Favorite/Worst Cheap Beer?

[postalroger]

I like to keep some Yuengling Golden Ale on hand.
The worst is Butternuts Pork Slap Pale Ale. I bought a sixer and could only manage 1/2 a can before dumping it & the rest. I tried it on tap once and it was so bad, the bartender didn’t charge me for it.

 

[Broothru]

I also like Coors. Not available/much known in Germany, but I had a few in Britain. It's clean and had some very subtle nice stuff going on. I remember a hint of banana.

Agree that banana phenolic can be present, but I think it's a flaw in handling rather than a feature. Fifty to 60 years ago here in the States, Coors was not available east of the Kansas-Missouri state line due to (aledgedly) the fact that it wasn't filtered nor pasteurized. It was only distributed in refrigerated trucks and was only sold from refrigerated display cases.

From a recipe standpoint it has always used premium German malts and hops, or U.S. domestic cultivars supplemented with 6 row and corn, and fermented with an Andechs yeast strain. The Light version (originally Coors Cutter) showed up in the 70s in response to Miller Lite and incorporated rice in the grist to dry things out a bit.

My brews used Weyerman Floor Malted 2 row with judicious amounts of corn and/or rice, Cluster and Liberty hops, and Wyeast 2105-PC which is supposed to be the Coors strain of Andechs. To me, Coors is an American homage to a Munich Helles (one of my favorite beers), but doesn't ever reach the excellence of the German beers. None of the light American lagers have been in the same class as German lagers, but Coors comes closer than most if you can't be drinking in the Marianplatz.

 

[Broothru]

Favorite cheap beer (but couldn't tell you the last time I actually drank it): Labatt blue
Worst cheap beer: regular Genny, Milwaukee's best ice
"Honorable mention": I think corona is the most overrated macro ager, period. I've even had discussions with people who generally like craft beer extol the virtues of corona, almost invariably that it's "great in the summer". I guess that's marketing for ya.
Edit: (skip to ~3min)

When in Mexico, drink Modelo Especial and stay away from that lousy gringo beer (Cornhola) that needs lime to make it drinkable.

 

[MMP126]

I try not to hate on beer, even the "cheap" stuff.

Its hard to compete with if you just like quantity over quality. I saw (6) 16oz cans of Natty Light for $4.99 the other day. Cant compete with that, at least I don't think.

But, for me, I like a lot of cheaper beers. Miller High Life, Carling Black Label, Genesee, Narragansett, Coors Light, Miller Lite is ok, Bud Heavy. I refuse to drink a Bud Light, not due to its attributes, just due to some bad, young age experiences, associated with over consuming. I typically don't venture down the REALLY cheap beer hole. I stay away from Milwaukee's Best, Keystone, Natty, things like that.

I try to treat beer as a...treat. So, with that, I try to pick something I like, or something interesting. Cheaper beer doesn't interest me in that respect. But, I am not above it. Just do not prefer it.

As for worst beer...Steel Reserve probably...terrible.

 

[balrog]

Another vote for Genee Cream, with @BongoYodeler @2hennepin6 and @Bluekat

 

[Chuckbergman]

Don't hate me, but I've grown fond of Steel Reserve and Hurricane (not sure who makes it). Yeah, they are basically malt liquor - 8% ABV, 25oz can for $1.59. It hits the spot for cheap and great on the golf course when you want a little buzz with your birdies!

Worst is Naturday Strawberry Lemon crap water. Bought a 15 pack for like $6.99 but it was barely drinkable - even on a hot day on the golf course!

 

[Barbarossa]

You may be right!

When I worked, in another life, for Molson, before they merged with Coors, they were boasting about how they were brewing and fermenting a batch and bottling 1.5 batches. Those were 5%
beers. I'm pretty sure since then they figured out how to do double. Especially with a 4% beer.

 

[Beermeister32]

Makes sense for industrial scale. Probably makes sense for HB scale too... I’ve done a couple batches that way, water back one double batch into two carboys. Works OK, maybe adjust your hop utilization a bit.

One batch I did I overshot my mash temp in a huge way denaturing enzymes.... To save the batch I doubled the grist quickly on the fly to get the new enzymes going... watered it back later into two carboys. I called that batch “Double Trouble”. Turned out fine!

