The Worst Classic American Beer

The world of classic American beers is a wide and surprisingly diverse one. From iconic choices like Budweiser, Pabst Blue Ribbon, and Coors Banquet to light beers and even craft varieties, there's a beer for every taste and budget. However, not every domestic brew is worth a spot in your fridge. When we ranked classic American beers from worst to best, our three-tester panel narrowly awarded the last-place spot to Rolling Rock, which lost points for its underwhelming taste and more limited availability.

The beer's roots stretch back to 1893, when the Latrobe Brewing Company first opened its doors in a small town near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. However, it took 46 years (including a break during prohibition) before brewers developed Rolling Rock, an extra-pale lager created from a relatively straightforward mix of water, malt, rice, corn, hops, and yeast, and packaged in the now-familiar green bottles.

The primary problem for our testers was simply an undesirable taste. "The extra pale ale tasted a touch grassy, and a little sweeter than some of the other beers similar to it," they described. BeerAdvocate agreed with the low appraisal, rating it poor, with the site's users similarly in line, giving it a 2.64 out of 5 across thousands of reviews. Meanwhile, unlike widely available Busch Light (which was in close competition for last place), Rolling Rock may also be somewhat more difficult to find for some drinkers outside its home region of Pennsylvania and the surrounding states.

Those who may have sampled a Rolling Rock in decades past may be surprised to see the beer at the back of the pack. However, it's worth noting the brew has seen some changes over time, including a significant one that was once a key part of its branding. Brewing giant Anheuser-Busch acquired the brand in 2006, then transitioned most production away from the famous glass-lined tanks and how it had been traditionally brewed to more standard steel brewing vessels nine years later.

Coincidentally, a fellow Pennsylvania brewer took the top spot on our ranking of classic American beers, serving as an ideal alternative: Yuengling, America's oldest brewery. Reviewers praised the brewery's amber-colored flagship beer for its flavor, saying, "[It's] clear, light, and balanced, with minimal bitterness." The highest-rated option similar to Rolling Rock's lighter style is Pabst Blue Ribbon, another brew with roots stretching back generations.

At the end of the day, taste is subjective, and there's no doubt there are many fans of this longtime standby beer. In fact, when we surveyed Americans about their favorite cheap beer to drink, Rolling Rock earned a respectable fourth place, selected by 10% of respondents. Still, as our ranking shows, there are plenty of superior options that provide a better drinking experience for those looking to quench their thirst with a classic American brew.