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Why do Americans love light beers?
- Thread starter Ihyll
- Start date
I can toast to that. With my natty light.
thewaffles
Member
Type 1 diabetic American here - Miller Lite gets me drunk and has only 3g of carbohydrates. The taste is whatever, but it makes things easier for me. Not to say I don't drink better beer, but if I do, I can't have many.
SapientWolf
Trucker Sexologist
It's completely inoffensive to the palate. It's like the beer equivalent of vanilla ice cream. Not everyone is going to want a triple bock at 1 in the afternoon on a hot day.
distantmantra
Member
Yep. Marketing, brand recognition, price point and shelf space dominance also contribute to their success.
I say this as a huge craft beer nerd.
Ban Puncher
Member
I apologise my American brethren. I thought your light beer was like the watery piss they try to flog down here with an alcohol content of 1-2.5% that nobody buys. Your light is averaging 4-4.5% which seems okay.
Your beer still tastes horrible though ayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy
Your beer still tastes horrible though ayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy
theignoramus
Member
I dunno but this thread inspired me to go out and get a few tall cans of cold beer.
You're presuming people love light beers. I'd argue that's incorrect. Americans love getting drunk for cheap. The light beers are a means to an end.
SapientWolf
Trucker Sexologist
If that was the case malt liquor would be the best seller.
distantmantra
Member
There are really fantastic tasty hoppy pale ales in the 4.5% ABV range that are canned and less than $10 a six pack.
We have those in America, it's more of a cultural thing. Coors Miller bought out Revolver in TX sadly.
GoldenCrow
Member
Great option if you want a drink but don't want to get too drunk. 10 light beers can be the equivalent of 4 decent beers and the hangover is nowhere near as bad. Good beers are what I buy when I want to enjoy the beers and will only have a few. Light beers are what I go for when I know it is going to be a long session. If your hitting beers like delirium or la chouffe on a big one your gonna have a bad time. Its also nicer on the wallet than something by mikkeller, alphabet or any other half decent brewery, 4 decent beers usually comes to around £15 from a shop or £25 from a bar, light beers usually cost about £6 for 6. Session beers are usually too florally or sharp to go the distance.
Bedameister
Member
Yeah, but if you drink malt liquor, people make fun of you and you won't get laid, so you gotta compromise somewhere.
Plus, when was the last time you went to a bar and they had malt liquor on draft?
Frank the Great
Banned
Some light beers are good, and every country has them. Peroni Nastro Azzurro is one of my favorites, and it is my flat out favorite on hot summer days.
I also like IPAs like Sierra Nevada or Goose Island, but there's nothing "wrong" with the lighter stuff, especially given that it's so much cheaper.
And anecdotally, most of the people I know (all Americans) appreciate quality beer, we just buy cheap stuff for parties to save on costs.
I also like IPAs like Sierra Nevada or Goose Island, but there's nothing "wrong" with the lighter stuff, especially given that it's so much cheaper.
And anecdotally, most of the people I know (all Americans) appreciate quality beer, we just buy cheap stuff for parties to save on costs.
Prophaniti
Banned
Lmao
Dude, have a bacon peanut butter brew and calm down.
Seriously though, Americans are pretty serious about beer.
If you go to most bars outside of large cities in the US, light beers are all that are listed. It's cultural. Lots of small cities are prudish, were not like Europe.
lmao
Scottish , if I am in the house watching a movie or whatever I am having a craft beer, but If I am out then it's whatever the fuck is cheap and gets me drunk....So Bud , Corona , Stella , Tennents or god forbid even Carling. It's cheap , doesn't taste that bad and the end point is the same.
Every country I have ever visited have their own versions , be it Tiger , Mythos , Tennents , Carling or Estrella etc
Also Hoppy Beer is a bit of an acquired taste imho.
Every country I have ever visited have their own versions , be it Tiger , Mythos , Tennents , Carling or Estrella etc
Also Hoppy Beer is a bit of an acquired taste imho.
gunstarhero
Member
I'm American and hate light beer. ¯\_(ツ
_/¯
_/¯distantmantra
Member
Go to a bar in a small town in most of Europe and you'll find very similar beers on tap. Jupiler, Palm, Estrella, 1664, Carlsberg, San Miguel, Stella, etc.
gutter_trash
Banned
Non-American. I prefer light beers and fine beers (cold)
I hate cereal hoppy beer
I hate cereal hoppy beer
SapientWolf
Trucker Sexologist
Hipsters love that shit.
