College football tailgating offers a chance for fans to hang out all day long and enjoy chatting about their favorite team. Many tailgaters consume alcohol on designated campus spots where otherwise alcohol isn't allowed. Beer is the drink of choice for tailgaters on gameday.
Bring any one of these 10 brews to fit right in on any given Saturday:
1) Natural Light: Natural Light is cheap. For anyone short on budget but long on partying, Nat Light is a tailgater's best friend. It worked when I was a senior. The taste may not be the best in the world, but for college students or recent graduates who don't want to spend a lot of money while having a good time, Natural Light is the way to go.
2) Budweiser: Nothing is more American than Budweiser beer. Anheuser-Busch owns tons of brands of beer, including Nat Light. Budweiser is always welcome at tailgating events. The motto is "the great American lager." College football, tailgating and Budweiser are about as American as it gets on a Saturday afternoon.
3) Coors: In southwest Missouri, Coors sponsors many football-related events before, during and after the game. Plus, Coors serves as an inexpensive alternative to Anheuser-Busch beer brands. Hopefully, the quarterback throws as many bullet passes to open receivers as fans down "silver bullet" beer on gameday.
4) Miller: "It's Miller Time" has become a motto for relaxing after a big win. My buddies in college would live by this motto after finals week was complete. Miller is also a decent beer. The great thing about cheaper beer is there are many name brands from which to choose. Miller, Coors and Budweiser are the triumvirate of cheap alcohol in America.
5) Michelob: Michelob is a more expensive brand for Anheuser-Busch. My father drinks this for his weekly beer relaxing on a Saturday. There are several varieties of Michelob that take any tailgate party to a higher level with the unique brown bottles.
6) Rolling Rock: I consider Rolling Rock to be a higher-class form of the triumvirate of beers without appearing too snobbish. Plus, it tastes good and doesn't have nasty a aftertaste of inexpensive brews. Rolling Rock is perfect for tailgaters who have a little extra money on their hands and want a good-tasting beer.
7) Heineken: Having an import beer may be a bit un-American for college football. However, Heineken was my favorite when I wanted to drink something that wasn't "close to water," as the joke goes. Heineken is a lot like Rolling Rock in flavor, but is generally more expensive.
8) Sam Adams: Sam Adams is an award-winning beer from the state that helped invent American college football. When many colleges started altering rugby rules in Massachusetts, American football was born out of Ivy League schools in the Northeast. For tailgaters who want to celebrate American traditions, Sam Adams is the way to go.
9) Guinness: Guinness is an acquired taste. Yet everyone who drinks beer knows what the brand is whether he chooses to imbibe the stout beer or not. Having Guinness at a tailgate party will get the host noticed for sure.
10) Corona: Now that Anheuser-Busch owns Corona, look for the famous Mexican beer to become even more popular in America. Tailgating with Corona brings the spring break-type atmosphere to a fall tradition.
William Browning is a lifelong Missouri resident originally from St. Louis. He attended the University of Missouri in the late 1980s and is a fan of all Mizzou Tigers sports. He currently resides in Branson.
