If you have ever found yourself struggling to make ends meet, if you’re living paycheck to paycheck, or if you are simply a broke college kid, then you have experienced the true meaning of budget beer.
Anyone can buy cheap beer to save a buck but when you can afford to get the normal beer, you always will. The only time you end up enjoying the cheap stuff is when you have no choice.
We know what you’re thinking, if you’re broke then why are you worried about drinking beer? Well, honestly, because that is what makes us human beings. We need to escape from all the pressures and stress of life and cheap booze helps us get there.
There are many different way to measure the quality and price of beer but we decided to roll with using the two most popular of them all, a 12-pack and a 6-pack. These are the most commonly purchased beer packs for individuals not looking to share but to stock up for the week ahead.
Ale
Ale has several different variations like Brown, Barley, Golden, and Pale. But the one common trait for all ale beer is that they are brewed without hops. They originally used a herb called gruit instead of hops for the bittering agent but have since replaced it with hops.
Ale dates back to the days of Camelot and King Arthur. It isn’t the oldest style of beer but it is close. Almost every medieval movie features beer drinking, Ale is what they are drinking in case you were wondering.
So when you’re out there looking to save money on booze but want to enjoy a quality Ale, these are your best choices.
- Dale’s Pale Ale
- Brewery: Oskar Blues
- Size: 6-pack, 12 oz cans
- Alcohol by Volume (ABV): 6.5%
- Price: $7.99
- Saint Archer Blonde
- Brewery: Saint Archer Brewing Co.
- Size: 6-pack, 12 oz cans
- Alcohol by Volume (ABV): 4.8%
- Price: $10.69
- Get Up Offa That Brown
- Brewery: Golden Road Brewing
- Size: 6-pack, 12 oz cans
- Alcohol by Volume (ABV): 5.5%
- Price: $10
- Red Seal Ale
- Brewery: North Coast Brewing
- Size: 6-pack, 12 oz bottles
- Alcohol by Volume (ABV): 5.4%
- Price: $9.99
- 805 Blonde Ale
- Brewery: Firestone Walker Brewing Co.
- Size: 6-pack, 12 oz bottles
- Alcohol by Volume (ABV): 4.7%
- Price: $8.99
- Dundee Summer Wheat
- Brewery: Genesse Brewing Co. & Dundee Brewing Co.
- Size: 6-pack, 12 oz bottles
- Alcohol by Volume (ABV): 4.5%
- Price: $8
Pilsner
As with all the other beer styles in the world, Pilsner is one that has many other variations based on the country of origin. The word, Pilsner, itself, comes from the city where it was invented, Plzen, Bohemia, Czech Republic.
This is a pale lager with a smoother taste compared to IPA’s and other styles. It might not get you drunk quickly, but it will be the easiest to drink.
- Pop Gun
- Brewery: Speakeasy Ales & Lagers
- Size: 6-pack, 12 oz cans
- Alcohol by Volume (ABV): 4.7%
- Price: $8.99
- Scrimshaw Pilsner
- Brewery: North Coast Brewing
- Size: 6-pack, 12 oz bottles
- Alcohol by Volume (ABV): 4.4%
- Price: $9.99
- Simple Times
- Brewery: Steinhaus Brewing
- Size: 6-pack, 12 oz cans
- Alcohol by Volume (ABV): 5.5%
- Price: $3.99
Lager
The most common style of beer is Lager. It has been this way since the 1860’s when over 400 breweries co-existed in Czech Republic. That grew to nearly 900 in just 10 years putting the popularity into perspective.
So it is only natural that this would also be the longest list of beers. Try not to drink them all at once.
