The most important part of the boilermaker?

[KissMyPabst]

Would that be the beer or the whiskey? That is, are you better off with a better quality beer and a cheap whiskey or a top shelf whiskey and a cheap beer? Ideally, for me and Wingman at least, it would be a shot of beam and a pbr, but if you have to choose only one quality ingredient, do you go with the better beer or whiskey?

[John Barleycorn]

The alcohol.

[John Barleycorn]

Ok, upon actually reading, I'm stumped. I think part of the magic of the boiler maker is that it takes shitty whiskey and shitty beer and makes them come out good. It is quite literally greater than the sum of its parts. Where I'm from, the traditional drink is the Imp and Iron, or Imp n' Ahrn. Imperial blended whiskey is nothing special, but it is $7.99 per fifth, while Iron City beer is also not particularly special (although I've always had a soft spot for it on tap). But you go to the bar and order a few of those and whoooo boy, something special is happening. To upgrade to quality ingredients seems to challenge the essence of the boilermaker. Good whisky is sipping whiskey. Upgrade it enough and you end up with the traditional British custom of a glass of whisky and a pint (or half pint) of beer. If I'm drinking Buffalo Trace, I'm sipping and not shooting, and if I'm drinking good beer I'm also sipping instead of the guzzle that a boilermaker implies.

[KissMyPabst]

I hear ya, and agree to an extent. If you've got real quality stuff, of course you're gonna sip/savor it, no doubt. But as the "drunkard' amongst my crew's mere "drinkers," I was just wondering if you're better off with, i don't know, let's say a shot of beam with a keystone back, or a shot of barton's with a stella back. Price aside, common sense says go with the better beer because you'll be drinking that longer. But I'm all about whiskey, so I'm stumped haha.

Would love a beam and pbr right now though...

[Judge]

Much like a CarBomb, I alway quaff that fucker straight on down, just like a Jimmy and Guinney. Taste rarely comes into it. But I may do it wrong.

[JimLahey]

If you are going for boilermakers to begin with then I say "who cares". And if you are drinking boilermakers why not just put the whiskey on ice and down it real quick to get drunk? I have never encountered people who drink boilermakers for the taste, know what I mean?

[Resident Asshole]

Personally I think better whiskey is more important, only because shitty whiskey = shitty hangover.

[DeeboCools]

I agree with Barleycorn about the "better than the sum of it's parts" point. Drinking old crow, pretty okay. Drinking [insert the local cheapest beer], not bad. Old crow and cheap beer? Total fucking magic.

[Wingman]

as thirsty got banned, i'll repeat something he learned from an old alkie he knew: start the night with a beer. when it gets half full, fill with whiskey. every time it gets half full, fill with beer until you can't taste the wiskey. then, the next time it gets half full, fill with whiskey. continue until desired result reached.

or some shit like that.

[Jiggers McCoy]

The cost. Just tastes better when it's $5 or less.

[peetie44]

as thirsty got banned, i'll repeat something he learned from an old alkie he knew: start the night with a beer. when it gets half full, fill with whiskey. every time it gets half full, fill with beer until you can't taste the wiskey. then, the next time it gets half full, fill with whiskey. continue until desired result reached.

or some shit like that.

Thirsty always said the most important part of any boilermaker was it's chug-ability.

That, and how far you can throw the empties and still blame it on others.

I sure miss Thirsty.

[kowalski]

I'm pretty sure Thirsty is just awol, not banned. He can throw the empties pretty far...

[Smatter Noguts]

The cost. Just tastes better when it's $5 or less.

I'm with this; around this part of the world a boilermaker is a shot glass of whiskey dropped into a mug of beer and chugged, a cheap blue-collar after-work firecracker.

[KissMyPabst]

Haha, I hear y'all. And i'm not too proud to explain my original intent. Here, in a bar, a boilermaker is a straight shot o whiskey chased with a beer. When i'm home, it's very clearly a large swig of bourbon on the rocks with a beer back. So I guess what I was wondering (not positive though because i was wasted when i first posted) is if you're enjoying a shot of whiskey and a beer, would you rather have a decent whiskey and a cheap beer, or a cheap whiskey and a decent beer? Does that make more sense?

[JimLahey]

Haha, I hear y'all. And i'm not too proud to explain my original intent. Here, in a bar, a boilermaker is a straight shot o whiskey chased with a beer. When i'm home, it's very clearly a large swig of bourbon on the rocks with a beer back. So I guess what I was wondering (not positive though because i was wasted when i first posted) is if you're enjoying a shot of whiskey and a beer, would you rather have a decent whiskey and a cheap beer, or a cheap whiskey and a decent beer? Does that make more sense?

I would definitely prefer the cheap whiskey and decent beer.