Hacker News Reader

Comment by bluefishinit | Hacker News Reader

I love my IPAs but I have to admit that the UK does social beer right. 3% or even 2.5% ales are the way to go if you want to socially drink. We have a concept of a "session" beer in the US, which is lower ABV but the selection of really good, really low gravity beers is the best in the UK as far as I can tell.

View on HN

Londoner here. These beers exist and are part of the historic English beer tradition but are few and far between in city pubs these days. Pubs have started to stock Radlers like Schofferhoffer which is my go to, or a half pint (284ml/~10oz) of a strong beer like IPA.

This. You used to be able to get a few "session ales" in pubs which were under 4% and meant for long drinking sessions, now because of the rise of craft beer you're lucky if you get one. Meanwhile, there's always a ton of options over 5.5% which used to be unheard of.

I have been on the hunt for the past year in the mid-atlantic area of the US looking for <4% beers. The closest I've come is a German grapefruit beer (Schöfferhofer), but it doesn't really have that beer taste. Most US 'light' beers are around 4-4.2%.

Moosehead for example makes a Moosehead Light for the states at 4%, but they also offer Cracked Canoe which is only 3.2% but not sold in the states (available in the Canada, UK and Costa Rica of all places where I tried it).

Founders All Day IPA is like 4% if you can find it

Here in Germany, it's common to mix beer and sprite 50:50 for a 2,5% drink. It keeps more of the beer taste than you'd think.

It most certainly does not

In the UK it's called a Shandy.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shandy

A Radler.

I drink miller 64. It's 2.8%. I like it, very light.

What are you talking about? Almost all Pilsners and lagers, even from craft breweries come in under 4%

No chance, next restaurant you're at, 95% chance they don't have a single beer under 4.

Bell’s Brewery Light Hearted Ale is 3.7% and pretty tasty! They got bought up by a larger brand, so should be pretty available throughout the US.

I was first introduced to 3% beer in Norway. It was crazy expensive (due to taxes on alcohol) and really good. I was disappointed that I couldn't find anything similar in the US.

I'm in Sweden on vacation now (and still binging HN..) and they have 3,5% variants of most major brand of beers like Carlsberg, Heineken and others, It's great! It tastes like a real beer, but without the buzz I usually get after a six-pack.

3,5% is actually the maximum ABV you can get in supermarkets in Sweden by law. For anything higher ABV than that you need to go to the government-owned chain called Systembolaget or go to a bar or restaurant that has a license to serve alcohol.

Because of the restrictions though, craft breweries have been making some great <3,5% beers that they sell at supermarkets.

> 3,5% is actually the maximum ABV you can get in supermarkets in Sweden by law. For anything higher ABV than that you need to go to the government-owned chain called Systembolaget

Jesus that sounds terrible. I get the good intent I suppose but the hell..

It used to be the same in Colorado until recently. State law mandated only 3.2% alcohol by weight (~4.0% ABV) could be sold in grocery stores or consumed in state parks. It changed with a state-wide referendum.

There is a theory that this law is why craft beer boomed in Colorado. It is easier for small breweries to sell beer through a mom & pop liquor store than a national chain grocery store. Folks were more used to buying beer at liquor stores than other states.

Michigan is a liquor control state and also experienced a craft beer boom.

There are US states with monopolies on liquor sales too. It’s not that bad. The plus side is they are usually very clean and don’t let people hang around all day. It’s strictly business and that’s a good thing.

Systembolaget is a pretty good shop. They offer a wide range of products and in the case of wines they tell you what kind of food the product goes well with

I've been there! I agree; pretty good store :)

The history of it goes back to the same era when the US implemented prohibition. Sweden had a referendum about having prohibition as well, but the prohibitionists lost by a small margin, so instead of banning alcohol sales, they just kept the pre-existing WW1 rationing of alcohol in place even after the war ended. Eventually the rationing was removed but the government monopoly was kept in place.

IIRC Utah limits beer to 4% statewide - the major breweries make Utah-specific versions.

Falcon Export is my go to local beer here in Stockholm. It's also available in 3.5%.

Hope you enjoy your visit!

That’s a shame to hear. While I understand why Norway taxes alcohol, placing such high taxes on a low-alcohol alternative encourages purchase of higher alcohol options in the same product category.

