golfkat Travel Blog

Having a beer and a hot dog at a baseball game is one of the great American traditions. The beer is almost always overpriced.  It never tastes like bottled beer unless they pour it from a bottle, like at Yankee Stadium in New York last week.  Most of the time, it tastes like watered down, stale, cheap beer.
 
In days gone by, beer companies were one of the major sponsors of baseball, both at the ballpark and on television.  The St. Louis Cardinals were owned by the Busch Family that owns Anheuser Busch.  The Saturday Game of the Week was presented by Falstaff Beer.  And the Colorado Rockies play in a new stadium in Denver called Coors Field.  And the team from Milwaukee calls themselves the Brewers.  At one time, the team from Houston called themselves the Colt 45s, perhaps the gun rather than the beer.
 
 A cool one!
 
As far as calling the beer sales a scam, take a look at San Diego.  It costs $8.50 for a beer, for one of three domestic draft brands, Miller Lite, Miller Genuine Draft, and Budweiser Select.  They only contain 3.2 percent alcohol by weight.  In a bar, most beer will have an alcohol content of 4%, while light beers run 3.4%.  Of course, San Diego Padre management says it is part of their “beer management plan” to keep patrons from overindulging.  I say it is part of a plan to maximize profits at the expense of loyal baseball fans.
 
In reality, 3.2 beer goes way back to the days of Prohibition.  Before 1933, Congress allowed for 3.2 beer in an attempt to jump-start the economy.  Can you imagine baseball back then without a beer?  Even after repeal, six states, Colorado, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Utah, continue to have 3.2 beer.  So, for me, that means avoiding Twins, Rockies, Royals, and Cardinals baseball games.
 
But beware the baseball beer scam.  Someone did some beer research, lucky guy, at Dodger Stadium recently.  These were his findings, assuming he did not drink all the evidence.
 

Ballpark Beer Chart

Size	Price	Volume in Cups	Volume in Ounces
Small	$6	2 1/4 cups	18 ounces
Regular	$8	2 1/2 cups	20 ounces
Large	$10	3 1/4 cups	26 ounces

 
Nationwide, the average per capita beer consumption is 30.6 gallons for the population age 21 and older.  If you eliminate people who do not drink, minors, recovering alcoholics, and me, that consumption level is truly remarkable.  In California, it is slightly lower at 26.4 gallons, perhaps because of our great wines.
 
Of course, we do not even come close to other countries in terms of beer consumption.  Numero uno is, of course, Ireland at 155 liters.  Second is Germany, and third is Austria.  I would have placed Arkansas or Alabama first or second, ahead of an entire country of drunks!  Actually, the US is ranked at #8.  I am sure ballpark beer is a good part of that.  Per capita drinking of alcohol in the US is highest in Alaska and Maine, where the incidence of alcoholism and mental illness is the highest!
 
A recent study of beer consumption at two major league baseball games reveals 41% of patrons tested positive for alcohol.  The highest consumption was in the 20 to 35-year-old cohort.  10.8% of this group had blood alcohol levels above 0.08%, the legal limit. 
 
For myself, I see drinking beer at the game very expensive.  It also increases the need for extra runs to the little boys room.  I see no advantage to drinking a large amount of beer, unless the beer vendor is very attractive.
 
I have yet to find them!!!!!
 
 
 
I rest my case (of beer).