The 10 worst beers in the world, according to Beer Advocate
The 10 worst beers in the world, according to Beer Advocate
It's no surprise that Americans love their beer.
In 2026, the is valued at an estimated $916.12 billion, up slightly from $882.80 billion in 2025. Still, U.S. beer revenue has cooled amid , tariffs, and broader economic turbulence.
A , imposed in April 2025, doubled to 50% that June and survived a February 2026 Supreme Court ruling that struck down other Trump tariffs. An technically exempted "beer" itself from the tax, though the aluminum cans it ships in are still taxed at 50%. Separately, the in July 2026 for tariffs as high as 75% on Mexican beer like Modelo and Corona, though nothing has been enacted yet.
According to the , the retail dollar value of craft beer fell 2.8% in 2025, to $28.0 billion — milder than first reported after a June 2026 correction. Craft's share of total beer dollars ticked up slightly, to 24.8%, even as volume fell.
lets users rank and review any beer sold, and critics don't mince words about watery taste or over-carbonation. Ironically, many of the worst-ranked beers — including Corona Extra and Bud Light — are also the best-selling nationwide, a reflection of , built around fraternities, tailgates, and quick, high-volume drinking rather than pacing.
Regional breweries have chipped away at Big Beer's dominance for over a decade. In 2010, Anheuser-Busch InBev and Molson Coors controlled roughly 77% of U.S. beer sales; to somewhere in the 60-65% range.
So, which beers are Americans "hate-drinking?" ±¬ÁÏTV compiled the 10 worst-rated beers in the world using as of July 2026, based on weighted rank among beers with more than 100 ratings. Because BeerAdvocate's rankings don't distinguish between current and discontinued beers, this list is further narrowed to beers still in active production.
#10 Busch Ice
- Average rating: 1.87 (376 votes)
- Type: American Adjunct Lager
- ABV: 5.9%
- Brewery: Anheuser-Busch
- Location: Missouri, United States
is brewed using the same sub-freezing "ice" process as its siblings Bud Ice and Natural Ice, concentrating the alcohol content along the way. Reviewers are unimpressed: one advised readers to "avoid this like the plague," while another summed it up as a "frat house buzz brew."
#9. Bud Light
- Average rating: 1.88 (6,753 votes)
- Type: Light Lager
- ABV: 4.2%
- Brewery: Anheuser-Busch
- Location: Missouri, United States
Bud Light is so popular that it inspired , including Bud Light Seltzers, Bud Light Peels, Bud Light Platinum, and Bud Light Chelada. The beer was described by one reviewer as "."
#8. Natural Ice
- Average rating: 1.87 (1,624 votes)
- Type: American Adjunct Lager
- ABV: 5.9%
- Brewery: Anheuser-Busch
- Location: Missouri, United States
Though both beers are largely disliked by American consumers, Natural Ice has a for drinkability, thanks to its higher alcohol content. The beer is brewed with hops, malt, and corn at a temperature below freezing—thus the "Ice" moniker.
#7. Milwaukee's Best Light
- Average rating: 1.85 (748 votes)
- Type: Light Lager
- ABV: 4.1%
- Brewery: Miller Brewing Co.
- Location: Wisconsin, United States
Though Milwaukee's Best Light is one of the lowest-ranked beers amongst the American public, it is favored by some judging panels, having won a silver medal at the 2006 Great American Beer Festival. In an effort to get the drink into the national spotlight, the beer was made a sponsor of the 36th World Series of Poker and
#6. Keystone Light
- Average rating: 1.85 (2,229 votes)
- Type: Light Lager
- ABV: 4.1%
- Brewery: Coors Brewing Company (Molson-Coors)
- Location: Colorado, United States
As the name Keystone Light would suggest, largely focus on the fact that it's very watery. The beer is popular in drinking games, where its weak taste makes it easy to drink quickly in large volumes.
#5. Beer 30 Light
- Average rating: 1.66 (105 votes)
- Type: Light Lager
- ABV: 4.0%
- Brewery: Melanie Brewing Company
- Location: Wisconsin, United States
This has a low alcohol content, as many light beers do. that you get what you pay for with Beer 30 Light, with many commenting on its unappealing odor and aftertaste.
#4. Miller Extra Light (formerly Miller 64)
- Average rating: 1.81 (845 votes)
- Type: Light Lager
- ABV: 2.8%
- Brewery: Miller Brewing Co.
- Location: Wisconsin, United States
. Molson Coors rebranded the beer as , shifting the marketing pitch away from its 64-calorie count and toward its rock-bottom 2.8% ABV, in step with the broader industry push into low- and no-alcohol beer.
The rebrand hasn't won over the faithful — its BeerAdvocate rating has actually slipped slightly since the switch, and that the new formulation isn't the same beer they used to reach for. Critics still describe it as "barely beer," a label that appears to have survived the name change intact.
#3. Natural Light
- Average rating: 1.78 (2,447 votes)
- Type: Light Lager
- ABV: 4.2%
- Brewery: Anheuser-Busch
- Location: Missouri, United States
Known fondly by American consumers as "Natty Light," this lager undergoes a longer brewing process to achieve its . Natural Light now has a variety of offshoot products, including seltzers, vodka mixes, and lemonade drinks.
#2. Keystone Ice
- Average rating: 1.75 (794 votes)
- Type: American Adjunct Lager
- ABV: 5.9%
- Brewery: Coors Brewing Company (Molson-Coors)
- Location: Colorado, United States
presence here comes with a wrinkle: Molson Coors discontinued it in 2021 as part of a push toward pricier, premium brews. In May 2026, the company , part of a broader effort to shore up its struggling value-beer lineup.
Reviewers, for their part, don't seem to be lobbying for its return. One called it "hobo piss," while another described the taste as "sweetened, diseased grain and cheap perfume." Back in stores or not, it's back among BeerAdvocate's least-loved.
#1. Budweiser Select 55
- Average rating: 1.66 (642 votes)
- Type: Light Lager
- ABV: 2.4%
- Brewery: Anheuser-Busch
- Location: Missouri, United States
Budweiser Select 55 is a , and brewed with a caramel taste. Anheuser-Busch has been instrumental in popularizing lagers amongst American consumers for decades, after the beer style was first introduced to the U.S. thanks to German immigrants in the mid-19th century. One Beer Advocate reviewer thusly: "It's thin, flavorless, and odd smelling."
