Cultural differences or just bad taste?

The most popular beer in the US is light beer. Bud light, Miller light, Keystone light, whatever. I am surprised by this to say the least. US has their own quality beer too, I've had plenty. But for some reason it's not popular.

My guess always was that it's because it's just people feel it's responsible to drink "light" for the same reasons they drink Coke Light or Diet Pepsi. But now I'm having doubts:


I saw this beer being advertising on a billboard next to some highway. They advertised this by "only 99 calories!". This is appalling. It's like people don't get what beer is. It's the same as advertising a book by saying "only 99 pages!" or "this book has plastic pages!" - totally missing the point what the books are about.

My understanding is that people here start drinking light beer when they're in college - because it's cheaper than any other kind of beer. And then they get used to it. And then they think that's what beer is and continue buying it. We need a cultural revolution. Some company that makes quality beer should develop a cheap, yet quality beer targeting students and teach them what a beer really is.

Budweiser light even says that they are the world's no.1 ranked beer in the world beer championships. I couldn't believe it at first, but then I saw that in the small print it said "in the American light beer category". Of course. No good beer competes in that category, so winner or not, that doesn't mean anything. Light beer is just wrong.