 

[Upstate12866]

When in Mexico, drink Modelo Especial and stay away from that lousy gringo beer (Cornhola) that needs lime to make it drinkable.

When I visited friends in central Mexico, we drank cahuamas (40's) of Corona Familiar, and I don't recall seeing much of the American versions of Corona there. Familiar can be found in the states, and it's not too similar to the stuff in the clear bottles, so it can be a fun one to try. Imagine a 14 year old kid drinking one on a milk crate next to the cash register when you purchase for a full experience. It also makes very nice Micheladas.

I always giggled about how it was the "family" beer, good for the whole household. If you see something like "un lugar familiar" painted on the front of a hangout, it usually meant they tried to keep drugs and bad behavior out--it's a family place. So I find Corona Familiar to give me layers and layers of enjoyment.

 

[shoengine]

Henry's is my favorite "cheap" beer, but not sure if it is in the same stratum as some of these suggestions.

As far as a beer I'd never wish on an enemy: Icehouse.

 

[Docod44]

Another vote for Genee Cream, with @BongoYodeler @2hennepin6 and @Bluekat

Same here.

I also really enjoy Lionshead, $16 for a case of 24 bottles of a decent lager is a great deal! I used to go visit my college roommate in Philly after we graduated and moved farther apart and he always had a case of Lionshead in the fridge.

 

[grampamark]

My favorite cheap beer? My homebrew. I‘ve saved enough over the years to pay for my ghetto quality brewery a couple of times over so I’m brewing for the price of ingredients. I can make a 4% Blonde Ale for about 20 bucks per 5 gallons. That’s 2 cases of beer that actually tastes good for less than a 30 pack of generic, light lager.

As far as cheap commercial beer goes, my favorite is probably Hamm’s. Twenty bucks for a case of 16s and it tastes pretty good. The worst? I dunno. They’re pretty much interchangeable, to me. Closer to faintly beer-flavored hard seltzer than than to beer.

 

[Cameronl]

1. Genesee Cream Ale (more nostalgia over taste). I'd have said their Bock but they don't make it anymore AFAIK.

Genesee still makes the Bock, but it's not distributed as widely as regular and Cream.

My favorite inexpensive beer is Genesee Ruby Red, a Kolsch with grapefruit. Super refreshing in the summer.

When I visit Genny country (family is in the Finger Lakes, near Rochester, NY), I stock up on the seasonals and limited releases, including Ruby Red in the summer, Bock in the Spring, 12 Horse Ale in the winter.

Regular Genesee is my go to inexpensive beer. I always bulk up the beer fridge with a 30-pack.

However, I'm not particularly fond of Genny Cream Ale.

 

[Broothru]

When I visited friends in central Mexico, we drank cahuamas (40's) of Corona Familiar, and I don't recall seeing much of the American versions of Corona there. Familiar can be found in the states, and it's not too similar to the stuff in the clear bottles, so it can be a fun one to try. Imagine a 14 year old kid drinking one on a milk crate next to the cash register when you purchase for a full experience. It also makes very nice Micheladas.

I always giggled about how it was the "family" beer, good for the whole household. If you see something like "un lugar familiar" painted on the front of a hangout, it usually meant they tried to keep drugs and bad behavior out--it's a family place. So I find Corona Familiar to give me layers and layers of enjoyment.

My favorite was always Modelo Negra, though I'm tending these days toward lighter colored beers and lighter kilned malts. Dos Equis and Modelo brew solid beers (both founded by German emigrants), but Corona always seemed like too much corn in the grist and badly light-struck from the clear glass.

 

[Velnerj]

I don't live in the states now but when I did I liked Labatt blue, Corona (must have lime), and Old style.

Now I live in the Czech Republic where even a Pilsner Urquell is around $1 for a 1/2L bottle. But if you want to go even lower Kozel is amazing for about 50¢ and sometimes cheaper on sale.

 

[Broothru]

I don't live in the states now but when I did I liked Labatt blue, Corona (must have lime), and Old style.

Now I live in the Czech Republic where even a Pilsner Urquell is around $1 for a 1/2L bottle. But if you want to go even lower Kozel is amazing for about 50¢ and sometimes cheaper on sale.

Five years ago my daughter and son-in-law were in Munich for Oktoberfest. They were turned off by the crowds and the chaos, so they hopped on a train to Prague, returning to Munich a week or so later to catch their flight home. They absolutely loved Prague.

