14 Cheap But Delicious Beers You'll Wish You Tried Sooner

The rise of the United States' craft beer industry has been one of the most surprising and welcomed food and beverage trends of the 21st century. It has led to a huge increase in the number of brewery jobs and greatly diversified the country's beer offering while also enabling the establishment of many local businesses. However, there is one major drawback to craft beer: its price. As inflation has driven up the price of all beer, craft beers have become increasingly unaffordable with some bars and taprooms reportedly charging up to $16 for a single pint. Prices like these are, understandably, forcing many customers toward cheaper brews. Happily, cheap beer does not have to be flavorless, as the following 14 cheap but delicious beers exemplify.

Of course, people enjoy cheap beers for various reasons, not just their affordability. David Chang has previously championed cheap beer for its ability to pair well with just about any food, while others have noted that they enjoy how the taste of cheap beer is nostalgic, bringing up memories of what and how their parents used to drink. That being said, not all cheap beers are made equal. How could they be when even Costco used to sell its own lager. Fortunately, the following products are a cut above Costco's old offering, and all manage to prove that there is such a thing as delicious and affordable beer.

Pacifico Clara, often shortened to Pacifico, is a pilsner-style lager that was invented in Mazatlán, Mexico during 1900. Despite this long history, the beer only became prevalent in the United States during the 1970s. It enjoyed almost immediate success, and in recent years, the brand's sales have topped 12 million cases. This makes it one of the most popular imported beers in America.

While partly down to Pacifico's carefully curated brand image, this popularity is also due to the beer's drinkability. Like other beers mentioned in this article, Pacifico is light in both color and body and is remarkably refreshing. However, the beer stands out thanks to a slightly bitter finish that contrasts nicely with its subtly sweet overall flavor. What's more, this bitter note makes Pacifico taste even crisper and, along with its low 4.4% ABV, ensures it is a great session beer.

As it is an import, Pacifico is more expensive than many of the other beers included in this article. However, at around $15.50 for a 12 pack of 12-ounce cans, it remains far cheaper than many craft beers. This affordable price point, when combined with the beer's widespread availability and uniquely refreshing nature, makes Pacifico a great beer to add to your rotation.

Known as 'The Champagne of Beers', Miller High Life is an American lager that's renowned for having a clean flavor. This should not come as a surprise with American lager being known as a beer style that presents only a minimal taste of hops and malt. While this lack of sweetness and malty, toasted flavors might sound boring to some, the absence of hard hitting notes has proved to be Miller High Life's main appeal as bar manager Amy Hartranft explained in an interview with Forbes, saying "... sometimes it's just a High Life night. My palate might be overstimulated or, I love crazy beers but sometimes I'm just like, 'I just want something clean.'" 

As Hartranft indicated, Miller High Life's clean flavor, alongside the beer's high carbonation and smooth body, has led it to become a favorite of many beer-industry professionals, including brewers. The beer's price point is another reason why Miller High Life has remained popular over the decades it has been on the market. A 12 pack of 12-ounce bottles can be purchased from major grocery stores for well under $10, making it one of the cheapest beers included in this article.

Modelo Negra is one of many easy-going Mexican beers that has taken the United States by storm in recent decades. This beer is a dunkel lager, a style that's traditionally dark in color and known to spotlight malty flavors. It is quite rare to find cheap beers in this style as the vast majority of large brewing companies tend to focus on more commercial styles, namely pilsner and American lager. However, in Modelo's case, this gamble has paid off with Modelo Negra gaining popularity thanks to a flavor profile that puts most American lagers and pilsners to shame.

A common criticism of these darker beers is that they are often overbearingly heavy and dominated by toasted flavors. This is not the case with Modelo Negra which boasts a complex, well-balanced flavor thanks to the use of galena and super galena hops, two different malts and a further two malt barleys. Perhaps more impressively, this beer also manages to be refreshing thanks to a slightly dry finish and many fine bubbles.

While masterfully crafted, Modelo Negra remains relatively cheap. A 12 pack of Modelo Negra 12-ounce bottles can be purchased for just under $16. This makes it slightly more expensive than the majority of beers included in this article. However, we'd argue that this beer is more than worth the extra couple dollars.

As any New Englander will tell you, it's difficult to beat a Narragansett Lager at the end of a hard day. This beer, like so many others in this article, is an American lager and has been brewed with drinkability in mind. In this regard, Narragansett more than delivers. The beer is refreshingly crisp and presents only a slight flavor of hops and malt, with the latter coming on a shade stronger. Aside from pleasing customers, these characteristics have also seen the lager win its fair share of awards including a gold medal from both Tastings World Beer Championships and The Great International Beer Festival.

