For some craft beer lovers, less may be more

My summers have always been filled with travel—trips to Europe for work and pleasure, and most recently a road trip through the American West. At the end of a hot, active day, I routinely wind down with some social drinking.

In recent years, however, I have begun to notice a change. Beer lists have begun to include more and more low-ABV options.

Whether I was in Braunschweig, Germany, the suburbs of Salt Lake City, or back home in Central Texas, I no longer had to choose between Stella Artois and Miller Lite if I wanted something that wouldn’t put me under the table. Now I could expect a plethora of local or domestic options with alcohol by volume, or ABV, ranging from 4% to 5%—below the average 5.9% craft beer and well below the 7% India Pale Ales that were flooding the market.

I’ve even started seeing more non-alcoholic beers like Heineken 0.0, which first launched in Europe in 2017 and then in the US in 2019.

It seemed to me that low- and no-alcohol beers were becoming more popular, but I wasn’t sure. So like a good scientist, I decided to look at the data to find the answer.

In a 2020 study I conducted with my colleagues at Texas State University, we looked at industry literature and social media mentions, popular media articles, and changes in alcohol regulations. We found that there is actually a growing interest in the consumption—and improved production technology—of beer with lower alcohol content.

The development of the big “small” beer

Beer has a complicated history in the U.S. Before the industry consolation that is the modern norm, the country was full of small, local breweries. Prohibition devastated the industry, but when it was repealed in 1933, a period of rebirth occurred.

While the brewing and consumption of alcohol did not completely cease during Prohibition, overall consumption was drastically reduced. Any drinking that did occur was done behind closed doors.

However, the repeal of Prohibition brought alcoholic beverages back into public use. As restrictions and regulations on alcohol were relaxed or removed altogether, production volumes increased dramatically.

Throughout the 20th century, technological innovations – from improved pasteurization processes to better transportation infrastructure and packaging engineering – allowed breweries to scale their operations.

It was during this period that American brewers such as Budweiser discovered an untapped market for low-alcohol light beer.

To this day, the U.S. is known for its bland macro beers: Budweiser, Miller, and Coors. But despite this long history—or perhaps because of it—the country’s craft beer industry has exploded in the past few decades.

In 1983, there were 14 craft breweries in the U.S. In 2000, the Brewers Association counted 1,566 craft breweries. By 2020, that number had risen to 8,884.

What brewers have dubbed the “craft beer revolution” is one of sophistication and specialization; craft breweries have traditionally produced a dizzying array of brands and styles, pushing the market toward “bigger”—i.e. bolder, stronger—beers.

This led to a paradox: Large-scale producers became known for brewing “small” – low-alcohol, and supposedly low-flavor – beers. Meanwhile, smaller breweries became known for producing “large” – more flavorful, higher-alcohol beers.

Times change, tastes change

While strong and high-proof beers are still popular among most beer connoisseurs, demand for lower-alcohol or non-alcoholic options is growing.

The Brewers Association highlights a shift towards “mindful drinking,” pointing out that consumers are increasingly paying attention to the carbohydrate, gluten or alcohol content of their chosen beverage. In fact, two-thirds of drinkers say they consider one or more of these attributes when drinking.

Meanwhile, more and more Americans are becoming “sober-curious,” insofar as they’re willing to take a short break from drinking or abstain from alcohol altogether. These individual choices are part of an overarching social shift that’s making, as NPR puts it, “abstinence fashionable.”

There has long been a cultural belief that only people recovering from alcoholism drink non-alcoholic beer. However, in our study, we found that people are increasingly reaching for non-alcoholic beer for a variety of reasons.

Someone may be allergic or intolerant to alcohol, take medications that contraindicate alcohol consumption, or have a religious or personal preference that favors abstinence. Others wish to retain the ability to respond or be responsible for later activities, such as working as a driver, operating heavy equipment, or being “on call” for work.

Making Lower Alcohol Beer More Tasty

Low-ABV beer in the U.S. has long suffered from an image problem—namely, the perception that low-ABV and no-ABV beers taste bad. (And let’s be honest, a lot of them do.)

This is because the brewing process can be particularly complicated for low- or no-alcohol fermentations, making it difficult to brew a high-quality, low-ABV beer that tastes good. Some even argue that Budweiser doesn’t get enough credit for brewing a consistent, relatively tasty, low-ABV product on such a large scale.

However, in recent years, several studies have been devoted to refining the protocols for producing and tasting low-alcohol beer. Although brewing is an ancient art, it has also shown impressive adaptability as times and technology have changed.

State of the art

Combining improved taste with the real or perceived health benefits of low-ABV beer gives the style a real niche.

That’s not to say that standard—or even high-alcohol—beers will disappear anytime soon. Among craft brewers and craft beer enthusiasts, IPAs remain by far the most popular beer style, with more than 2,000 brands producing and selling them.

However, the craft brewing industry is becoming increasingly aware of these changes in drinker preferences and the societal benefits of moderate alcohol consumption. Recent trends toward appreciating no-alcohol or low-alcohol beers are creating space for moderate or non-drinkers to participate in the craft beer movement.

Now, thanks to the work of food and fermentation scientists, the creativity of brewers, and the willingness of consumers to experiment, the list of lower-than-average alcohol-but-tasty options is growing.

Beck’s, a non-alcoholic lager from the German brewing giant, and Athletic Brewing’s non-alcoholic IPA Run Wild are just two examples of how breweries both large and small are trying to enter the non-alcoholic beer market.

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Meanwhile, most craft breweries now offer some form of “session beer”—so-called because its lower alcohol content makes it suitable for longer drinking sessions. Sales of session IPAs, for example, jumped 199% in 2015.

Even beyond sessionable IPAs, lower-ABV beers in a variety of styles—gose, helles lager, kölsch, saison, and pilsner—are becoming increasingly visible, accessible, and popular in both pints and print. Another way of saying that now more than ever, you can easily find low-ABV or no-ABV beers in a glass or on a screen.

This article is republished from The Conversation, an independent, nonprofit news organization that provides you with facts and trustworthy analysis to help you understand our complex world. Written by: Colleen C. Myles, Texas State University

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Colleen C. Myles does not work for, advise, own shares in, or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article. She has also disclosed no affiliations outside her academic duties.