{{short description|Type of beer}} thumb|Coors Light, a common American light beer '''Light beer''' is beer with lower calorie or alcohol content than other types of beer.<ref name=oxford/> In the United States, "light beer" is beer with reduced calorie content. Prior to the 1970s, "light beer" had other meanings in the United States. In Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom "light beer" is beer with lower alcohol content than regular beer.
Reduced calorie light beer began to be mass marketed in the United States in the 1960s, but the first successful brand, Miller Lite, was not marketed nationally in the United States until 1975.
==History== Before the development of contemporary light beer, small beer had been brewed for centuries.
At various times "light beer" has referred in the United States to: (1) lager beer that was lighter tasting; (2) beer with lower alcohol content; or (3) beer light in color that was not dark or amber-colored.<ref>One of many examples is Piel's Light Beer. In 1954 advertising Piels said that its light beer was drier because it contained less non-fermented sugar than other beer but that "The amount of non-fermented sugar does not appreciably affect the number of calories it contains: all of today's leading beers contain about the same number – about 150 per 12-ounce bottle or can. But the amount of non-fermented sugar makes a tremendous difference in flavor.", ''New York Daily News'', December 23, 1954, p. 21.</ref><ref>''St. Joseph Gazette'', June 22, 1933, p. 6 (“4% of alcohol by volume has long been the standard for light beer, but this is hard to measure while the equivalent, 3.2% by weight, is easily measured with a hydrometer.”</ref> In Australia, Canada, and Scotland "light beer" is beer with lower alcohol content than regular beer.
In 1941 the Coors Brewing Company began selling a low-abv beer called Coors Light.<ref name=oxford>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ga4MYyZq-RMC&q=%22%22light+beer+had+its+origins+in+the+1940s%22%22&pg=PA547|page=547 |title=The Oxford Companion to Beer |contribution=Light beer |first=Keith |last=Villa |editor-first=Garrett |editor-last=Oliver |publisher=Oxford University |year=2011|isbn=9780195367133 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.molsoncoorsblog.com/coors-light-1941-roots |title=The little-known story about Coors Light’s 1941 roots |first=Alex |last=Parker |date=August 30, 2023 |access-date=2024-06-01}}</ref> It remained on the market for less than a year.
===Modern light beer=== The origins of today’s light beers can be traced to the mid-1960s.
In December 1966 Rheingold of New York began marketing a reduced calorie beer called Gablinger's Beer. Gablinger's was brewed using a process that Swiss chemist Dr. Hersch Gablinger claimed to have invented.<ref name="patent">{{Cite web |url=https://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/b1/1d/aa/27af4dcab157c0/US3379534.pdf |title=U.S. Patent 3,379,534 issued to Hersch Gablinger April 23, 1968 (patent application filed in U.S. Aug. 17, 1965 and in Switzerland Aug. 28, 1964) |website=patentimages.storage.googleapis.com |language=en-US |access-date=April 12, 2020}}</ref> Dr. Gablinger's process involved adding the enzyme amyloglucosidase during production which resulted in a beer that had one-third fewer calories and was less filling.<ref name=patent/><ref name=steiman>Steiman, Harvey, "There's Been a Revolution or Two In Brewing Beer, ''San Francisco Examiner'', Dec. 23, 1981, p. E2</ref> Gablinger applied for patents on his process in Switzerland (in 1964) and in the United States (in 1965). After Rheingold officials traveled to Europe and sampled Dr. Gablinger's beer, Rheingold bought the exclusive rights to use his process.<ref>"The First Beer With No Carbohydrates", ''Hartford Courant'', Jan. 5, 1967, p. 44</ref> Rheingold biochemist and brewer Joseph L. Owades then developed Gablinger Beer,<ref name=steiman/> which began to be test marketed in late 1966,<ref>Smith, James, "Rheingold's Low-Calorie Beer in Test, ''Chicago Tribune'', Dec. 20, 1966, Sec. 3 p. 8</ref> and was rolled out in the New York City area in June 1967.<ref>"Gablinger's Beer Bows",</ref>
In May 1967 a second amyloglucosidase based light beer, Meister Brau Lite, was introduced by Chicago brewer Meister Brau, Inc. (formerly known as Peter Hand Brewery).<ref name=jsmith>James Smith, "Meister Brau to Introduce Diet Beer, Lite", ''Chicago Tribune'' May 9, 1967, p. 8, sec. 3</ref> Meister Brau spent two years developing the process to make Lite.<ref name=jsmith/> Meister Brau obtained a trademark for "Lite" as the name of the beer.
