The one constant to a good aprèstailgate, backyard BBQ, or summit celebration? Beer. While you may have a go-to brew to mark these occasions, here at ϳԹ, we posed a very scientific question: Which one is the best? To answer this, we diligently blind-tested eight “cheap” beers—nothing over $10 for a six-pack—both straight out of the fridge and at roomtemperature(to simulate an after-hike beer that warms up in your pack). These five stood out.
Our Favorite Three
Red Stripe
ThisJamaican pale lager beer was awinner when served both at room temperature and ice-cold. For the formertest, we were looking for beers that were palatable and, as one tester said about Red Stripe, “not horrible” and “at least had some flavor.” Served chilled, testers liked Red Stripe’s malty, sweet flavor, which was surprisingly bright and smooth. “I would like to enjoy this beerona backcountry road with my dog,”said one reviewer. The only drawback is the 11.2-ounceglass bottle that Red Stripe is typically served in—while great for BBQs and tailgates, it might bea hazard in a loaded backpack. We’d advisesticking with one of the company’s16-ouncecans if you’re goinginto the wilderness.
Montucky Cold Snacks
Newcomer Montucky Cold Snacks beat out otherestablished beers with its light flavor and delicate aftertaste. Served warm, testers noticed a subtle yeast tangand liked that “it was smoother than the others we tried.” Served cold,Montucky elicited some “yums”and was singled out for its lighttononexistent aftertaste: “It’s really nice at the beginning, but the flavor kind of tapers off, which is good because most of the ones with an aftertaste aren’t great,” said one tester. While Montucky does offer its lager in 12-ouncecans, it’s mostly found in 16-ouncetallboys. And we’re not complaining about that.
Corona Extra
We added thisMexican lager to the list just for kicks, and it quickly became a fan favorite. Testersliked that the beer had slightlymore body to it than othersand found it refreshing, even when served warm. “It doesn’t taste like water with just a bit of something added to it,” said one reviewerduring the room-temperature test.“It actually has some good flavor, if that’s possible.” The accolades continued in the cold test, with drinkers noticing honey-sweet and malty notes. “If I was planning to drink more than one beer, I’d probably go with this one,” said one reviewer. Like Red Stripe, Corona is typically served in 12-ouncebottles, but we would recommend grabbing it in the available 12-ouncecans if you plan onstoring it anywhere but a fridge or cooler.
TheRunners-Up
While they didn’t excel in both tests, these two beers stood out in theindividual warm and cold trials.
Rolling Rock
This American lager had notes of oatmeal and grainand was “decent,” according to one reviewer,even when consumed atroom temperature. “I could drink a whole can of that,” said one tester.“It’s light and refreshing and isn’t going to fill you up.” Another positive: it’s the cheapest beerwe tested, coming in at $14 for an 18-pack.
Rainier
While it was deemed a bitlacklusterin the warm test, from the first sip, this American lagerwas a favorite when cold.“I really like that,”said one tester.“It has a really good flavor from start to finish.” Others praised it as“light and bright” and noteda good body with a hint of malt and grain. There is one drawback:while we were able to findRainier cans in Colorado, the search might be hardtoimpossible if you’re based on the East Coast. Rainier’sdistribution is mostly concentrated in the West.