I just got back from a favorite river that runs through national forest land. I had been there a week earlier and had to bypass one section because a bunch of guys had set up a tent city right on the river, something not permitted in this area. I noticed smoke from several campfires at that time, even though it was mid day.

When I returned this weekend, I passed by the site on my way down river and was shocked at the devastation. In addition to a large amount of trash in the fire scars, a number of live trees had been senselessly hacked with an axe.



As I stared in shocked dismay, I noticed that the jokers had left their calling card on a felled tree.



It suddenly dawned on me that most of the beer cans I have hauled out of the backcountry have been light beer.



Bud Light- The king of beer for a-holes that litter



Busch Light- Head for the mountains, and leave your trash there...
I found an entire case in this firepit.

To their credit, I believe that Anheiser-Busch is aware of the propensities of it's drinkers. This is why at the end of their commercials, they always advise, "enjoy responsibly". In other words, if you are an axe-wielding maniac, don't desecrate a national forest while downing a case of their beer.

I got to wondering about why these jerks always drink light beer. I mean, if you don't give a d@mn about anyone or anything, do you really worry about those extra calories?
I have come up with two theories: (1)This beer choice is just a reflection of their bad taste in general. (2) For these clowns, every minute of their "backcountry experience" that they are not hacking things up or burning things down is spent with a beer in hand. The only way to maintain this constant state of inebriation without passing out is to choose a beer with very watery characteristics.

What are your thoughts?

Disclaimer: I'm not looking to start a flame war with light beer drinkers. If you are a somewhat environmentally conscious and nice person who drinks light beer because you are watching your weight, I've got no problems with you. I would counsel you though that Guinness has only 125 calories per 12 oz. I was just venting about a sad backcountry experience.

> something not permitted in this area

Curious if you had informed a ranger. That may have put an end to their revelry and subsequent destruction.

Hi Michael,
This was already a heavily impacted area, showing much evidence of previous camping. As such, I hadn't thought much of it at the time other than mild annoyance. In retrospect, I feel pretty bad about it. Years ago, this area used to be patrolled and violators ticketed. Sadly, the Michigan economy has led to loss of funding for these activities. These days, no rangers nearby (except on holiday weekends) and no cell phone service in this area.

I feel your frustration, Ike. Funny enough it seems like most of the discarded beer cans I pick up along the way are Bud Light and Busch light as well (well and lots of Keystone light too). I think its do to the fact that its just what a lot of people drink. Its sad that enough people just aren't aware of what they do in life and that carries over to the outdoors we love. Sometimes people don't realize the impact of their actions and as a result don't take the responsibility for them.

It's supposedly healthier to inhale with that Giant-Size bag of Doritos. People can down them quicker too.

That is infuriating Ike.

With increased budget cuts for our wild places, scenes like this will and are becoming more common, unfortunately our country is growing more detached and disconnected with the natural world, behavior like that is par for the course. I'm going to have to leave my comments at that, my love of quality craft brew is too great, and my anger towards littering runs deep, I'm likely offend someone or make an a$% out of myself.

deleted

Edited by rOg_w on 05/28/2012 14:48:51 MDT.

Just have a problem with Americana lol ;)!!

No for real this is why in in general i cant stand 99.9% of the general population. This is also a big part of the reason i try and spend as much time as i do as far from civilization as i can. I will run/climb/hike miles upon miles in all kinds of weather just to get a little piece of this beautiful world all to myself in hopes of it being untainted by meat Bud Light drinking, litter bug, tree destroying one way low lives!!!

In most cases i am in my truck but 10 minutes and i am already thinking "its really too bad i have to come outa the woods at all"!!!

last I checked, Bud Light had the worlds number 2 advertising campaign (second to heineken).

Bud Light is just a reflection of constant advertising bombardment (brainwashing) and it is - as a result - the best selling beer in the United States.

One of the funny things is that yes, their choice of beer is def. a reflection of their bad taste and ignorance of what beer is supposed to be (anything that isnt a bud light is a "dark" beer).

I have noticed this phenomenon of bud light cans for many, many years.

and the kicker? the ppl who drink this yellow fizz water actually turn up their noses to those who drink Pabst.. but, according to Rate Beer and BeerAdvocate, PBR comes in with scores of C and C+, whereas Bud Light gets a nice, fat D-, at double the price to boot!

advertising works. idiots follow. one look around tho, and you'll see about 1/3 of the beer aisle is craft brew. which actually means there are more varieties of craft brews than the big 3, which are only taking up a bunch of shelf space. this is a great revoution, americans waking up to great beer and most of all, SANS advertising. word of mouth is what sells Oskar Blues and Founders and Cigar City.

