The One Cheap Beer Brand You Should Really Avoid Buying From Now On

There's definitely a time and place for cheap beer: backyard barbecues, tailgates, and parties where people don't really care what they're drinking. Sometimes you're simply not in the mood to drop $12 on a craft IPA and are perfectly fine with a basic lager. But even in the budget beer category, there are some brands you probably always want to skip. And in Chowhound's ranking of cheap beers, Bud Light is what we consider the bottom of the barrel.

To be fair, Bud Light has built its name on being a safe, middle-of-the-road beer. It doesn't try to act like something it's not — but that said, there are way better cheap beers than this one. We found it to be, at best, an overall boring beer. It's watery, bland, and barely registers as an actual beer. If you've ever thought, "This just tastes like water with an aftertaste," we feel you.

So if you have the opportunity to choose another cheap beer instead of Bud Light, we recommend our top choice, Miller High Life — it's called the Champagne of Beers, after all. With this option, you can still stay within your allotted beer budget but enjoy a far superior brew. And if you unfortunately find yourself stuck with Bud Light, serve it up as cold as possible and maybe throw in some citrus juice — this is one trick to help make cheap beers taste better.

Bud Light is a lager beer (a style that includes pilsners), defined by the yeast that ferments at the bottom of the tank during the brewing process. These beers are generally characterized by their clean, crisp taste, but some would rightfully disagree with that when it comes to Bud Light.

As one user writes in a r/Beer Reddit thread, "It's sugar rice water. It's disgusting and many many many people feel the same way." It's a harsh comment, yes, but it's true that there are quite a few people who are haters of this beer. On Beer Advocate, Bud Light gets a shockingly low score of 47 out of 100, with an "awful" rating. Many reviewers echo what our Chowhound taster felt. This beer tastes like a cheap beer: dull and watered down. So, unless you are very thirsty and are at the point of drinking anything (maybe at a festival or frat party), consider this one undrinkable.

Despite the fact that many notice a sweet grain flavor from the beer, there is no additional sugar or corn syrup added. In fact, this is one of the pros of Bud Light — it's only made from four ingredients, including rice, barley, water, and hops. You might assume the simple, straightforward ingredients should make it a solid beer, but that's not the case. Despite being America's most drank beer for many years, it seems the masses are finally catching on — Modelo Especial overtook Bud Light for top beer in the country in 2023.