The best beers in the world are more than just beers. They’re something closer to alchemy, concoctions that somehow convert raw ingredients into downright magical elixirs.
For many folks (especially the college-age ones), though, a beer is just a beer. If it’s cheap and has alcohol in it, it’ll do just fine. But for the rest of us, drinking a bad beer just isn’t worth the calories. We understand that sometimes a cold, refreshing Bud Light can hit the spot, but why settle when for a couple bucks more you can enjoy an award-winning beer brewed by an acclaimed craft brewery? We’re living in a golden age of brewing, and to drink anything less than a top-quality beer just doesn’t make sense. (For instance, try something from one of the 50 most popular craft breweries in America.)
To compile a list of America’s lowest-rated beers, 24/7 Tempo reviewed BeerAdvocate’s most recent ranking of the worst-rated beers in the world, as judged by its readers. (Information on alcohol by volume – ABV – also came from BeerAdvocate.) The site asks reviewers to score beers on a scale of 1.00 to 5.00 in 0.25-point increments on five ratable attributes: appearance, aroma, taste, mouthfeel, and overall impressions. The site then calculates ratings by weighting attributes differently (most important is taste, weighted at 40%). The weighting accounts for the fact that in the ranking here, reader scores don’t necessarily correspond with the order in which the beers appear (with No. 1 being the lowest). Scores are current as of mid-April 2022.
You’ll notice that many of the beers on this list are “light” (or “lite”). Two, O’Doul’s and Sharp’s, are almost alcohol-free. You’ll also find all the famous names here – Miller, Bud, Michlob, Coors, Corona, etc. (It’s no secret that these are among America’s top-selling beer brands.)
We’re not being snobby here. If your idea of beer is what’s lurking in a 24-pack on the bottom shelf at your local convenience store, that’s fine. Enjoy it. But if your go-to brew is one of the following beers, we humbly suggest you consider an upgrade – maybe one of America’s 40 most delicious beers.
30. Olde English 800
> Average score: 2.13 (1,141 votes)
> Style: Lager – malt liquor
> ABV: 5.9%
> Brewery: Miller Brewing Co.
> Location: Wisconsin
29. Bud Light Lime-A-Rita
> Average score: 2.12 (753 votes)
> Style: Lager – malt liquor
> ABV: 8%
> Brewery: Anheuser-Busch
> Location: Missouri
28. King Cobra Premium malt liquor
> Average score: 2.10 (582 votes)
> Style: Lager – malt liquor
> ABV: 6%
> Brewery: Anheuser-Busch
> Location: Missouri
27. Icehouse
> Average score: 2.08 (1,344 votes)
> Style: Lager – adjunct
> ABV: 5.5%
> Brewery: Miller Brewing Co.
> Location: Wisconsin
26. Hurricane malt liquor
> Average score: 2.02 (253 votes)
> Style: Lager – malt liquor
> ABV: 6%
> Brewery: Anheuser-Busch
> Location: Missouri
25. Busch Beer
> Average score: 2.08 (1,895 votes)
> Style: Lager – adjunct
> ABV: 4.3%
> Brewery: Anheuser-Busch
> Location: Missouri
24. Budweiser Select
> Average score: 2.07 (1,346 votes)
> Style: Lager – light
> ABV: 4.3%
> Brewery: Anheuser-Busch
> Location: Missouri
23. Keystone Ice
> Average score: 1.72 (52 votes)
> Style: Lager – adjunct
> ABV: 5.5%
> Brewery: Molson Coors Canada
> Location: Ontario, Canada
22. Sleeman Clear
> Average score: 1.86 (89 votes)
> Style: Lager – light
> ABV: 4%
> Brewery: Sleeman Breweries Ltd.
> Location: Ontario, Canada
21. Coors Light
> Average score: 2.05 (5,640 votes)
> Style: Lager – light
> ABV: 4.2%
> Brewery: Coors Brewing Company (Molson-Coors)
> Location: Colorado
20. Red Dog
> Average score: 2.03 (796 votes)
> Style: Lager – adjunct
> ABV: 4.8%
> Brewery: Miller Brewing Co.