A 12 pack of 12-ounce cans will cost customers around $14. This is a very reasonable price for such a solid beer. Some customers also like that, while priced similar to several other macro American lagers, Narragansett is noticeably stronger, clocking in at 5% ABV. As one fan noted on Reddit, "Narragansett is my absolute favorite beer for a really hot day, especially if near [the] beach and/or water. It's just refreshing in those conditions with the perfect amount of buzz."

Genesee Cream Ale is the only cream ale to feature in this article. While not actually containing any cream, this style is produced in a different way to lager with top fermenting yeast fermenting the beer in relatively warm temperatures. It's important to point out that, despite this production method, Genesee Cream Ale is not a traditional ale and was, in the company's own words, designed to combine the smoothness of lager with the crispness of ale.

Released in the 1960s, Genesee Cream Ale quickly became popular, especially in the Northeast of the United States. It's for this reason that the beer often causes customers to feel a strong sense of nostalgia as Genesee brand director Inga Grote-Ebbs explained to Hop Culture: "Cream ale brings back so many memories from drinkers about college parties, sneaking a beer from their dad's or uncle's fridge. Fans willingly share these, and I love hearing about the generational aspect of our beers."

It's unfair to claim that Genesee Cream Ale's popularity stems from nostalgia alone. The beer is flavorful, presenting sweet notes of grain and malt alongside the bitter flavor of hops. Thanks to a dry finish, the beer is also quite drinkable. However, a large part of the beer's enduring popularity is its affordability with a 12 pack of 12-ounce cans selling for as little as $11.99.

Thanks to classic branding and more than its fair share of iconic advertisements over the years, Red Stripe has a large, global consumer base. These people turn to Red Stripe, not only because they like the brand, but because the beer is a brilliant example of an American adjunct lager. Beers made in this style are generally lighter and sweeter than other types of lager and have a noticeably crisp flavor. Aside from being lighter, sweeter, and crisp, Red Stripe also boasts a decent level of carbonation. The presence of these bubbles, and the gentle flavor of hops, makes it a very refreshing beer to drink, especially in hot weather.

For a short period, Red Stripe was brewed in the United States. However, production moved back to Jamaica. The fact that Red Stripe is now imported to the U.S. contributes to it having slightly higher prices than several other beers mentioned in this article with a 12 pack of 11.2 ounce bottles sold for around $14.

Coors is a brand synonymous with its light lager, Coors Light, which happens to be one of the best selling beers in the United States. This beer is renowned for being a watery brew that is low on both calories and flavor. Unfortunately, the success of Coors Light has seen many Americans dismiss another of the brand's beers, Coors Banquet. These people often assume that Coors Banquet shares characteristics with Coors Light despite never having tried the former.

While Coors Banquet is an American lager that's light in color, it is not watery and definitely does not lack flavor. In fact, the beer is known for offering a diverse mix of sweet, fruity notes, including banana, and having an incredible full and balanced overall flavor. Coupled with a rich mouthfeel, this beer is uniquely satisfying to drink.

While not as challenging as many craft beers, the beer's characteristics make Coors Banquet a very well-respected beer among those who have tried it. As one person summarized on Reddit: "Banquet is almost always in my fridge. I find it to be the perfect macro lager, with that kiss of ester sweetness only found in the yellow can. Is it the best beer in the world? Probably not. Does it make me happy every time I drink one? Absolutely." A 12 pack of 12-ounce cans can be routinely found for around $14.

First brewed in 1842, Pilsner Urquell has become the benchmark for Czech pilsner thanks to its wonderful flavor. The beer is well-balanced with sweetness coming from the malts and a bitterness imparted by the hops. This bitterness lasts throughout the drinking experience, lending the beer a refreshingly dry finish. What's more, Pilsner Urquell also boasts a large head of foam, a characteristic not often seen in cheap beers. Aside from protecting the beer from oxidation, this foamy head emits wonderful floral aromas that greatly improves the drinking experience.

Pilsner Urquell is only brewed in Plzeň, Czech Republic and is made using traditional (and often time consuming) methods. These include Pilsner Urquell's practice of parallel brewing wherein beer that's made in modern facilities is compared to beer that is brewed exactly the same way it was in the 19th century. This ensures that the new batch of Pilsner Urquell is of the exact same standard as all the others that went before it. Of course, the cost of these practices — and the costs associated with importation — are reflected in the beer's final price. A 12 pack of the beer is often priced around $18, making Pilsner Urquell the most expensive beer included in this article.

Grain Belt Nordeast is an American amber lager, a style that's popular in craft beer for its ability to present a variety of flavors. Grain Belt Nordeast lives up to this reputation, with both malts and hops making their presence known throughout each sip. While the flavor of the beer is undoubtedly important, Grain Belt Nordeast's main appeal is found in its incredibly smooth body. Extremely drinkable, Nordeast often acts as a gateway for consumers trying darker beers.