- Anchor California
- Brewery: Anchor Brewing
- Size: 6-pack, 12 oz bottles
- Alcohol by Volume (ABV): 4.9%
- Price: $8.99
- Hamm’s
- Brewery: Hamm’s Brewery
- Size: 12-pack, 12 oz cans
- Alcohol by Volume (ABV): 4.7%
- Price: $7.99
- Heineken
- Brewery: Heineken International
- Size: 6-pack, 12 oz cans
- Alcohol by Volume (ABV): 5%
- Price: $8.99
- Modelo Especial
- Brewery: Grupo Modelo
- Size: 6-pack, 12 oz bottles
- Alcohol by Volume (ABV): 4.4%
- Price: $8.99
- Asahi Super Dry
- Brewery: Asahi Breweries
- Size: 6-pack, 12 oz bottles
- Alcohol by Volume (ABV): 5%
- Price: $9.79
- Omission Lager
- Brewery: Widmer Brothers Brewing
- Size: 6-pack, 12 oz bottles
- Alcohol by Volume (ABV): 4.6%
- Price: $9
- Samuel Adams Boston Lager
- Brewery: Boston Beer Co.
- Size: 6-pack, 12 oz bottles
- Alcohol by Volume (ABV): 4.9%
- Price: $8.49
- Narragansett
- Brewery: Narragansett Brewing Co.
- Size: 6-pack, 16 oz cans
- Alcohol by Volume (ABV): 5%
- Price: $7
- Tecate
- Brewery: Cuauhtemoc Moctezuma Brewery
- Size: 6-pack, 12 oz bottle
- sAlcohol by Volume (ABV): 4.5%
- Price: $7.99
- Rolling Rock
- Brewery: Anheuser-Busch InBev
- Size: 12-pack, 12 oz bottles
- Alcohol by Volume (ABV): 4.5%
- Price: $7.99
- Schlitz Gusto
- Brewery: Schlitz Brewing Co.
- Size: 12-pack, 12 oz bottles
- Alcohol by Volume (ABV): 4.7%
- Price: $9.99
- Miller High Life
- Brewery: Miller Brewing Co.
- Size: 12-pack, 12 oz bottles
- Alcohol by Volume (ABV): 4.6%
- Price: $9.99
- Pabst Blue Ribbon
- Brewery: Pabst Brewing Co.
- Size: 12-pack, 12 oz cans
- Alcohol by Volume (ABV): 4,74%
- Price: $7.99
- Grain Belt Premium
- Brewery: August Schell Brewing Co.
- Size: 12-pack, 12 oz cans
- Alcohol by Volume (ABV): 4.6%
- Price: $9.99
IPA
The IPA is a hoppy beer that contains the highest alcohol by volume as any other beer style on this list. There is nearly double the ABV in IPA’s than in any other beers and that can be due to the amount of hops and specialty malts used in production.
The popularity of the high ABV has caused craft beers to grow into a legit industry in America to compete against all the giant breweries from coast to coast.
- Hop Hwy IPA
- Brewery: Belching Beaver Brewing Co.
- Size: 6-pack, 12 oz cans
- Alcohol by Volume (ABV): 7.3%
- Price: $9.99
- Black Market Rye
- Brewery: Black Market Brewing Co.
- Size: 6-pack, 12 oz cans
- Alcohol by Volume (ABV): 7.5%
- Price: $9.99
- Racer Five IPA
- Brewery: Bear Republic Brewing Co.
- Size: 6-pack, 12 oz bottles
- Alcohol by Volume (ABV): 9.2%
- Price: $9.99
Other Types
- Fireside Chat
- Brewery: 21st Amendment Brewery
- Size: 6-pack, 12 oz bottles
- Alcohol by Volume (ABV): 7.9%
- Price: $7.99
- Black Butte Porter
- Brewery: Deschutes Brewery
- Size: 6-pack, 12 oz bottles
- Alcohol by Volume (ABV): 5.2%
- Price: $7.99
- Sierra Nevada Porter
- Brewery: Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
- Size: 6-pack, 12 oz bottles
- Alcohol by Volume (ABV): 5.6%
- Price: $7.99
- Blue Moon Belgian White
- Brewery: Coors Brewing Co.
- Size: 6-pack, 12 oz bottles
- Alcohol by Volume (ABV): 5.4%
- Price: $7.99