This $5 Scottish "bevvy" challenges any preconceived notions of what a brown ale should taste like. A hint of caramel mixes well with the nutty flavor, but never overpowers the malt and hops. Creamy and sweet, with perfectly balanced carbonation, it tastes like something you could put out at Thanksgiving.

This $2.75 happy hour lager is one reason never to knock communism. The brewery was founded in Quingdao by German immigrants in 1903, and that influence carries over today in the light, mild flavor. The mass-produced beer has a distinctly earthy aftertaste that falls somewhere between a heaping bowl of rice and a shot of sake.

This $6.60 Belgian beer tastes uncharacteristically fresh for an import, and its sweet-tangy flavor is reminiscent of sour cherries. It goes down smooth with every sip and isn't as rich as other, more popular, expensive microbrews. Monk's is the only place you can get this on tap—just one more reason it broke the top 20 on BeerAdvocate.com's "Top 50 Places to Have a Beer" list.

Known as Budveiser outside the U.S., this $4.75 Czech beer would have better distribution here if it weren't for its trouble with naming rights. The light, crisp flavor and sweet, biting aftertaste make it one of the finest pilsners on the planet and certainly better than anything homegrown.

This $3 Lithuanian lager may fool you into thinking it's a wheat beer, but it's definitely not. It's carbonated, adding more bite and less blandness. Half beach and half bar, this also enables it to maintain its subtly sweet, airy flavor without sacrificing the necessary harsh beer burn.