A Pint Half Full

First, I just want to say that I still hold by my opinion that American light beers (Coors Light, Miller Lite, Bud Light et al.) are weak, flavorless, and are a detriment to the beer landscape.  They reduce the appreciation of better quality beers with richer flavors brewed with creativity.  Due to the mass production and cheap-ness of it however, it is impossible to escape these choices when out and sometimes they are your only choice.  Case in point - my friday night at BBQ Chicken and Beer (BBQ = Best of the Best Quality, really).

My friend, JC, mentioned this place to me as the relatively small franchise just opened up a place in Centreville, VA.  They serve fried chicken deep-fried in olive oil, which makes it healthy.  The chicken itself is delicious and the crispy outside is not as greasy as one would expect and less salty that what you'd get at Popeye's or KFC so that the chicken flavor is unmasked.  My friends and I ordered their original olive chicken, bb wings (sauceless buffalo), and teri-gold (teriyaki garlic).  The flavors were all really tasty, our favorite being the original olive chicken.  The meat was juicy and tender and the meat was lean.  We will definitely be going back.


Being their grand opening, they were offering 99 cent Coors Light, Miller Lite and Bud Light.  ARGH what do I do??  Re-neg on my boycott of light beer, get a $4 Guinness (which they had on tap), or get a water?  I WAS there to eat fried chicken, not necessarily drink beer; I wanted something light to complement the chicken and at 99 cents, it was hard to pass up the deal.

I ended up going with Coors Light.  It was served in icy mugs which masked all flavor of the beer.  However, it did a fine job of staying out of the way and zapping any grease residue left in my mouth after each bite of chicken.  In conclusion, I still think these light beers are a waste of time and only good when the purpose isn't really to drink and enjoy beer.  They are more like you are ordering a Coke or iced tea to accompany your meal.  The chicken definitely remained front and center that night.