Light lagers are an American institution, with Michelob Ultra recently becoming the best-selling beer by volume. It’s interesting that light lagers sell as well as they do, because so many are objectively terrible. However, some light lagers do pass the taste test, and I’d happily enjoy them pretty much any day of the week.
So, here are the 13 best light lagers, ranked from best to worst.
1. Kirin Light
ABV: 3.2% Calories: 95
Japanese lagers are already light and crisp, but Kirin Light takes it a step further. It’s surprising how much flavor you get out of Kirin Light. You really don’t lose much of the Japanese lager flavor despite the “light” profile, and it unsurprisingly goes great with sushi and ramen.
2. Michelob Ultra
ABV: 4.2% Calories: 95
America’s best-selling beer, Michelob Ultra markets itself as an athlete’s go-to alcohol. The only time I ever have Michelob Ultra is on the links, which is part of the reason I ranked it as one of the best golf beers, but I can confirm that it does pair really well with activity. It’s incredibly light but brings just enough real beer flavor to enjoy, though it’s easy to finish these pretty quickly when it’s hot outside.
3. Miller Lite
ABV: 4.2% Calories: 96
I’ll always have a soft spot for Miller Lite, which is interesting because I don’t like any of Miller’s other beers. But Miller Lite somehow brings real beer flavor that’s legitimately good to taste. It doesn’t really drink like a light beer the way other beers on this list do, and that’s what sets it apart.
4. Sapporo Light
ABV: 3.5% Calories: 99
Another great Japanese lager that thrives as a light beer, Sapporo Light does pretty much everything Kirin Light does, just not as much to my taste. You could easily switch Sapporo Light and Kirin Light on this list and be completely justified; it just comes down to which you prefer more, and Sapporo is my second-favorite light Japanese beer.
5. Heineken Silver
ABV: 4% Calories: 95
Heineken Silver appears on a lot of lists of mine for a few reasons. First, Heineken is one of my favorite import beers. Second, Heineken Silver keeps most of that classic Heineken flavor while cutting the calories below 100. While light beer is a distinctly American trend, Heineken Silver is an example of how good European lagers can still be when brewed light.
6. Yuengling Light Lager
ABV: 4% Calories: 99
Yuengling Light Lager survives this high on the list in large part because it’s still sort of a novelty to me. Yuengling is not easy to find on the West Coast, but I enjoy getting the Yuengling Light Lager whenever I travel east. If I had unlimited access to Yuengling, then I would maybe rank it lower, but it deserves to live on the top half of this list.
7. Coors Light
ABV: 4.2% Calories: 102
This is the final beer that makes the “enjoyable” cut, and sort of just barely. Coors Light doesn’t really have much flavor, and partially by design as it’s marketed to be enjoyed cold, and cold beer tastes better because you can’t taste it at all. But I would consider Coors Light enjoyable because you can’t really taste it, so it’s pretty close to water, and I like drinking water.
8. Corona Light
ABV: 4% Calories: 99
I don’t like Corona, but Corona Light gets ranked as highly as it does because it’s better than what follows. Corona Light is essentially a lighter version of Corona Extra, so you’ll still need limes if you want to get any amount of enjoyment from this beer. Without diluting the beer with lime, what little flavor Corona Light offers isn’t enjoyable.
9. Pabst Blue Ribbon Easy
ABV: 3.8% Calories: 99
If PBR isn’t light enough for you, the Pabst Blue Ribbon Easy should do the job. And even if PBR is drinkable for you, PBR Easy might not be. The little malty flavor that PBR brings is more or less lost with PBR Easy. Regular PBR is 4.7% ABV and 144 calories. Does saving 50 calories really justify drinking an obviously inferior beer?
10. Bud Light
ABV: 4.2% Calories: 110
Trying to find the flavors in Bud Light is a chore. When served cold, Bud Light has a thin beer-adjacent flavor that lingers for way too long. When served warm, Bud Light has a little bit more flavor, but then you’re drinking warm beer that’s still not very good.
11. Keystone Light
ABV: 4.1% Calories: 101
What sets Keystone Light apart from other light beers is that it has noticeable flavor, probably a result of the 0.7 grams of protein (!) in each can. You might be able to build muscle drinking Keystone Light! But the flavor from this light beer is thick and unenjoyable, the same way so many protein drinks are.
12. Natural Light
ABV: 4.2% Calories: 95
Another high-in-protein light lager, Natural Light has no redeeming qualities. Natty Light drinks more like a light malt liquor than beer, which defeats the purpose entirely since the point of malt liquor is to get a high ABV brew at a low cost. With Natural Light, you get a low ABV at a low cost, but with all the downsides of malt liquor.
13. Busch Light
ABV: 4.1% Calories: 95
It was close, but Busch Light wins “Worst Light Lager” from Short Brews. Maybe next year, Natural Light! Busch Light is the least enjoyable of the “light beers marketed to frat bros” category. The beer has no discernible flavor but a very discernible aftertaste that won’t go away. I wish I hadn’t tried it again, but here we are.
Final Thoughts: “Best” Light Beer
I would only recommend a few of these light beers to friends, because so many of them don’t bring anything to the table. But I like that more breweries are exploring light options, kind of like how non-alcoholic beers are getting more attention.
Because new light beers are always getting released, I’m excited to revisit this in the future to see if there are any new contenders for the best light beer.
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