Light beer (sometimes spelled lite beer) is a pale lager that is reduced in alcohol content or calories compared to regular beers. [1] [2] [3]
Light beer began to be mass marketed in the United States in the early 1970s, following test marketing and promotion. This was followed by a nationwide rollout of Miller Lite in 1975.
Before the development of contemporary light beer, small beer had been brewed for centuries.
The first use of the term in marketing was in 1941 when the Coors Brewing Company sold a low-abv beer called Coors Light for less than a year. [4] [5] In 1967, New York's Rheingold Brewery introduced a 4.2% pale lager, Gablinger's Diet Beer, brewed using a process developed in 1964 by chemist Dr. Hersch Gablinger of Basel, Switzerland. [6] [7] Using a recipe developed by Rheingold biochemist Joseph Owades, PhD, it was marketed as a beer for people dieting, and was not successful. [8] The recipe passed on to Peter Hand Brewing Company of Chicago, who sold it as Meister Brau Lite. Peter Hand later rebranded itself as Meister Brau Brewing (to highlight their flagship product in an attempt to go national), but after encountering financial problems in 1972, they sold the Meister Brau line of beers to Miller Brewing Company. The latter relaunched the beer as Miller Lite. [9] In 1978 Coors relaunched Coors Light as a 4.2% abv pale lager. [1]
Reducing the caloric content of beer is accomplished primarily by reducing its main contributors, carbohydrates and ethyl alcohol. [2] Unlike reduced-alcohol light beers produced for those restricting their alcohol intake, the alcohol reduction in this type of light beer is not primarily intended to produce a less intoxicating beverage.
This is the primary definition in the United States, where popular light beers include Bud Light, Miller Lite, and Coors Light.
Low-alcohol light beer is brewed specifically for those seeking to limit their alcohol consumption for medical, social, legal, or other reasons. Its lower proof allows consumers to drink more beers in a shorter period without becoming intoxicated. Low alcohol content can also result in a less expensive beer, especially where excise is determined by alcohol content. [10]
This is the primary definition of the term in countries such as Australia, Canada, and Scotland. In Australia, regular beers have approximately 5% alcohol by volume; light beers may have 2.2–3.2% alcohol. [11] In Scotland, the term derives from shilling categories, where 'light' customarily means a beer with less than 3.5% alcohol by volume.
In other countries, the term "light beer" may refer to beer that is lower in carbohydrates. Light beer in Australia is low in alcohol content but not necessarily low in flavour. Alcohol content of light beer may be 2.2%–3.2% ABV.[ dead link ]
