Great beers are something wonderful, beverages whose creation is close to alchemy, somehow converting unassuming raw ingredients into magical elixirs.
For many folks, however, a beer is just a beer – something cheap, thirst-quenching, and slightly alcoholic. Despite the rise of American craft brewing in recent years, it’s still the ordinary, mass-produced, distinctly non-magical stuff that accounts for the overwhelming majority of beer sales in this country.
Not surprisingly, beer connoisseurs (and just plain discerning beer-drinkers) generally don’t think very highly of these best-selling brews. To compile a list of America’s least favorite beers, at least according to this segment of the beer market, 24/7 Tempo reviewed BeerAdvocate’s most recent ranking of the worst-rated beers in the world, as judged by its readers. Beers are ranked in descending order, with the worst of all at No. 1. (On the other hand, these are the 30 best beers in America.)
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. Ratings are then calculated by weighting the attributes differently, with the most important being taste, weighted at 40%. The weighting accounts for the fact that total reader scores don’t necessarily correspond with the order in which the beers appear here. The majority of these beers are produced in the U.S., but Canada, Mexico, and Australia are also represented, as beers from those countries are popular here. Scores are current as of mid-June 2023. Information on alcohol by volume, or ABV; beer type; and brewery also comes from BeerAdvocate.
A number 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, Michelob, Coors, Corona, etc.
It might be noted that one beer listed, Bud Light at No. 9 (two flavored variations are also included), has been a recent victim of the so-called culture wars. Long the nation’s most popular beer by far, Bud Light has seen a precipitous drop in sales since April, when the brand sent a personalized can to popular transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney and she posted an image of the gift on Instagram.
Prominent right-wing figures, including musicians Travis Tritt and Kid Rock, commentator Ben Shapiro, and several members of Congress, promptly called for a boycott of the beer, and numerous former Bud Light fans around the country vowed to never quaff it again. Mexican favorite Modelo Especial outpaced Bud Light in sales for the four-week period ending June 3, though Bud Light’s total sales volume remains superior. (In another example of anti-transgender sentiment, here’s a list of 31 states criminalizing gender-affirming health care.)
Source: Thurtell / iStock via Getty Images
30. Molson Canadian 67
> Average score: 1.89 (66 votes)
> Style: Light lager
> ABV: 3.0%
> Brewery: Molson Coors Canada
> Location: Ontario, Canada
[in-text-ad]
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
29. King Cobra Premium Malt Liquor
> Average score: 2.12 (593 votes)
> Style: Malt liquor
> ABV: 6.0%
> Brewery: Anheuser-Busch
> Location: Missouri
24/7 Wall St.
28. Bud Light Lime-A-Rita
> Average score: 2.12 (757 votes)
> Style: Lager – malt liquor
> ABV: 8.0%
> Brewery: Anheuser-Busch
> Location: Missouri
27. Hurricane Malt Liquor
> Average score: 2.03 (258 votes)
> Style: Malt liquor
> ABV: 6.0%
> Brewery: Anheuser-Busch
> Location: Missouri
[in-text-ad-2]
Source: Courtesy of Icehouse
26. Icehouse
> Average score: 2.08 (1,364 votes)
> Style: American adjunct lager
> ABV: 5.5%
> Brewery: Miller Brewing Co.
> Location: Wisconsin
Source: RiverNorthPhotography / iStock Unreleased via Getty Images
25. Busch Beer
> Average score: 2.08 (1,915 votes)
> Style: American adjunct lager
> ABV: 4.3%
> Brewery: Anheuser-Busch
> Location: Missouri
[in-text-ad]
Source: Courtesy of Budweiser
24. Budweiser Select
> Average score: 2.07 (1,358 votes)
> Style: Light lager
> ABV: 4.3%
> Brewery: Anheuser-Busch
> Location: Missouri
Source: DusanBartolovic / iStock via Getty Images
23. Sleeman Clear
> Average score: 1.86 (89 votes)
> Style: Light lager
> ABV: 4.0%
> Brewery: Sleeman Breweries Ltd.
> Location: Ontario, Canada
Source: Courtesy of Keystone
22. Keystone Ice
> Average score: 1.72 (53 votes)
> Style: American adjunct lager
> ABV: 5.5%
> Brewery: Molson Coors Canada
> Location: Ontario, Canada
[in-text-ad-2]
Source: bmcent1 / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
21. Coors Light
> Average score: 2.06 (5,704 votes)
> Style: Light lager
> ABV: 4.2%
> Brewery: Coors Brewing Company (Molson-Coors)
> Location: Colorado
Source: JoeChristensen / iStock via Getty Images
20. Red Dog
> Average score: 2.04 (801 votes)
> Style: American adjunct lager
> ABV: 4.8%
> Brewery: Miller Brewing Co.
