A few months ago, when planning for a tasting, I wanted to find an example of a well-made, lower-alcohol beer. The search – and how surprisingly difficult it was to find one – got me thinking. We have become enamoured of big beer lately. Double IPAs, Imperial This and That, Extra Hopped The Other.
There is, of course, absolutely nothing wrong with that. I enjoy a big beer as much as the next beer geek. The intensity of the flavours and the assertiveness of the body demand thoughtful consumption. But I wonder if beer aficionados – myself included – in our enthusiasm to heap praise on the bigger beer, have left small beer standing alone along the gym wall, hoping someone will pick them to dance. Craft brewers, for the most part, seem to have abandoned the small beer market to the corporates, with their watery, bland “lite” beer. I know there are exceptions, but we see very few craft beer at 4.5% alcohol (or so) or under.
Consequently, I think small beer (I prefer the term “small” to “light” as it is less misleading and avoids the corporate branding problem) does not get the same kind of careful consideration bolder styles do, and thus we can be somewhat dismissive of them. It can be brutally hard to make a flavourful beer that has low alcohol levels; harder in many respects than making a hop-bomb Double IPA. It takes serious brewing skill to keep the buzz down, but the yum factor up.
So, after mulling the issue over a bit, I felt I should, at least in my humble corner of the beer world, correct that omission. Which I have done with a two-part series for my Beer 101 column looking at the wonders of small beer. The first part is live and you can read it here. One of the first things I discovered – and thus proving my initial theory – was, aside from the British (at whom I look in the second part next month), how little small beer is being sold in North America. I struggled to find good examples of some of the small styles I wanted to highlight. Good luck, for example, finding a Scottish /60, let alone a Berliner Weisse.
Yes, I know there are brewers out there making small beer, but when you look over the vast shelves at Sherbrooke, the picture is clearly one of 5% and higher. I also realize that north Americans have come to expect “beer” to be five percent, and excise laws also encourage that 5% marker. Still, it is curious that we don’t see more experimentation with small beer.
So give the column a read, with a 4% or less beer in your hand if you dare…
April 16, 2012 at 10:51 AM
You will be happy to hear that Moon Under Water, a brewpub/brewery in Victoria, BC is making some incredible 3 – 4.5% beers. I had their taster sampler and even their IPA at a whopping 4.5% is so incredibly full of flavour and body!
I was also recently in Seattle, and both Pike Brewery and Fremont Brewery have created a seasonal “session” ale in their line up this year. An IPA under 4% ? Who would have thought it could be possible, but Fremont did it!
April 16, 2012 at 3:12 PM
clearly I need to find my way to Victoria sometime soon. Good to hear that the MUW is living up to its formidable namesake.
April 16, 2012 at 2:02 PM
I do wish that there were more options for decent sessionals. Someone, I think it might have been Alley Kat, had a great seasonal a few years back that was a small winter ale (Fireside Ale, I believe was the name) that was only 3.5 or 4%. It hasn’t appeared again, to the best of my knowledge.
Mill Street’s Organic Lager is far too bland and uninspired for me, so that’s out.
What else is out there that’s actually available in Alberta? You mention Scottish Ales in the Beer 101 column. Are there any good examples of the style in Alberta that are on the smaller end of the scale?
April 16, 2012 at 3:11 PM
Adam, indeed it was Alley Kat who did a British Mild – it was fantastic. I actually will be talking about it in next month’s edition of Beer 101.
Sadly, I could not find a lighter scottish ale in Alberta – that is part of what prompted my thoughts on the matter. I wish we had one, but alas at least I can’t find one. They are one of my favourite small beer because the maltiness makes them seem bigger.
April 16, 2012 at 3:13 PM
And it was called Fireside Mild, not Fireside Ale. Thanks for jogging my memory!
April 16, 2012 at 2:09 PM
You just missed Session Beer Day on April 7!
The past few years that I lived in the US, I had noticed that “session” beers were becoming a trend among craft brewers, one that I have not seen since moving back to Canada last fall, so its good to see you shedding some light on it.
Here is an article from the NY Times from a few years back that you might find interesting:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/27/dining/27beer.html?pagewanted=all
Session beers are now starting to be seriously tackled by the major micros now, Sam Adams’ Belgian Session for example.
One of my go to favorites in the year or so before leaving was 21st Amendment’s Bitter American….very refreshing and full flavored for a session beer.
http://21st-amendment.com/beer/bitter-american
http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/735/34791
April 16, 2012 at 5:12 PM
An English ale I’ve become quite fond of is Black Sheep Ale, from Masham Yorkshire. Fairly similar to Alley Kat’s Full Moon, but only 4.4%…unfortunately the last bottle I had was showing some ‘travel fatigue’, if you know what I mean. But fwiw that’s
http://www.blacksheepbrewery.com/beers/black_sheep_ale_bottled_beer/
Tin Whistle Brewery makes a very nice English-style Mild, although it Is a full 5%. I especially like this review, by a Brit no less, I think he’s impressed.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1Rj-GEfZmM
And 5% though it it(so not exactly ‘small’ either), Ontario’s Hockley Valley Brewing make a nice hybrid-mild.
http://www.hockleybeer.ca/hockleydark.html
April 17, 2012 at 10:15 AM
Although not a beer in its purity, I actually quite enjoy the Steigl Radler. At 2.5% I find it a decent, low alcohol, refreshing mix of grapefruit and beer. I see a couple being enjoyed on a hot, hot summer day.
April 17, 2012 at 9:07 PM
Ace, I am mixed about including Radler in my discussion of small beer. Yes it is small. But it is small because it is cut with juice. So, i am not sure how I feel. Bud Light is just Bud cut with water. Lager cut with tomato juice is called something and many people like it.
I acknowledge Radler tastes better than my examples – I did a review of it a few months ago – and thus deserves positive vibes. However, the idea of small beer for me is designing a beer that is both small and flavourful – building the “smallness” from the beginning, so to speak. Steigl gets to make a full strength beer and reduces its heft by adding grapefruit or some other juice.
This is not to diss Radler. I just feel it is not in the same category as Milds, Scottish /60s and Berliner Weisses.
April 17, 2012 at 10:19 AM
Got love a good Kolsch
April 17, 2012 at 5:06 PM
Right Ace, I’d forgotten the Steigl, they Are quite nice! You’re talking about the 250-275ml(?)bottle? I had that, with the grapefruit…but also had the canned with lemon. I should regularly keep a six-pack(or a few bottles for variety) handy for the summer months.
April 20, 2012 at 2:39 PM
Jason, there is a Scottish Session Ale in Alberta; Harviestoun Bitter & Twisted. 4.2% alc, still a little high for what I believe a true session ale is, but still ‘light’ enough to drink a handful of.
April 20, 2012 at 3:05 PM
Sid, I am well aware of Bitter and Twisted – I love that beer! However, I argue it is Scottish in location of the brewery only. It is not a Scottish Ale, but more of a classic Blonde Ale (or Summer Ale as the English call it) – and a damnedly good one at that.
Still, thanks for pointing it out. A great beer anytime.
Jason
April 20, 2012 at 5:09 PM
Ah, I took the Scottish too literal 😉
June 22, 2012 at 3:37 PM
Here in Germany the normal Pilsner is around 4.5 and so I have grown up with smaller beer. To me nearly everything above 5.6 or so is much to heavy. To much alcohol tends to change the fresh but also dry taste of a good beer into a heavy, oily and not so fresh situation!