I wish 1% or 2% beers were more readily available. I like to drink beers socially and I like to take a little of the edge off, but it'd be nice to lower the amount of alcohol I consume.
Minnesota is the last state in the US (as far as I'm aware) where 3.2 beer is common. It's sold in supermarkets and gas stations where liquor laws mandate that beer sold in these types of stores must be at most 3.2% alcohol.
One state's worth of demand seems awfully small to me for the big brewing companies to keep bothering to produce 3.2 versions of their products. However that's assuming the legal climate is the main driver for the demand. Maybe the growing interest in NA or low alcohol content beers will lead them to increase availability of 3.2 beers, or market them more.
3.2 is not just available for sale, there are still 3.2 bars in Minneapolis as a relic of a law from 1884.[1]
3.2 is the only beer that can be sold in grocery and convenience stores (grocery stores have separate alcohol stores that sell higher content beers, wines, etc.). From the article, CO, KS, OK and UT also sell 3.2.
That article is a few years old and the laws have changed in at least CO. Grocery stores can now all sell full strength beer so there's no 3.2 any more here.
Most grocery stores near me (in MN) have added separate liquor stores that are attached, but separated. But then they also still sell 3.2 beer in the main portion of the store. Seems weird to me. I assume it will disappear if they think of something better to put on the shelf.
Out of curiosity, how do you achieve sub 2%? Did you dilute with RO water at packaging time?
I've made a 2.9% English Mild by way of a partigyle brew that resulted in a very low OG. Low enough to make me concerned that the yeast would struggle. Perhaps that worry was unfounded.
Roughly 75% Rye as base malt for the body, then 25% golden naked oats. Mash at 163F (not a typo). Water profile with a lot of Chloride, though I use tap water because my city water is really good. I've tried quite a few yeasts with this setup, but S-04 has given me the best results. 1.023 OG to 1.010 FG. I do a separate BIAB mash + sparge for this because full volume mash would be WAY too watery, it's already pushing it. Though honestly the goal isn't to extract sugars, it's to extract flavours and that sort of gives you a different way to approach your brew day.
I haven't seen beer that low, but here in Ontario a number of breweries started offering beer around the 3% mark. I really can't handle anything much above 5, and these are good breweries offering a nice alternative from their usual boozy, hoppy IPAs.
Of course, a lot of American beers are around that percentage point, but the ones I'm talking about are a bit higher quality in my opinion :)
> Of course, a lot of American beers are around that percentage point, but the ones I'm talking about are a bit higher quality in my opinion :)
Don't worry, it's usually only the worst American beers that end up exported outside the US, and unfortunately this seems to go both ways between every pair of beer-producing regions I've been to. You can't even find a decent selection of German beers here (~50km away) in Switzerland, let alone ones from local American/Canadian/... breweries which are rare exceptions at this point. The same seems to be true of Canadian beer quality in the US, even in neighboring states like Michigan which at least had some Canadian options.
I agree - have been enjoying session beers more and more since I like to be outside with a cold beer and I like to drink a lot of it but I don’t like being drunk. Would love if I could find some 3% IPA’s. I’ve found some 4% IPA and it’s nice to be able to drink 3 tall cans and not be half in the bag like I am after three 8% IPA’s.
I’ve been seeing a fair groundswell of “all-day” lagers and IPAs between 3-4% as of late, so it feels like there’s a market for lower ABV brews getting tapped.
