You're a beer drinker. It's been a steaming summer, but a nice craft brew just won't do it. You want simple. And you want to keep an eye on your wallet.

You want a budget beer.

With the dog days of summer in mind, we embarked on a challenge: Find and review a month's worth of low-cost, simple beers. Are they all the same? Are some better than others? Do they all look alike? We found the answers: No, yes and pretty much.

We learned a few things along the way. Almost everyone -- from beer snobs to casual drinkers -- has a memory of these mostly long-established beers. People often told us, "I remember drinking that when . . ." Or "That's the beer we used to buy when . . ."

About our methodology: We tried to avoid light or ice versions of these beers. We stuck mostly to lagers. All the selections are brewed in the United States and, despite some being regional beers, can be found at Northeast Ohio retailers. All are 12-ounce cans or bottles unless noted.

To see all our reviews, go through the photo gallery. See links below for our overall remarks.

Enjoy August. Cheers!

By Marc Bona of The Plain Dealer and Rick Armon of the Akron Beacon Journal.

More beer

• Think you know your cheap beers? Before you review Marc & Rick's choices in our gallery, take this quiz to see if you can recognize the labels with the names removed.

Armon's top five

1. Ballantine

2. Schlitz

3. Schlitz Red Bull

4. Lionshead

5. Red Dog

• Budget beers: Rick Armon's experiences

Bona's top five

1. Schaefer

2. Iron City

3. Natural Light

4. Ballantine

5. Schlitz Red Bull

• Budget beers: Marc Bona's experiences