Credit: Liv Averett / Instacart / Total Wine / Walmart
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Cheap beer isn’t necessarily bad beer—not anymore. Here’s my theory (as someone who has never once taken an economics class and tastes food for a living): So many small breweries have popped up across the country that now the big beer companies have been forced to offer cheaper prices pretty much across the board in order to compete. Sometimes capitalism is good, I guess?
But, out of the cheap beers that are out there, what are the best cheap beers? I combed through our many beer taste tests and did some extra research (i.e. beer drinking) to cherrypick all the good cheap beer you can buy.
How do you define cheap beer?
Okay, so we’re talking about the best cheap beer, but what do we mean when we say “cheap?” For this piece, I defined it as beer that costs less than $2 a bottle or can. There are some options on this list that are cheaper than that, though. I’ll call out the prices. I got you.
What do you mean best cheap beer?
You’ll find beers of all types on this list—brown ales, sour ales, light beers, stouts. We looked for the cheapest, best version of each type of beer. Simple as that. Have a specific category we didn’t cover that you’d like to see on here? Shout it out in the comments.
Check out this list of the best cheap beer. I hope your wallet rests a little easier at night because of it.
This is malty, rich, classic beer. It’s the best cheap beer to buy if you’re looking for a standard, stereotypical “beer.” It’s also a great pick if you don’t want too much hoppy flavor. Fat Tire goes down easy and doesn’t leave you with an aftertaste. It almost tastes almost like a brewski you would get in a British pub. If you haven’t had Fat Tire Ale in a while, it’s time to revisit it.
Hazy IPAs have been steadily gaining in popularity over the past few years. They started in craft breweries and now heavy hitters are getting in on the chewy, hoppy fun. While Sierra Nevada’s Hazy Little Thing isn’t as good as anything you’re going to find from your local brewery, it is zippy and lemony and crisp. It’s lighter than a classic hazy IPA, but it also costs much less than a crowler from a local spot.
Newcastle is back, baby! According to this piece from beer journalist and expert Joshua M. Berstein, Newcastle is no longer being made in Chicago using a much disdained “revamped” recipe. Instead, it’s coming to the U.S. from England and it’s being made with the original recipe. I can attest that it tastes great. It’s easy drinking with low carbonation and a rich, twangy flavor that skews malty without tasting sweet. And it’s still affordable! This is the best tasting cheap beer for brown ale lovers.
Credit: Liv Averett / Total Wine
Rating:
9.5/10
Sporks
Best Cheap Fruity Beer
21st Amendment Brew Free or Die Blood Orange IPA ($10.48 6-pack)
Fruity beers aren’t for everyone, but if you’re a fruity beer fanatic who’s low on cash, this is the best tasting cheap beer to buy. It’s not too fruity. It’s not sweet. It simply tastes like a nice IPA mixed with some real blood orange juice—and maybe a little bit of rind, too, for some extra zesty flavor. It’s a great buy and a good cheap beer for summer day drinking. It’s also 7%, making it also some of the best cheap beer with a high ABV.
Guinness might not have taken the top spot in our ranking of the best stout beer, but it’s the best cheap stout beer you can buy. It tastes like coffee and cacao. It’s creamy (thanks to the widget in the bottle or can). And it’s shockingly gulpable—not too heavy at all.
Our number one best lager is also the best cheap lager. Red Stripe is so extremely drinkable. It’s a little bit sweet and wildly refreshing with tongue-tingling bubbles. And it’s a good cheap beer that comes in a really great bottle, too. You can’t deny how pleasing it is to hold that squat little guy.
I was surprised to find out that Bear Republic was one of the best cheap beer brands. But a 12-pack of Racer 5 comes in at $22 near me, which certainly qualifies. You’ll more than get your money’s worth. This IPA is complexly flavored—it’s not just grassy hops. You’ll get some spices and stone fruit in the mix. It’s a great sipper and the best cheap beer for IPA drinkers.
Gluten free beer can be pricey, but Redbridge can be purchased for a reasonable $10 for six bottles. Will you be getting the very best GF beer? No. But you will be getting one of the best gluten free beers. Made with sorghum instead of barley, it’s perfectly palatable. You’ll lessen the load on your guts as well as your bank account.
Most places near us sell this excellent non-alcoholic beer for just around the $12 mark—so it just qualifies as cheap beer. But a quick search shows that you can find it for less than $10 at Walmart as of this writing. So keep an eye out for deals. It’s malty and easy drinking. And it has this splash of lemonade flavor that really makes it downright gulpable while also hiding some of the telltale N/A flavors.
At the moment, Blue Moon is our number three pick for the best wheat beer. But when you factor in budget, it wins. (A 12-pack is currently selling for under $20 at Walmart.) A little sweet and very orange-y, this is one of the best cheap beers to buy when you’re just starting on your beer journey. Pour it into a tall glass, throw an orange wheel on the rim, and you’ll feel super fancy.
When you want dirt cheap beer that is also some of the best tasting cheap beer, head to Trader Joe’s. At less than $8 for a six-pack, this is the cheapest beer on our list of the best cheap beer brands. And it’s surprisingly quite good. It’s fresh and malty and great for drinking during a BBQ. It’s way better than PBR. And it’s stronger, too, at 6.2% abv. When you’re looking for the best cheap beer to stock a party, look no further than Trader Joe’s.
Stop buying Bud Light. Stop buying Coors Light. You can get a six-pack of Kona Light for $9 and it tastes so much better. It doesn’t just have flavor (unlike so many light beers), it’s straight-up tropical. It has notes of pineapple and a brightly hoppy backbone. It’s the best cheap light beer there is.
Hi! I’m the editor-in-chief of Sporked. I will never turn down a fresh-shucked oyster but I’ll also leap at whatever new product Reese’s releases and I love a Tostitos Hint of Lime, even if there is no actual lime in the ingredients.
Why you should trust me: I have been writing about food and beverages for well over a decade and am an avid at-home cook and snacker. I began my career writing about fine dining and recipes, moved into cocktails and spirits, and now I talk about groceries. If you can eat it or drink it, I’ve probably written about it.
What I buy every week: Trader Joe’s dried okra. Appleton Farms prosciutto from Aldi. Some sort of Trader Joe’s cheese (I’m into the aged gouda at the moment). Frozen waffles (usually the Eggo Cinnamon Toast Minis). Spindrift water (loving the Cosmopolitan right now).
Favorite ranking: Smoked salmon. Imagine me as Scrooge McDuck but instead of coins I’m diving into a vault of slippery smoked salmon slices. Pure joy. I also found some real steals in that taste test!
Least favorite ranking: Canned oysters. I had such high hopes for this but it quickly became a chore. The kitchen smelled like an uncleaned aquarium.
Thoughts? Questions? Complete disagreement? Leave a comment!
Justine Sterling
Gwynedd Stuart
Joe Rumrill
Thoughts? Questions? Complete disagreement? Leave a comment!