(btw, Ike, Guinness foreign extra stout is good stuff. had it?)

anyway, im not so disturbed by having to pick up an occasional can. as long as I dont spill my Hop Knot in the process :)

Edited by mikeinfhaz on 06/25/2011 12:27:20 MDT.

My favorite local wilderness area (a couple square miles with a fantastic gorge) has this past year seen a huge jump in visitations by the college student crowd. Light beer shows up, sure, but the real winner with these folks seems to be "beer 30." I had one the other night. Terrible, as expected (back to the rum!). My can, fortunately, was recycled.

I think it's great that more people are getting out and enjoying the wild places around here. But I really wish they'd clean up after themselves. Now that I don't really have much use for my 40L backpack (thanks BPL!) I'm thinking of taking it up there and loading it up with whatever trash I find. Might even be able to cash in on some returnables, which could be worthwhile on my budget.

Some of the worse jerks I've met drink regular Bud. Some of the nicest people I've met drink regular Bud.

I bet jerks drink every brand of beer. No correlation. Maybe most of the uneducated or inconsiderate people who go into our natural resources are easily swayed by advertising or can only afford the beer on sale?

I have found most brands on the ground.

Because they're Philistines. If your palate is so crude that you'll drink a light beer, then you probably don't appreciate the difference between pristine wilderness and pristine wilderness plus beer can.

Edited by dsmontgomery on 06/25/2011 11:11:26 MDT.

Most light beer drinkers aren't a-holes, but most a-holes drink light beer. It is a matter of bad taste, certainly. And I don't mean that in a snobby, "if they were decent people they'd be drinking X beer" way. What I mean is, if they can't appreciate a frickin national forest, you can bet they're not making considered choices about what they're drinking. That in turn means they're going to be drinking what's marketed to them without scrutiny. And, as has been noted, Bud Lite is the King of Advertised Beers.

cause all the yuppie azzzholes drink craft beer ....

stereotyping what beer azzzholes drink is .... well ....

;)

yuppies drink heineken, hispters drink pbr, rednecks drink bud lite, college students drink beast or natty lite, geeks drink craft beer, ecogeeks drink local beer, and hardcore geeks drink beer they imported illegally from denmark (or from socal, if you live in denmark).

as long as we're stereotyping...:p

seriously, though. whether one is into craft beer or not, it's demonstrably true that lite macros are, as a group, the worst tasting beers available. it's not stereotyping to point that out. nor is it stereotyping to point out the overlap between people who drink light beer and people who can't seem to go camping without mutilating trees. when i find a empty Russian River bottle in the ashes of a campfire i will revisit my opinion.

im am then, both a eco-geek and an AZhole.
drinking a local Chandler brewed IPA, "Hopshock" as we speak :)

and, i used to drink bud light until i was around 25. i thought bud light was a great step up from the cheaper old milwaukee and keystone of high school and college days.
still yet, i never threw one on the ground. "this here beer can is too heavy to pack out, now that it's empty" sheesh..

here we have a forum full of differences, however minor, but i have trust that most here - if not all, have a special kind of expectation. this can be seen simply by noting that they are members of BPL. the kind of person who wants to live a better life. traditional is not cool anymore for most of us. and, we have choices. choosing ul gear or craft beer is surely, in my opinion, the sign of an intelligence that strives for getting the best you can get. after all, you only live once. get busy.

Edited by mikeinfhaz on 06/25/2011 12:45:12 MDT.

Ironic that something "light" is shown so much disdain here.....

All seriousness aside, I've noticed a lot of the "energy drink" cans showing up (along with a lot of "ice" varieties of all kinds of cheap beer)lately as well.

Litter of any kind is really inexcuseable regardless of the brand or whether it is in the back country or a city street.

"Because they're Philistines."

Come on, why do you have to stereotype like that?!? Some of the Philistines were probably nice people. Don't be so mean-spirited and narrow-minded.

I apologize if my post caused any bad feelings. Guess I was just angry and tried to make lite of it.

Anyway, I thought the yuppies drank bud lite when they wanted to feel like they were one of the "people". Or is that the poseurs?

"Come on, why do you have to stereotype like that?!? Some of the Philistines were probably nice people. Don't be so mean-spirited and narrow-minded."

I meant in the sense of someone who doesn't appreciate culture or beauty. I just really don't like light beer. :)