Ban Puncher
Member
Nobody wants to fuck a hipster.
TheCochese
Banned
But what if I don't like hoppy beer?
It seems to be the case. I hate IPAs, and every kind of craft beer I've tried from our local growler place I've not liked.
Everything is way too bitter for me or something. If I want something hard, I'll go for liquor, and I don't really like doing that either.
Orbis Tabula
Member
Because after Prohibition, so many breweries were obviously shut down, and so much institutional knowledge and infrastructure was lost that there were only a few organizations able to brew beer on a large, nationwide scale as the country headed in to World War II, which meant there wasn't going to be a lot of variety. And once WWII happened and a huge portion of the drinking age men were sent overseas to fight, beer companies decided the smart thing to do was to create and market beer to women, since they were the ones still in the country. Their idea of doing that was to make it all light beer. Because there was such little variety in the beer market, there wasn't much experimentation, and it turns out that the men returning from WWII were just as happy to buy and drink light beer, so the companies just stuck with it.
shawnbuddy
Member
It's easy to drink a lot of, almost like water. Heavier beers weigh you down. And make you even fatter, of course.
distantmantra
Member
[shrug] Lots of good locally made Pilsners and lagers here in Seattle.
I see you're in Atlanta. Here's a local made pilsner.
http://beerstreetjournal.com/creature-comforts-bibo-pilsner/
Ah so we're not so different. I assumed we were due to the US having a foundation of prudes and the prohibition.
Our fancy imports in rural areas are Stella and Heineken.
boiled goose
good with gravy
#notallamericans. Great beer cultures in northeast, bay area, and Pacific Northwest.
Also light beer is also popular in Latin America and Asia.
It's refreshing I guess, usually drank alongside food.
Cheaper too
Also light beer is also popular in Latin America and Asia.
It's refreshing I guess, usually drank alongside food.
Cheaper too
distantmantra
Member
It's really no different in Europe than here in the US. I've been to parts of Belgium that are absolute beer watselands, and then also enjoyed wide variety of stuff in Brussels, where you still will find more Jupiler than anything else.
Robot Pants
Member
I can drink miller lite all day
One Eyed Willy
Member
Two words : Day Drinking
Anyone can drink IPAs, Ales, Stouts, or Bocks but only a fool would do that before the sun is down. For instance, I've been out by my pool all day, smoking pork and bbq'ing, no way would I ever drink heavy beers during this. I mean, I did for years but I learned from that.
When I'm fucking drunk at 2PM, 5PM is never fun. Light beers when by the pool, or in the sun and darken it up at night when I want something that will either get me arrested or pass our on the couch at 8PM. Pace yourself bros
It follows the same logic as why most people don't take shots of tequilla for breakfast.. most people lol. You can, but there are finer methods of approach.
30-something GAF checking-in.
Anyone can drink IPAs, Ales, Stouts, or Bocks but only a fool would do that before the sun is down. For instance, I've been out by my pool all day, smoking pork and bbq'ing, no way would I ever drink heavy beers during this. I mean, I did for years but I learned from that.
When I'm fucking drunk at 2PM, 5PM is never fun. Light beers when by the pool, or in the sun and darken it up at night when I want something that will either get me arrested or pass our on the couch at 8PM. Pace yourself bros
It follows the same logic as why most people don't take shots of tequilla for breakfast.. most people lol. You can, but there are finer methods of approach.
30-something GAF checking-in.
CarpeDeezNutz
Member
12 pack of 16 oz miller lights going for 12.99 at the place I go to get me some.
ShooterMcGavin
Member
Ding ding ding, we have a winner.
Technically they're not even beer, since they're corn and wheat fermentation.
Honestly, it has to do with prohibition. Even when prohibition was recinded, a lot of localities kept very low limits on the abv of beverages, thus light beers with low abvs were pushed. Plus, it's cheap with how much corn and wheat the US produces.
Before prohibition Americans pretty much drank the same dark lagers as the rest of Europe. And lately we've gone back to those roots.
Honestly, it has to do with prohibition. Even when prohibition was recinded, a lot of localities kept very low limits on the abv of beverages, thus light beers with low abvs were pushed. Plus, it's cheap with how much corn and wheat the US produces.
Before prohibition Americans pretty much drank the same dark lagers as the rest of Europe. And lately we've gone back to those roots.
lol is this some sort of meme or are you serious? Cause those light beers he listed are shit and I'm not sure why you'd be so upset about it.
Not a fan of any light beers myself either op.
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