PBR is a part of our beer culture in Philadelphia whether we like it or not. As the king of Cheap Shit To Chug, it has no equal. But a fucked up thing happened along the way. PBR became trendy, shedding the irony and going into full-on fanboyism. Surrounded by amazing microbreweries, the straw colored swill with a horrible taste has made an impact on an otherwise discerning food and drink community. We admit, we went through our PBR phase. We put it on breakfast cereal.

But we found something new, something old. Something brought back from 1976. Reading Premium Beer. Brewed by the brilliant folks at Legacy Brewing in Reading, Pa., they thought it was time PBR had some competition. They make flavorful and stunning microbrews, but Reading ain’t that. It’s a macrobrew with more flavor than your generics at the same price point. You might spend an extra fittycent per mug, but for the love of all things holy, do it.

A session beer to the max, it finishes clean and sweet with a frothy head and vibrant flavor. Make no mistake though, it’s not a microbrew. You’re not finding hoppiness, big sprawling finish, or any real complexity. But for $2 a pull, it can’t be beat. We can’t say enough good things about it.

It’s making a name for itself in the city at some of our favorite watering holes: Johnny Brenda’s, Standard Tap, Sidecar, Devil’s Alley, North Bowl, and shockingly enough Le Virtu. We found it at ZOT last week, so there’s something cooking with these mofo’s. You can find cans of cases and bottles at Bella Vista Beer and Bell Beverage, as well as a few other spots around town.

The can design is from 1969 (they kept all the original art in tact, and it’s fucking AWESOME) and only slightly touched the recipe to eliminate excessive bitterness. Brewmaster Scott Baver worries about people expecting high flavor, high quality brewing. ‘If you see this stuff sold for $5 a glass, move on. This is priced to drink in a recession. Appreciate it for what it is, and you’ll love it. We’re going after bowling alleys and fire companies.’ , says Baver. Cheap bowling alley beer sounds just about right, right now.