Light beer

[ctgm]

I don't really get the point of these light/ultra beers that the US is seemingly so keen on. Sure we get some weaker beers in the UK, but except from some bitters at about 3.5-4%, I do not know anyone who drinks them.

Could someone enlighten me as to why they exist?

[nerissa]

As much as I love beer, sometimes after a night out drinking beer, it feels like you have consumed a meal. People like light beers because they are less filling and or have fewer calories.

[tommy]

People like light beers because they are less filling and or have fewer calories.

tastes great.

[mogsob]

CAMRA is currently in the midst of their Mild campaign. However, UK Milds taste like beer, while US lights taste like water.

There is also a fallacy about filling = calories. Guinness has very low calories for a beer, while some lagers have very high calories. The key is alcohol content. Besides, I'd rather drink one Pride than a six pack of Miller Light.

[guajolote]

People like light beers because they are less filling and or have fewer calories.

tastes great.

less filling.

Meet you in the fountain in 5 minutes.

[bigbear]

People like light beers because they are less filling and or have fewer calories.

tastes great.

less filling.

less great.

[ctgm]

People like light beers because they are less filling and or have fewer calories.

So Americans are concerned by their waist lines!!! :º)

But seriously, if they are concerned by the calorific content, surely it is better to have one bottle of beer that tastes great rather than 3 or 4 that don't.

Edited May 28, 2003 by ctgm (log)

[tommy]

But seriously, if they are concerned by the calorific content, surely it is better to have one bottle of beer that tastes great rather than 3 or 4 that don't.

considering one of the side effects of drinking beer is catching a buzz, taste isn't the only consideration.

[herbacidal]

But seriously, if they are concerned by the calorific content, surely it is better to have one bottle of beer that tastes great rather than 3 or 4 that don't.

considering one of the side effects of drinking beer is catching a buzz, taste isn't the only consideration.

what's wit all the different avatars, tommy? you had the same one for a long time, now it looks like you're changing every week.

[jhlurie]

I don't really get the point of these light/ultra beers that the US is seemingly so keen on. Sure we get some weaker beers in the UK, but except from some bitters at about 3.5-4%, I do not know anyone who drinks them.

Could someone enlighten me as to why they exist?

It's for people who want to pretend that they aren't drinking beer. It's that simple--it's for the self-delusional.

[mogsob]

considering one of the side effects of drinking beer is catching a buzz, taste isn't the only consideration.

This is the great fallacy of light beer. The vast percentage of calories from beer come from alcohol (which is why Guinness is relatively low in calories). Light beer therefore has less alcohol, so you need to drink more of them to catch a buzz. Either way, you lose calorie-wise.

[Hopleaf]

As with any food that is consumed by a large number of people, there are those of us (Americans) who can and actually do appreciate good beer. That's not to say that we're averse to ever consuming a light beer. Regular, canned beers (à la Miller Lite) remind me of going to Wrigley Field for a Cubs game, especially if I can find an authentic wax-lined paper cup. My parents also would occassionally imbibe in the local canned beers and, needlesstosay, my first sip of beer was of this ilk.

And hell, drinking more of them isn't really all that big of a deal, is it? that's kind of the point. Plus there's more cans to recycle.

[beans]

It is interesting to note where I currently work, 97% of our beer sales are either Bud Light or Miller Lite.

When I resided in Alaska, 95% of the beer sales were Budweiser, MGD, while the other local favourites were high sellers (Alaskan Brewing Company or Full Sail Brewery). And I cannot forget the others -- requests for Olympia or Ranier beers, which are light bodied themselves and mind you quite an acquired taste, but that is also more of a regional type of favourite as well. We rarely stocked nothing more than a bare minimum of Bud Light and Miller Lite (3 cases of each on hand).

While I enjoy Candian lagers and an occassional oil can of Foster's, and if I can't have my Alaskan Amber, well then I opt for Miller Lite. Not a fan of Bud products and I don't like MGD or Miller High Life! I just like its taste and it isn't so much about the calorie thing. If I were worried about calories, then I wouldn't be drinking beers or cocktails! I think it is similar to one day drinking Merlot, the other Zinfandel.

[JAZ]

I think there are two main reasons.

First, some people are so conditioned to watch their calories/weight that they automatically chooose the "light" version of everything, regardless of the actual calorie savings and loss of flavor. These people may not even know or remember what real beer tastes like, just as they no longer remember the taste of full fat ice cream or non-diet soda.

Second, some people really don't like the taste of beer, so their choice is the beverage that actually tastes the least like real beer. But just why they're drinking any beer remains a mystery.

Then, I think that some people who otherwise would drink flavorful good beers occasionally choose a light beer (or a full calorie but less flavorful beer like Bud or Miller) -- for example, on a hot day, when quenching one's thirst, not flavor, is the main point. In those cases, what they want really is beer- flavored water. There's even a generic term for these beers -- "lawnmower beer."

[Rich Pawlak]

An interesting opinion on this topic can be found in the latest installment of "Buzzin'" a monthly feature of beer writer Lew Bryson's website, www.lewbryson.com, and his place to vent and opinionate. This month's take on buying light beer is just classic. This is a consistently entertaining and informative website, IMHO.

[Kerouac1964]

For one thing, the "light" beers have several things in common. Most are Pilsners of Germanic brewing origin. Now, look at your older established brewerys in America before / after 1900. They were mainly located in the Midwest, St. louis, Milwaukee, Chicago. They used the crops they had available in the Midwest.

These were German immigrant started brewerys.

Why all in the Midwest? Before refridgerated rail cars, beer would be shipped from the central United states to all points south/ east /west. These beers were especially popular in the bigger cities during the noon meal. Workers in Chicago would often break for lunch, and go to the nearest saloon near their factory and drink 1 or two [3 or 4 <g>], eating the free lunches that would be offered to intice the customers in.

I also think the lighter beers [i.e. beers with less alcohol content] came about because of the temperance movements. The brewers fought back by offering a product that their customers could have during the noon break and not get as intoxicated on, before returning to work.

Eventually later into the 20th century, factories got wise and had the workers stay on site to have their meals, thereby stopping the noon practice of beer.

True Light/Lite versions came out, as part of advertising/marketshare wars and also reflecting the pop culture of a healthier product. I grew up on the Pabst, Miller high life, Schlitz, Hamms, Old Milwaukee, Budwiser on tap. When Lite came around, it was huge. Most bars were two-tappers here in Sioux City. Lite was everywhere. They had cornered a huge marketshare for some time, before the other breweries fought back. Probably due to linking their advertising to the ever-popular NFL league that was just getting popular in tv in the 70s.

I remember grumbling....blech...why have Lite, when I can drink a tastier Miller from the same brewery? It never made sense to me. Thru guerrilla marketing tactics they sometimes took over a bar's taps completely, and would essentially force anyone drinking tap beer there to drink / get used to the new LITE beer.

Whew....gotta have me a couple of cans of suds with lunch!

Milwaukee's Best Light with only 3.5 carbs per can.

[=Mark]

When did a "carb" become a unit of measure?

[fresh_a]

The continuing trend of homogeny. Make everything taste the same.

[malarkey]

I don't really get the point of these light/ultra beers that the US is seemingly so keen on.

Could someone enlighten me as to why they exist?

They exist for the unwashed masses.