I remember Pearl from college. Cheap and affordable. We would alternate between Pearl/Busch/Natural Light (whatever was on sale). Now, back home in the panhandle, I was younger and didn't drink, but I know the $6/case beer was Schaeffer. That was known as the beer to drink during wheat harvest in July. Another thing we had to contend with in the panhandle were the dry counties. Our county bordered Oklahoma and the closest beer buying place was situated right across the state line. Oklahoma had 3.2 beer and Texas had 6 point. The % alcohol didn't work out exactly as 3.2% vs 6%, but nonetheless, Texas beer was stronger, but not readily attainable in our remote neck of the woods. Believe it or not, it was kind of "show offy" or a big deal when somebody brought back some 6 point from whatever wet county they could get it (I think Amarillo was the closest and that was more than 2 hours away, which would be Potter County).