10 popular “light” brews. Each beer was judged on consistency (smooth, thick), flavor (hoppy, fruity, floral, malty, butter, watered down), carbonation (flat or fizzy), aftertaste and drinkability. Here’s how our “experts” ranked them — from worst to best.
Corona Light
Ranked: Last place
Price for a 6-pack: Around $8
A unanimous “yuck.” Corona’s light version scored the lowest marks in almost every category. Our tasters were offended by its “horrid” smell and even worse aftertaste. Only one brave soul said she’d drink it again. Another summed it up: “I’d only drink it again before I died of thirst, but I’d have to be really close to death.”
Not even a lime wedge could save this one!
Corona
12 oz.
Calories 109
Carbs 5 g
Budweiser Select
Ranked: 9th
Price for a 6-pack:
Around $6
Bud’s commercials feel good. Its light beer didn’t. Testers had no mercy for Select, describing it as heavily carbonated with a strong aftertaste.
A few said they wouldn’t buy – or chug – it, even if it was free.
One tester likened it to a wine cooler. If you’re into that sort of thing, Bud Select might be for you. Not to mention, it’s one of the lowest-cal beers we sipped, even less than Bud Light.
12oz.
Calories 99
Carbs 3.1g
Miller Lite
Ranked: 8th
Price for a 6-pack:Around $6
Did the Miller folks forget to add flavor, just like they forgot how to spell “light”? This beer’s only redeeming quality, according to testers, is its smoothness.
“It tastes like beer water,” said one. “I’d drink it again only on a hot day,” exclaimed another.
Perhaps Miller should try the bottled water market?
12 oz
Calories 96
Carbs 3.2g
Heineken Light
Ranked: 7th
Price for a 6-pack:Around $8
Nothing sets this brew apart from the pack except its mixed reviews.
Despite a “bitter” and “bad aftertaste,” most tasters found it smooth and drinkable. One pronounced it the “best of the bunch;” another thought it tasted “skunky.” Yet another proclaimed that he wouldn’t touch it unless “someone else was buying. I know I’d wake up with a pretty bad hangover” speaking a foreign language.
Its unwelcome taste may be a good thing, considering Heineken Light has the second-highest carb count on the list.
12 oz.
Calories 99
Carbs 6.8g
Michelob Ultra
Ranked:6th
Price for a 6-pack: Around $6
Ultra’s selling point is a beer for the carb-conscious consumer. Had our testers known that, they might have given it better grades.
Not that Ultra shared last-place with Corona Light. It’s just, well, as one taster put it, “kind of boring and mild.” Reviewers also called it the “flattest beer” of the bunch.
But Ultra gets two thumbs up for its skinny stats: 95 calories and 2.6 g of carbs, a claim not many brews can make. Maybe it’s a taste you can acquire?
12 oz.
Calories: 95
Carbs: 2.6g
MGD 64
Ranked: 5th
Price for a 6-pack:Around $6
Introduced just last year, this light brewski boasts the lowest calories and carbs of the 10 we tested. But its nutritional profile didn’t earn Miller high ratings among our tasters.
Why? Although rankers groused about it being too smooth and hoppy (having a bitter, citrusy, spicy or grassy flavor), the unsavory wateriness and thick aftertaste canceled out some of those negative votes.
Still, a No. 5 ranking is respectable, considering you may not find a lower-cal cocktail at your local watering hole.
12oz.
Calories 64
Carbs 2.4g
Natural Light
Ranked: 4th
Price for a 12-pack:Around $8
Affectionately called “Natty Light” in some circles, this nip is an enigma: Voted one of the most watery beers on the list, testers claimed they’d reach for it again. (Hey, no one ever said we were beer connoisseurs here!) “No taste, but definitely drinkable,” as one “expert” put it.
So why’d we rank Natty No. 4? It was “neutral, but balanced,” said one critic. “Tasted like I was drinking soda water,” said another.
The Natural Light folks got one thing right: the price. It’s the cheapest beer of the bunch.
12 oz.
Calories: 95
Carbs: 3.2g
Sapporo Light
Ranked:3rd
Price for a 6-pack:Around $8
The Japanese have taken over the car market. Is beer next?
Our testers detected hints of fruitiness in this brew and quite a few found it nicely carbonated with an appealing aftertaste. But one lone voice said that it “hurt to swallow.”
Oh well, you can’t win them all. Try it for yourself.
12 oz.
Calories: 96
Carbs: 4.5g
Sam Adams Light
Ranked: 2nd
Price for a 6-pack:Around $8
“Spicy,” “nutty,” “malty” and “thick” must be traits beer drinkers are looking for: Sam Adams had all these – and came in a close second.
Even its copper sheen garnered “oohs” and “ahhs” – a nice change from the blond paleness of other beers we tasted. One tester summed it up perfectly: “This beer had the best flavor, aroma and body on the list.”
Good old American know-how, from the only U.S. craft brewery on our list.
12 oz.
Calories: 119
Carbs: 9.7g
Coors Light
Ranked: 1st
Price for a 6-pack: Around $6
Dubbed “the world’s most refreshing beer,” Coors’ calorie-friendly counterpart squeaked into first place for its smooth, carbonated flavor. Although our testers thought it was watered-down, that didn’t stop them from crowning it Numero Uno. (As a beer-tender, I’ve come away from this test thinking the more watery the beer, the better.)
Drinkers lauded this pale lager as “refreshing” and “very drinkable.” It’s not bad for our waistlines either.
Go out and try it today. Oh, and please drink responsibly.
12 oz.
Calories: 102
Carbs: 5.3g
Cheeder-Ale Soup
Our cheese- and beer-lover’s potato soup has only a fraction of the fat and sodium of a traditional recipe. We use low-fat milk and only a little oil and keep the flavor strong with zesty, sharp Cheddar cheese. Precooked diced potatoes, which you can get at many supermarkets, keep this recipe super speedy. Regular diced red potatoes also work—you’ll just need to increase the cooking time.
Makes 6 servings, 1 3/4 cups each
ACTIVE TIME: 35 minutes
TOTAL TIME: 35 minutes
EASE OF PREPARATION: Easy
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 12-ounce bottle beer, preferably ale
2 18-ounce bags precooked diced peeled potatoes (see Ingredient Note)
1 14-ounce can vegetable broth or reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 cup water
2 1/2 cups nonfat or low-fat milk
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese, divided
1 small red bell pepper, thinly sliced or finely chopped
1. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add beer; bring to a boil and boil for 5 minutes. Add potatoes, broth and water; cover and return to a boil. Reduce the heat to maintain a simmer, and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and mash the potatoes with a potato masher to the desired consistency.
2. Whisk milk and flour and add to the soup. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat and cook, whisking occasionally, until thickened, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in 1 1/4 cups Cheddar and stir until melted. Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with the remaining 1/4 cup cheese and bell pepper.
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<br /–>NUTRITION INFORMATION: Per serving: 389 calories; 12 g fat (5 g sat, 2 g mono); 32 mg cholesterol; 50 g carbohydrate; 16 g protein; 5 g fiber; 408 mg sodium; 238 mg potassium.
Nutrition bonus: Calcium (34% daily value), Vitamin C (32% dv), Vitamin A (19% dv).
3 Carbohydrate Servings
Exchanges: 2 1/2 starch, 1 vegetable, 1 high fat meat, 1/2 fat
TIP: Ingredient note: Look for precooked diced potatoes in the refrigerated section of most supermarket produce departments—near other fresh, prepared vegetables. To make your own, peel 2 1/4 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch pieces and boil until tender (about 15 minutes).
