The best canned Micheladas will transport you to a beach in Mexico even if you’re sitting at your desk on a Tuesday afternoon taste testing a bunch of canned Micheladas out of little paper cups. Don’t get me wrong: I know it’s cool that my job involves drinking Micheladas at my desk on a Tuesday afternoon, but this taste test made me YEARN for a beach vacation in a way that felt physically painful.
How we chose canned Micheladas for our taste test
For each of our two canned Michelada taste tests, we sourced every canned Michelada we could find. Hey, they’re cheap and easy to find, so why not just go for it? In total, we tried around 15 canned Micheladas, including Budweiser and Bud Light Cheladas, Modelo Micheladas, Estrella Jalisco Micheladas, and Dos Equis Micheladas.
What we looked for in the best canned Micheladas
First of all, if you’re not familiar, a Michelada is technically a drink made with beer, lime juice, and various sauces, like hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and/or chamoy. Most of the time, though, they involve tomato juice. When you go to a restaurant and order a Michelada here in the U.S., you’re expecting beer and spicy tomato juice, right? Well, we leaned into the vernacular definition—we wanted tasty, savory, umami, and tomatoey canned Micheladas. That said, if the Michelada or Chelada (some of these are called Cheladas) was fruit flavored rather than tomatoey, we simply wanted that fruit flavor to be fresh and authentic tasting. For the most part, I would not recommend any fruit-flavored canned Micheladas besides the lime-y ones.
In the end, the best Michelada in a can was the same in our two taste tests. But there’s a lot of good stuff on this list. Here are the best canned Micheladas for your next beach vacation or mundane Tuesday afternoon.
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- Modelo Chelada Limon Y Sal
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Let’s be real: This tastes like beer. If you’re looking for the best canned Michelada for beer lovers, this is your guy. Personally, I don’t really like drinking beer, but I thought this was delicious. The lime and salt really take it to the next level and make it special. This would be absolutely fantastic with al pastor tacos topped with cilantro and raw onion or a big bowl of ceviche. —Jordan Myrick
Credit: Merc / Total Wine
- Budweiser Chelada Picante with Clamato
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If you’re like me and you want a Michelada with an actual kick of heat, this Budweiser Chelada with Clamato is the best canned Michelada to snag. It’s actually spicy! Plus, the Clamato (tomato juice mixed with clam juice, if you’re familiar) adds a great salty, umami flavor without being fishy at all. This is like salsa and gazpacho and your favorite beer all rolled into one. That might sound weird, but it’s delicious, we promise. —Jordan Myrick
Credit: Merc / Instacart
- Estrella Jalisco Tropical Chamoy Michelada with Clamato
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Micheladas with tomato and sweet fruit have never really made sense to me. This Estralla Jalisco canned Michelada changed my mind, though. You get fruitiness from the chamoy—which is made with plums and tastes like yummy dried stone fruit—without getting too much sweetness. It pairs perfectly with the salty, tangy Clamato. I always love a product that can change my mind and Estrella Jalisco definitely did that. This is the best canned Michelada if you like ’em fruity. —Jordan Myrick
Credit: Merc / Liquor City
- Modelo Negra Con Chile
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This was the only Michelada in the bunch that was made with an amber lager rather than a light or regular pilsner-style lager, and it really tastes great. The color is much deeper and the flavor is, too. It’s rich and a little smoky, kind of like there’s chipotles in the mix. Modelo makes a lot of really off the wall fruit-flavored canned Micheladas that might be splashier, but in my opinion, this is the best Modelo Michelada by a mile. —Gwynedd Stuart
Credit: Merc / Albertsons
- Sol Chelada
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I want a canned Michelada that has a strong tomato flavor. I know that’s not for everyone, but it is for me! If it’s not tomato-forward, what’s the point? This Sol Chelada Michelada has a wonderful fresh tomato flavor that was unparalleled in our taste test. If you’re more into tomato juice than beer but are still trying to party, this is the option for you—and it’s easily one of the best canned Chelada brands we tried. —Jordan Myrick
Credit: Merc / Total Wine
- Bud Light Extra Lime Chelada with Clamato
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Bud Light’s Extra Lime Chelada with Clamato is for flavor lovers. It punches you in the face with citrusy, salty, lightly clammy (and I mean that in a good way) flavor. This is so flavorful that it almost tastes like soup (once again, I meant that in a good way). This drink will absolutely not be for everyone, but it is one of the best canned Michelada brands for me. —Jordan Myrick
Credit: Merc / Instacart
- Dos Equis Original Michelada
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This is not just the best canned Michelada, it’s the best canned cocktail I’ve ever had. This canned Michelada is an absolute umami bomb. It tastes like it’s made with freshly squeezed tomato juice. It’s tart, sour, a little bit sweet, and a touch salty. It has the perfect amount of carbonation. I have literally zero notes. We tasted this again during our second taste test, and it still holds up. It’s perfect. —Jordan Myrick
Credit: Merc / Instacart
Best for Beer Lovers
Best Spicy
Best Fruity
Best Dark
Best for Tomato Fans
Best Citrus
Best of the Best
Other canned Micheladas we tried: Estrella Jalisco Mango Michelada Beer, Modelo Chelada, Bud Light Chelada with Tajin, Budweiser Chelada with Clamato, Modelo Chelada Sandia Picante, Modelo Chelada Fresa Picante, Modelo Chelada Mango y Chile, Modelo Chelada Naranja Picosa