I've never been to the Czech Republic but have been a frequent visitor to Munich, though never during Oktoberfest. If they were so impressed with Prague and disliked Munich so much (I really enjoyed Munich), then Prague really needs to get elevated on my Bucket List of places to see.

 

[Velnerj]

Five years ago my daughter and son-in-law were in Munich for Oktoberfest. They were turned off by the crowds and the chaos, so they hopped on a train to Prague, returning to Munich a week or so later to catch their flight home. They absolutely loved Prague.

I've never been to the Czech Republic but have been a frequent visitor to Munich, though never during Oktoberfest. If they were so impressed with Prague and disliked Munich so much (I really enjoyed Munich), then Prague really needs to get elevated on my Bucket List of places to see.

Prague is great. If you visit you won't regret it.

 

[shoreman]

A cheap beer (if you are talking about cost) I buy all the time is Bitburger Pils - 4 pack tall boys $5.99. Solid German pils and easy on the wallet.

 

[hotbeer]

Am I paying for the beer or is it free?

Makes a big difference in my opinion.

 

[DromJohn]

1) Natty Bo (National Bohemian) (nostalgia, even though the dominate box lacrosse team in my league was National Bohemian)
2) Corona (I've had many worse expensive beers, but this deliberate skunker is the worst of the cheap)

 

[bracconiere]

Icehouse

i watch too much Married....i thought it was "Ice-HOLE"?

 

[BQ&W]

Hamm's and Black Label. But I miss Schmidt's (of Philadelphia).

 

[Bluekat]

Genesee still makes the Bock, but it's not distributed as widely as regular and Cream.
View attachment 739482

My favorite inexpensive beer is Genesee Ruby Red, a Kolsch with grapefruit. Super refreshing in the summer.
View attachment 739481

When I visit Genny country (family is in the Finger Lakes, near Rochester, NY), I stock up on the seasonals and limited releases, including Ruby Red in the summer, Bock in the Spring, 12 Horse Ale in the winter.

Regular Genesee is my go to inexpensive beer. I always bulk up the beer fridge with a 30-pack.

However, I'm not particularly fond of Genny Cream Ale.

Those are all fantastic beers!

 

[Miraculix]

Prague is great. If you visit you won't regret it.

First visit Budapest. Then Prague and then go back to Budapest, because it's nicer there

.. Still, Prague is definitely worth a visit. Munich can go home.

 

[Ridenour64]

My favorite cheap beer is Miller Lite. I enjoy Heineken as well but can only have a few at a time. As close as I can get to a dislike is that I used to hate Yeungling but my tastes have changed and I enjoy it now. Other than that, I can’t think of one I wouldn’t drink if handed to me. I’ve had some terrible craft brews though.

 

[Phitz]

PBR is my go to when funds are tight!

 

[jbschuyler]

1) Corona
2) Coors Light makes me gag

 

[JJinMD]

1) Corona
2) Coors Light makes me gag

I have a few co-workers that would likely agree, they have a hard time drinking plain water...

 

[Monmouth00]

There are better beers, and there are cheaper beers, but you'll never find a better cheap beer than Yuengling.

Though, I did go through a Molson Canadian phase when I was traveling to Toronto and Montreal a dozen times a year.

Also, when in Nashville a few years back, a bar owner I was talking with gave me a Schlitz. He insisted I try it, and refused to charge me - he just wanted me to have it to prove it wasn't as bad as I remembered. He was right - it was a totally drinkable and surprisingly enjoyable beer!

 

[Broothru]

There are better beers, and there are cheaper beers, but you'll never find a better cheap beer than Yuengling.

Though, I did go through a Molson Canadian phase when I was traveling to Toronto and Montreal a dozen times a year.

Also, when in Nashville a few years back, a bar owner I was talking with gave me a Schlitz. He insisted I try it, and refused to charge me - he just wanted me to have it to prove it wasn't as bad as I remembered. He was right - it was a totally drinkable and surprisingly enjoyable beer!

The day I took my last undergrad final exam, I picked up a six pack of Schlitz to drink while I packed up my apartment. There was one left over and it got tossed in one of the pack-up boxes, and for years it got moved from place to place and always found a place of honor on my desk, because, as you've probably heard, "When you're out of Schlitz, you're out of beer!"

Or not.