> Location: Wisconsin
19. O’Doul’s
> Average score: 2.02 (650 votes)
> Style: Low-alcohol
> ABV: 0.5%
> Brewery: Anheuser-Busch
> Location: Missouri
> Average score: 1.91 (147 votes)
> Style: Lager – adjunct
> ABV: 4.9%
> Brewery: Molson Coors Canada
> Location: Ontario, Canada
17. Carlton Cold
> Average score: 1.66 (51 votes)
> Style: Lager – adjunct
> ABV: 4.9%
> Brewery: Carlton & United Breweries, Ltd.
> Location: Australia
16. Corona Light
> Average score: 1.98 (2,162 votes)
> Style: Lager – light
> ABV: 4.1%
> Brewery: Grupo Modelo S.A. de C.V.
> Location: Mexico
15. Keystone Premium
> Average score: 1.85 (160 votes)
> Style: Lager – adjunct
> ABV: 4.4%
> Brewery: Coors Brewing Company (Molson-Coors)
> Location: Colorado
14. Bud Light & Clamato Chelada
> Average score: 1.92 (450 votes)
> Style: Fruit and field
> ABV: 4.2%
> Brewery: Anheuser-Busch
> Location: Missouri
13. Michelob Ultra
> Average score: 1.94 (2,666 votes)
> Style: Lager – light
> ABV: 4.2%
> Brewery: Anheuser-Busch
> Location: Missouri
12. Busch Light
> Average score: 1.93 (1,809 votes)
> Style: Lager – light
> ABV: 4.1%
> Brewery: Anheuser-Busch
> Location: Missouri
11. Bud Ice
> Average score: 1.92 (1,251 votes)
> Style: Lager – adjunct
> ABV: 5.5%
> Brewery: Anheuser-Busch
> Location: Missouri
10. Busch Ice
> Average score: 1.83 (356 votes)
> Style: Lager – adjunct
> ABV: 5.9%
> Brewery: Anheuser-Busch
> Location: Missouri
9. Bud Light
> Average score: 1.87 (6,254 votes)
> Style: Lager – light
> ABV: 4.2%
> Brewery: Anheuser-Busch
> Location: Missouri
8. Milwaukee’s Best Light
> Average score: 1.83 (725 votes)
> Style: Lager – light
> ABV: 4.2%
> Brewery: Miller Brewing Co.
> Location: Wisconsin
7. Beer 30 Light
> Average score: 1.66 (104 votes)
> Style: Lager – light
> ABV: 4%
> Brewery: Melanie Brewing Company
> Location: Wisconsin
6. Miller 64
> Average score: 1.83 (834 votes)
> Style: Lager – light
> ABV: 2.8%
> Brewery: Miller Brewing Co.
> Location: Wisconsin
5. Natural Ice
> Average score: 1.84 (1,560 votes)
> Style: Lager – adjunct
> ABV: 5.9%
> Brewery: Anheuser-Busch
> Location: Missouri
4. Keystone Light
> Average score: 1.84 (2,165 votes)
> Style: Lager – light
> ABV: 4.1%
> Brewery: Coors Brewing Company (Molson-Coors)
> Location: Colorado
3. Sharp’s
> Average score: 1.70 (170 votes)
> Style: Low-alcohol
> ABV: 0.4%
> Brewery: Miller Brewing Co.
> Location: Wisconsin
2. Natural Light
> Average score: 1.75 (2,336 votes)
> Style: Lager – light
> ABV: 4.2%
> Brewery: Anheuser-Busch
> Location: Missouri
1. Budweiser Select 55
> Average score: 1.65 (620 votes)
> Style: Lager – light
> ABV: 2.4%
> Brewery: Anheuser-Busch
> Location: Missouri