Our friends over at Made Man put together a good piece on my precious light beer. Here is a partial repost of it, make sure to check out the whole thing.
Since we are men rarely seen without a pint in hand, people think it is okay to ask questions of us about beer. It’s not. Interrupting a man’s leisure time is harassment. That said, we have found ourselves unable to shake one such recent inquiry. What is the best light beer? Normally, there two stock answers for this question, assuming we remain near the person asking it — “None,” or “Why?”. Stepping away from cynicism momentarily, we admitted, to ourselves, that this might be an interesting discussion, between us and us. Thus, it began.
First, what is a light beer and why would someone drink one? Using the standards of well-known beers labeled as “light”, such a brew is one that is low in calories, generally having less complex flavor and color relative to a “regular” beer. Also characteristic of a light beer is a lower alcohol content and sometimes lower price. Macro-brewed light beers usually list an ABV (alcohol by volume) of about 4%, calories around 110 and about 4 grams of carbohydrates. We am assuming that one drinks these beers because they want the buzz from the alcohol, the taste of the beer, but not the belly from the brew. Also, there must be some affinity for beer, whether it be the light, refreshing taste or the way a pint looks in one’s hand. Otherwise, the drinker would choose a cocktail or shot, both offering lower caloric methods of inebriating oneself.
Mass-marketed, macro-brewed beers without question contain the least calories, least carbs and lowest price. But sometimes they taste like piss. Which, obviously, is a problem for them. Occasionally, however, the brewing behemoths produce a beer that, while remaining very light, stands out as slightly more thirst-quenching. Budweiser Select, Anheuser-Busch’s “exception to the brewing rules” (their quote, not ours), is intended to be very light, but flavorful as well. It has excellent stats - 99 calories, 3.1 grams of carbs and an ABV of 4.3%. Also, it is has a bit more color than say, Bud light, and a hint more malty taste. Plus it is only found in bottles, so you know it is classy.
Of course, this is MadeMan.com, not starving_college_student.com, so the “Best” in any category is rarely going to be what everyone else is having. That said, there are several craft brews that are both tasty and belly-friendly. Likely the least known comes from an east coast brewery, Flying Dog. Its “Tire Bite” ale fits well within the established qualifications, boasting stats of 124 calories and 7.1 grams of carbs, while still maintaining a 5% ABV. Also, Tire Bite offers something absent in most light beers, hop flavor and aroma. To keep calories low, brewers must use a relatively small amount of malt, and thus little hops. In such a recipe, it is easy for the hops to become over powering and ruin the beer. Kudos to Flying Dog for giving us a balanced drink both light, and hoppy.
