Put Down That Bud Lite And Try One Of These Tasty Craft Brews Instead
Recently launched personalized beer and wine suggestion app Next Glass helped us round up 12 craft alternatives to the most commonly ordered beers.
Next Glass takes user ratings to create an algorithm that suggests similar wines or beers, taking the question of "will I like it?" out of the equation.
If you normally drink Budweiser, try Kenya Breweries' Tusker Premium Lager.
Kenya Breweries makes its Tusker Premium Lager from locally sourced ingredients around the Savannah and the Maasai Mara. Light and biscuit-y, Tusker is a top-selling beer in Kenya, and available around the US.
If you normally drink Bud Light, try River Horse Brewing Co.'s Summer Blonde Ale.
Based in Ewing, New Jersey, River Horse Brewing Company's Summer Blonde Ale is crisp and easy to drink. Like Bud Light, its low alcohol content (4.5%) means it's great if you plan on having more than one.
If you normally drink Blue Moon, try Coronado Brewing Co.'s Orange Avenue Wit.
Blue Moon is known for its citrus notes and light body. Coronado Brewing Company, in Coronado, California, brews its Orange Avenue Wit with orange zest, like Blue Moon, but also incorporates coriander and orange blossom honey for sweetness.
If you normally drink Heineken, try Birra Moretti.
Lightly malty with the pleasant hoppiness of a traditional lager, Birra Moretti is the Italian version of Heineken - and in fact, is brewed by Heineken Italia, so it won't be a huge jump in making the switch.
If you normally drink Corona, try Pittsburgh Brewing Co.'s Iron City Beer.
Pittsburgh Brewing Company's Iron City Beer is an American lager with sweet corn and wheat aromas. It's lightly hopped, and light in body.
If you normally drink Guinness, try Starr Hill Brewing Co.'s Dark Starr Irish Dry Stout.
Charlottesville, Virginia's Starr Hill Brewing Co. earned multiple gold medals at the Great American Beer Festival for its Dark Starr Irish Dry Stout. Velvet-y, like Guinness, this beer features the roasted flavors of coffee and dark chocolate.
If you normally drink Miller Lite, try Kirin's Kirin LIGHT.
Miller Lite is a light, drinkable lager which, at 96 calories, is a great beer for those watching their waistlines. Japan's Kirin Brewery Co.'s Kirin LIGHT is comparable, at 95 calories, with an enjoyably hoppy taste.
If you normally drink Sam Adams Boston Lager, try Heavy Seas' Cutlass Amber Lager.
One of Sam Adams' most popular beers is its Boston Lager. Heavy Seas Beer, from Halethorpe, Maryland, makes its Cutlass Amber Lager uses some of the same hops, and has a warm, toasted quality.
The Lion Brewery
If you normally drink Pabst Blue Ribbon, try The Lion Brewery's Lionshead Premium Lager.
Crisp and dry, Lionshead Premium Lager from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania's The Lion Brewery is thirst-quenching, with just a hint of sweetness in the finish.
If you normally drink Yuengling, try Great Lakes Brewing's Eliot Ness Amber Lager.
Based in Cleveland, Ohio, Great Lakes Brewing Co.'s Eliot Ness Amber Lager is a classic example of a Vienna-style lager: malty from the grains and crisp and a little bitter from the hops.
If you normally drink Newcastle Brown Ale, try Wachusett Brewing Co.'s Nut Brown Ale.
Westminster, Massachusetts' Wachusett Brewing Co.'s Nut Brown Ale is rich and nutty. A light body and low alcohol content keep the beer from being overpowering.
If you normally drink Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, try Highland Brewing Co.'s Little Hump Spring.
Sierra Nevada is one of the original craft breweries, but its large production volume - about 1 million barrels a year - makes it widely available and has people wondering, "what else?" Highland Brewing Co., in Asheville, North Carolina, makes Little Hump Spring, an American pale ale brewed with three different kinds of hops that finishes nice and dry.