> Location: Wisconsin
[in-text-ad]
19. O’Doul’s
> Average score: 2.03 (662 votes)
> Style: Low-alcohol
> ABV: 0.5%
> Brewery: Anheuser-Busch
> Location: Missouri
Source: adamkaz / Getty Images
18. Keystone Lager
> Average score: 1.9 (148 votes)
> Style: American adjunct lager
> ABV: 4.9%
> Brewery: Molson Coors Canada
> Location: Ontario, Canada
Source: Justin Sullivan / Getty Images
17. Carlton Cold
> Average score: 1.66 (51 votes)
> Style: American adjunct lager
> ABV: 4.9%
> Brewery: Carlton & United Breweries, Ltd.
> Location: Australia
[in-text-ad-2]
16. Corona Light
> Average score: 1.98 (2,178 votes)
> Style: Light lager
> ABV: 4.1%
> Brewery: Grupo Modelo S.A. de C.V.
> Location: Mexico
Source: millercoors.com
15. Keystone Premium
> Average score: 1.85 (160 votes)
> Style: American adjunct lager
> ABV: 4.4%
> Brewery: Coors Brewing Company (Molson-Coors)
> Location: Colorado
[in-text-ad]
14. Bud Light & Clamato Chelada
> Average score: 1.92 (457 votes)
> Style: Fruit and field beer
> ABV: 4.2%
> Brewery: Anheuser-Busch
> Location: Missouri
Source: pjohnson1 / iStock Unreleased via Getty Images
13. Michelob Ultra
> Average score: 1.95 (2,722 votes)
> Style: Light lager
> ABV: 4.2%
> Brewery: Anheuser-Busch
> Location: Missouri
Source: Courtesy of Busch
12. Busch Light
> Average score: 1.94 (1,848 votes)
> Style: Light lager
> ABV: 4.1%
> Brewery: Anheuser-Busch
> Location: Missouri
[in-text-ad-2]
Source: Courtesy of Anheuser-Busch
11. Bud Ice
> Average score: 1.93 (1,268 votes)
> Style: American adjunct lager
> ABV: 5.5%
> Brewery: Anheuser-Busch
> Location: Missouri
Source: Courtesy of Busch
10. Busch Ice
> Average score: 1.85 (365 votes)
> Style: American adjunct lager
> ABV: 5.9%
> Brewery: Anheuser-Busch
> Location: Missouri
[in-text-ad]
9. Bud Light
> Average score: 1.87 (6,614 votes)
> Style: Light lager
> ABV: 4.2%
> Brewery: Anheuser-Busch
> Location: Missouri
Source: Courtesy of Milwaukee's Best
8. Milwaukee’s Best Light
> Average score: 1.83 (734 votes)
> Style: Light lager
> ABV: 4.2%
> Brewery: Miller Brewing Co.
> Location: Wisconsin
7. Miller 64
> Average score: 1.83 (839 votes)
> Style: Light lager
> ABV: 2.8%
> Brewery: Miller Brewing Co.
> Location: Wisconsin
[in-text-ad-2]
Source: Portra / E+ via Getty Images
6. Beer 30 Light
> Average score: 1.66 (105 votes)
> Style: Light lager
> ABV: 4%
> Brewery: Melanie Brewing Company
> Location: Wisconsin
Source: courtesy of walmart.com
5. Natural Ice
> Average score: 1.84 (1,577 votes)
> Style: American adjunct lager
> ABV: 5.9%
> Brewery: Anheuser-Busch
> Location: Missouri
[in-text-ad]
4. Keystone Light
> Average score: 1.84 (2,186 votes)
> Style: Light lager
> ABV: 4.1%
> Brewery: Coors Brewing Company (Molson-Coors)
> Location: Colorado
3. Sharp’s
> Average score: 1.70 (173 votes)
> Style: Low-alcohol
> ABV: 0.4%
> Brewery: Miller Brewing Co.
> Location: Wisconsin
Source: Courtesy of walmart.com
2. Natural Light
> Average score: 1.75 (2,370 votes)
> Style: Light lager
> ABV: 4.2%
> Brewery: Anheuser-Busch
> Location: Missouri
[in-text-ad-2]
Source: Courtesy of Budweiser Select 55
1. Budweiser Select 55
> Average score: 1.65 (626 votes)
> Style: Light lager
> ABV: 2.4%
> Brewery: Anheuser-Busch
> Location: Missouri
Sponsored: Want to Retire Early? Start Here
Want retirement to come a few years earlier than you’d planned? Orare you ready to retire now, but want an extra set of eyes on your finances?
Now you can speak with up to 3 financial experts in your area for FREE. By simply clicking here you can begin to match with financial professionals who can help you build your plan to retire early. And the best part? The first conversation with them is free.
Click here to match with up to 3 financial pros who would be excited to help you make financial decisions.
Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.
Editors' Picks