What's most surprising about Grain Belt Nordeast is that a beer of this quality and style is available for about $14 per 12 pack. Although slightly more expensive than the classic American lagers mentioned in this article, Nordeast more than makes up for the difference thanks to its flavor; at this price, customers will be hard pressed to find another beer that is as interesting and balanced as Nordeast.

With its white and blue cans seemingly everywhere for the past couple of decades, Pabst Blue Ribbon is one of the most recognizable beers in the United States. Much has been said about the brand's hipster-led resurgence at the beginning of the 21st century, and the savvy marketing tactics that drove this growth. However, another key to this growth — and Pabst Blue Ribbon's popularity since — is the beer's low price. Even today, a 12 pack of 12-ounce cans can be purchased from major retailers for under $12.

While impressive, marketing and pricing often overshadows the beer itself which, despite the polarizing effect of the brand, is widely celebrated. Largely unchallenging, the beer does carry several flavors, including some grain-like sweetness which is balanced out by a refreshing degree of carbonation. The beer also has a medium body which is a tad thicker than competing products. Overall, Pabst Blue Ribbon is a moderately refreshing and drinkable beer. However, this is not the case when the beer is served warm. In this state, the flavor is quite unpleasant and the beer is best avoided.

Shiner Bock is another American amber lager that presents a variety of flavors. Undoubtedly, this beer is dominated by toasted, malt notes with a distinct sweetness. Hops add a bitter note and a good level of carbonation keeps the liquid crisp and drinkable, factors which once led Shiner Bock being named The Takeout's Beer Of The Week.

This flavor profile, which is far more nuanced than most other cheap beers, gives Shiner Bock the rare privilege of being viewed as both a macrobrew and a craft beer. As one person wrote on Reddit: "I consider it a bit of a bridge between the macro lagers and craft beer, despite it being a macro lager from the standpoint of being a lager brewed in a macro scale [...] it brings a bit of flavor the adjunct lagers don't have."

Given this unique status, many customers have no issue with paying a bit more for Shiner Bock than other cheap beers; a 12 pack of 12-ounce bottles usually comes in at around $16. As an added bonus, the beer is also relatively weak at 4.4% ABV, making it much more user friendly than strong craft beers made in a similar style.

Yuengling Traditional Lager is an amber lager renowned for its well-balanced taste. Roasted caramel malts supply sweetness while the inclusion of two popular hop varieties, cluster and cascade, add both complexity and bitterness to the beer. This is not to say that Yuengling Traditional Lager is a flavor-bomb of a beer. In fact, it's very easy to drink as one person noted on Reddit: "It's nothing mind-blowing, but it is a good lager. Don't expect anything super flavorful or standout. Expect something inoffensive that you can drink alot of throughout the day without getting sick of it." Aside from the flavor, this beer is known for being light and bright in the mouth.

Yuengling Traditional Lager is very competitively priced with a 12 pack of 12-ounce bottles retailing for about $14. With this character, at this price, it's no wonder that many Americans enjoy Yuengling from time to time.

Hamm's is a classic American lager that was first brewed way back in 1865. Now (as then) Hamm's is brewed with drinkability in mind, meaning it is light in flavor and noticeably crisp. The dominant flavor of Hamm's is a prevalent sweetness, imparted by the inclusion of corn syrup. In fact, some customers claim it is noticeably sweeter than similar beers, including Pabst Blue Ribbon. Happily, this sweetness does not become cloying; the beer has a slight bitterness and is made refreshing due to ample carbonation.

Hamm's flavor profile is a winner. The beer has won several blind tasting competitions against its peers, including those judged by craft brewers and beer writers. These judges noted that, while simple, Hamm's flavor profile is clean, balanced, and refreshing. Aside from being a good tasting beer, Hamm's is also a cheap one. A 12 pack of 12-ounce cans is often sold for around $11. This means that, while out performing its competitors, Hamm's also manages to undercut them.

Tecate Original is the third Mexican lager to feature in this article. Similarly to the other two, this beer offers a brightness — but it stands out thanks to an impressively complex flavor that lasts throughout the drinking experience. What's more, the beer is crisp and full-bodied, making it both satisfying and moreish. These characteristics are backed up by an alcoholic strength of 4.5% ABV, allowing those drinking it to get a gentle buzz without too much effort.

Aside from being one of the more flavorful Mexican lagers, it is also among the cheapest. A 12 pack of 12-ounce bottles is usually priced under $14. This is a very reasonable price for an import beer that boasts a notable blend of both malty flavors and hop-bitterness.