As for beer, I think it's a fine thing overall, much better than when I was in college. The taste can be quite interesting, and it's "cheap" in a relative sense. There are plenty of variants for different situations. If I could only buy Sam Adams and Sweetwater 420, I'd be content.
When in Cincy, I wanted some beer for the motel room and bought a 12 pack of Model;o Dark which was "OK", sort of, the store had NO SA at all. Thought I'd try it. I stopped at a Shell station that looked like it would have a decent selection, they had an entire cold room with beer, but nothing all that good.
My daughter is coming next week for a conference here and staying with us, we'll probably go up to Sweetwater if the weather is nice.