Beer and Baseball: The Devil is in the Details

As is my wont on a 40º, overcast, and raw spring afternoon, I was surfing for "suds news" when I ran across this story on NJ.com. 

The information herein will never impact me, as I am not devoteé of the National Pastime, unless either the Yanks or the Mets are in the Series. 

And even if they are, I would not attend, as I find it much more convenient to watch from home, sit in my favorite easy chair, have a quality craft beer or two (without paying usurious rates) and being able to access the loo without a queue.

But while the article above tells you at which MLB stadia you will pay the most and least for your beer, it leaves out a very crucial piece of information.

It gives prices, and sometimes amounts, but doesn't identify any beer. 

While I might be relieved to learn that a beer costs just $4.00 at Cleveland and Arizona stadiums, it doesn't say which beer. There are some beers that would be colossal bargains and great values at that price. And there are other beers that, in my view, are priced $3.50 too high.

Knowing that the Yankees and the Mets are "in the middle of the pack" (with $6.00 and $5.75 being the cost according to this article), or that the Phillies, Red Sox and Cubs are at the top end, provides insufficient information without naming which beers are available for those prices.

While The PubScout will frequently make suggestions as to what you might want to try, this column never tells you what you should like or should drink. Your beer is your choice. That's the way it is with beer. And if you want to spend $7.75 for a bland tasteless yellow lager at the ball park, that's your wallet, your palate and your call. I, however, will not.

Last Game at The Vet

But I do recall a brutally hot summer day in Philadelphia years back. My buddy and I got free tickets at The Vet to see the Phils and the Expos. The on-field temperature that day was 130º, and we were sitting in the "sun-field." The seat next to me was vacant, but it belonged to Satan, who had moved back under the shaded overhang. Water was evaporating from our bodies at an astounding rate and required frequent replacement.

When the beer hawker came by, he was selling bottles of Coors Light for $4.00. Bottles of Poland Spring were $3.50.
Apart from the message that price structure sends, which was the better buy?

We left after the third inning and repaired to the Monk's Cafe, where we ordered up Lucifer in tribute to the guy who gave us the seats.

 I doubt that any stadium in the US has Lucifer on tap. But it would be worth $7.75 for 21 ounces. Just be sure to have a buddy to lean on after you're done.

Cheers!
The PubScout