east village idiot

Fuzzy Math

May 22, 2007 – 5:48 am

I do math when I’m working. I drink beer when I’m not working. Sometimes, the two worlds even collide: I often do math when I’m not working, and occasionally, I drink a beer on the job. But you didn’t hear that from me… I wouldn’t want my friends knowing that I do math in my head while I’m sitting outside a bar much like this one:

Okay, let’s do some simple math here. This is a happy hour special at a bar near my apartment. It doesn’t seem like a bad deal, right? But where do your eyes go? Right to the “Bucket-O-Bud!” What a great idea! I can split a bucket with my friends and we will all be happy drunken fools.

Fools, indeed.

This is a pretty common set of deals for a New York bar, especially during the summer. But let’s break it down. There are 12 ounces of beer in a bottle of Bud Light. That means a “Bucket-O-Bud” nets you 60 ounces for 20 dollars. That’s 33 cents an ounce.

A draft beer is commonly served in a 16 or 20-ounce glass. In this bar’s case, it’s a full 20 ounces. Three Bud Light drafts will cost you $10.50… and get you 60 ounces of beer, at 18 cents an ounce. In fact, for $1 more than the “Bucket-O-Bud,” you can get twice as much beer.

I’m not being a cheapskate. I’m just saying that if you’re drinking Bud Light to begin with, you’re either looking to save a few bucks, or you’re looking to get drunk. And to those of you who think that comparing a draft beer to a bottled beer is an apples-to-oranges comparison, get serious. It’s Bud Light - you’re certainly not drinking it for the taste. Whether it’s in a bottle or a glass, it still tastes like shit.