Disposable cups are very convenient. Problem is, using them is wasteful, not to mention, a guaranteed way to leave your beer warm sooner than later. A reusable cup with some amount of insulation will almost always leave you with a better experience, whether you’re drinking a delicious craft brew, decent grocery fare, or some watered-down absolute swill that has no business existing (we know, we will still drink it when we’re really thirsty).
Luckily, there’s now a good selection of reusable, insulated cups designed precisely for this purpose. Whether you want to take them for camping, tailgates, or a regular weekend party at your buddy’s backyard, these cups should make drinking those ice cold beers all that much more fun.
YETI Rambler Stackable Pints
Arguably the best-insulated of the options we’ve seen so far, YETI’s 16oz double-walled drinking vessel can your beer chilly down to the last drop. Seriously, even if you plan on nursing 16oz of brew for the duration of the party, you can bet on seriously satisfying sips from the first one down to the last. It’s dishwasher-safe, saving you from having to soap up in the sink after every party, and stackable, so you can keep a few of these in the cupboard without taking up too much space. And, yes, this works just as well for coffee in the morning as it does for beer the night before.
Hydro Flask Cooler
While they offer much bigger tumblers, Hydro Flask’s 12oz “Cooler” model seems like the perfect size for sipping ice cold beer. We’re especially fond of its versatile design, which allows it to function either as a double-walled stainless steel cup, when the entire party is drinking off a keg, and a koozie, in case you’ve got a giant cooler filled with ice cold suds instead. A ring sleeve can be placed at the mouth of the cup during use as a koozie to ensure it will fit both bottles and cans, which you can keep at the bottom during use as a cup, where the sleeve will serve as both protection and a reinforced grip.
Stanley Go Tumbler with Ceramivac
As much as we love Stanley’s classic vacuum pint, the Ceramivac-coated Go Tumbler has become our preferred cold drink option from the brand. While its cold rolled steel build, grip-friendly size, and better-than-average insulation (keeps drinks chilled for seven hours) are all worthy of admiration, the drinking vessel’s most notable element is a ceramic coating that’s laid over both the inside and outside of the stainless steel shell. You know how it’s sometimes jarring how cold the feel of metal is in your lips? Well, that’s not a concern here, as the ceramic coating eliminates that, along with any potential for the smallest tinge of metallic taste.
Klean Kanteen Insulated Tumbler
Available in 8oz, 16oz, and 20oz sizes, the vacuum-walled stainless steel tumbler can keep chilled beers cold up to 24 hours with the splash-resistant lid on. Given that you’re not going to keep that on when partying with the boys, you might want to finish whatever drink is on there in the next couple hours. A wide mouth and a classic pint shape makes it easy to add ice and consume whatever’s inside, while the extremely durable powder-coating gives it a vibrant finish that’s going to last for years.
Corkcicle Triple-Insulated Tumbler
Corkcicle’s triple-insulated stainless steel cup can hold 12oz of suds, keep it cold for a respectable nine hours, and stay securely in your grip, courtesy of its flat sides, all while being arguably the best-looking tumbler in the market. Yes, there’s little chance you’ll drop this thing even when your head is spinning from too much of the good stuff, while a silicone bottom will keep it from sliding on wet tables and counters. It also comes with a secure sip-through lid and silicone gasket that you probably won’t need when chugging beers at the beach, all while being perfectly handy when you want to use this to sip on coffee while nursing a hangover in the morning. On the downside, make sure to clean diligently if you’re using it with coffee, as it will tend to stain pretty hard if you’re not going to be thorough.