Ideally low alchol beer would have a mild tax discount to encourage sustainable consumption.

That is sort of the case. Lower alcohol drinks are taxed less per volume.

But taxes are so high, that even low-alcohol drinks are still expensive.

A 3% beer is taxed ~US$1.25 for a half liter.

https://www.skatteetaten.no/en/business-and-organisation/vat...

There is currently a big surge in low alcohol concentration brewing with a range of new options available. You should check out distributors for more. I find many options at Whole Foods so this stuff must be approaching the mainstream.

Yes, mostly very low alcohol iirc (0.5). I am now living in France and the selection in low-alcohol is very limited, mostly German beers.

i went to a shop in Norway, and the assistant was very helpful, telling me all about the local beers on the shelves. i got my picks and went to the checkout. he's waiting for me, and with a straight face says "I can't sell you beer, it's past 6PM".

I visited the Dominican Republic several years ago, and at the all inclusive free beer stand people were getting glasses of 50% El Presidente pilsner and 50% soda water. To me that was a little bit alien, because it implies they like the taste of beer.

In theory yes but the problem is many people here (England) end up picking the session beers and then drinking 10 of them.

...before moving on to the stronger ones.

Here in Australia there is a distinct section of the market for ‘Mid’ beers at about 3-3.5%, and decent beer places usually have one available. Often brown ales, though there are lagers, pales etc too.

Makes a nice change of pace. Plus you can usually have one (and just one) and still drive.

> 3% or even 2.5% ales

I am not familiar with those, can someone give some examples of these types of beers?

This is close to home-brewed kefir.

Your joke made me chuckle. I then googled it and realised the kefir I make and drink every morning apparently has 0.5-2% alcohol.

I can't, and I'm in the UK. Even UK-brewed Fosters, widely conidered to be flavoured water, is 3.7%.

Even humans are basically flavored water.

The brown ales can be very low gravity. Usually you get low gravity stuff from a cask. I've had lighter ales that are really low too, but I think they are hard to find.

https://learn.kegerator.com/london-brown-ale/

Yeah, this is like "pints of mild" in 1980s old man pubs in the North. I am skeptical such beers exist now in any mainstream pub or bar.

Boddy's was a staple back up north until the Manchester brewery at Strangeways shut down. Going back a fair while now though.

Feels like these days the selection of cask ale is more limited but you have more variations on an IPA than you can shake a stick at.

Freewheel Brewing here in the SF Bay Area (Redwood City, to be specific, 1 block from my house to be much more specific to many fewer people) specializes in cask ales. Many of their beers are in the 4% range, and I love being able to get beer in an imperial pint.

Their London Calling is 3.5%.

http://freewheelbrewing.com/?p=312

I really like Full Sail Session IPA, every time I visit the US I get some. Germany is really lacking behind this hole development, the beer is just very poor these days here.

What are you talking about? Even most common supermarkets have a small variety of IPAs and other craft beers. And even without them there are small breweries everywhere in southern Germany which have great "classical" beers..

If you are the lucky one who lives in 10% of Germany that has good beer (i.e. some areas in Bavaria) then that's good, all the remaining country is filled with the corporate crap that owns 99% of beer companies. In USA, there're many places that serve their own beer. Virginia and looking for good food? Just search for any local craft brewery and you found it. Many bars and restaurants in Oregon and California have their own brewery in the backyard. I find these beers so much more interesting.

Yes, I buy Brew Dog and Crew Republic because they are good, but I just wish there was a local brewery around the corner. I live in a city of 700000, it _should_ be possible if not all the other people were blinded by the big guys' advertising.

Crew Republic, one of the biggest German craft beer producers, makes a session IPA.

Belgium produces many incredible beers that outshine American beers and should be easily found in Germany. I’m a massive fan of American beers but Belgium always gets my voice of support as well.

I can't tell - every time I see Belgium beer in Germany, it has >5% alcohol. I didn't find any Belgium beer with 2-3% alcohol here so far.

Ah, to be fair the weakest American beer I like here in the states is around 4.5% and usually well above 5%.

If you’re looking for the decent American lager style, I can see that being a bit more tricky.

This exists in the US too, it’s called Coors Light (4%). It just tastes like donkey piss.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com