horse used to also be passable (minimal off flavors), but I don't think that's been around for a minute. If you're looking for bang for your buck and want something high octane, you might be better off getting one of those big ass Voodoo Ranger DIPA cans.
Miller is probably the “best” 40oz. I used to like local Haffenreffer too before I got into craft beer. The 22oz Guinness Extra Stout is actually what really got me into beer.
Edward 40 Hands! Did this a couple of times in college. Never ended well. It was a good enough time in the moment....but the night never ended well.
I've literally never been "in the mood" for a 40. Don't get me wrong - that's not to say I didn't drink a few in college. But even then.....
I do not think gas stations sell 40oz bottles (I have not looked). So I'm going for the best value stovepipe priced at $2.99 which would be between Lagunitas IPA and Little Sumpin' Sumpin', whichever one is freshest. And this time I can pick up something to snack on, if not chips then some cheap roasted peanuts.
Yeah, that'd be my choice, too (it had a definite "family resemblances" to the Ballantine, Croft and Pickwick ales then (1970s) coming out of the Narragansett brewery in RI). But can't say I bought a lot of it in a 40 oz. bottle, much preferred the 16 oz. "Mod" style bottles.
The last 40+ package I bought was in about 1978, mostly for the plastic foam (insulating??) label. It was a half gallon jug of Canadian Ace from Eastern Brewing of Hammonton, NJ. It tasted about as expected, or even a bit worse. The label was famous for being a post-prohibition product of the Capone group owned Manhattan Brewery. Eastern also owned (but wasn't using in the late 70s) the Linden label. Linden had been the only post-prohibition brewery on Long Island east of NYC. The building is still in use in Lindenhurst on Montauk Highway.
My wife was shooed off a bar stool by a bartender one afternoon in the late 70s in Greenpoint, Queens, NY.
There are far too many folks in this thread that don't understand the question. It's not "What large format beer under $5 would you prefer to purchase?" The question is "If you're going to buy a 40, what 40 would it be?" This is really eye-opening. Now I understand why media literacy is so horrible. Also, my answer to "What large format beer under $5 would you prefer to purchase?" would be Hop Stoopid. If we're just making up stuff, I want the most affordable bomber of good DIPA of the late '00s.