August Wagner Breweries of Columbus, Ohio introduced a third amyloglucosidase derived light beer, Slim-Line Mark V, in September 1967.<ref>''Columbus Dispatch'', Sept. 27, 1967, p. 13B</ref>
In April 1968 the United States Patent Office granted Dr. Gablinger's application for a patent on his amyloglucosidase process. Patent infringement litigation then ensued between Amylase A.G. (owner of Dr. Gablinger’s patent) and Rheingold, on the one hand, and Meister Brau and August Wagner on the other. Meister Brau and August Wagner claimed that the process was known and used by others before Gablinger applied for his patent and August Wagner further claimed that the process had been invented in the United States and was described in other patents.<ref>"Rheingold Hit in Meister Brau Patent Suit", ''Chicago Tribune'', May 25, 1968, sec. 2, p. 7</ref><ref>"Brewery, Grocery Fight Patent", ''Columbus Dispatch'', Sept. 13, 1968, p. 17B</ref> In March 1970 the United States District Court for the District of Columbia invalidated Gablinger’s patent.<ref>''The Brewer’s Digest'', vol. 45, p. 89, 1970</ref>
By 1972 Meister Brau, Inc. was in dire financial straits, and in June of that year it sold its brands, including Lite, to the Miller Brewing Co. of Milwaukee.<ref>"Meister Brau, Last Home Town Beer Being Sold", ''Chicago Tribune'', June 30, 1972, sec. 3, p. 11</ref>
Miller spent about a year reformulating Lite to give it more of a beer taste and it introduced new packaging.<ref name=Anderson>Watson, Tom, “Anderson saw the ‘Light’ First in Beers”, ''Anderson Daily Bulletin'', Aug. 16, 1977, p. 1</ref><ref name=travis>Travis, Paul, “Light Beer: Drink More, Feel it Less”, ''Dayton Daily News'', July 3, 1978, p. 19.</ref> Most importantly, Miller adopted a new advertising strategy for the brand. Earlier brewers of light beer tried to appeal to health-conscious customers, many of whom were women, who were not heavy beer drinkers.<ref name=travis/> After Miller discovered that Meister Brau Lite had sold well in Anderson, Indiana, even among hard-drinking factory workers, it decided to target heavy beer drinkers who wanted a lighter, less filling beer.<ref name=Anderson/> In doing so it relied on techniques used by Miller’s parent company Philip Morris, Inc. in the 1950s when it successfully marketed Marlboro cigarettes to men who were initially reluctant to smoke filtered cigarettes.<ref name="better">White, Cameron, et. al, "The Marketing of Better-for-You Health Products in the Emergent Issue of Men’s Obesity", ''Health Sociology Review'', Feb. 2015, 23(2): 113–124, p. 119</ref> Miller introduced Lite in test markets in 1973 and it was rolled out nationally in 1975 backed by a massive advertising campaign.<ref name=travis/> Advertising for Lite emphasized the pleasurable qualities of the beer – that it tasted great and was less filling – and used ex-athletes and other macho types to convey a masculine image.<ref name=better/><ref name=travis/> Miller Lite was a huge success - the most popular new product in the history of the American beer industry<ref>Elzinga, Kenneth G., "The Beer Industry" in The Structure of American Industry, Twelfth Ed., James Brock, ed. (Waveland Press, Long Grove, Ill. 2009), p. 136</ref> - and competitors scrambled to introduce their own light beers. Sales of light beer in the United States went from a negligible amount before Miller Lite to forty-four percent of the United States beer market by 2002.<ref name=better/>
==Reduced calories== Reducing the caloric content of beer is accomplished primarily by reducing its main contributors, carbohydrates and ethyl alcohol.<ref name="beer-advocate-criticism">{{cite web| url=http://beeradvocate.com/news/stories_read/248/| title=Light Beers |author=The Alström Bros| access-date=December 13, 2006| date=October 3, 2001| publisher=BeerAdvocate.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060624041532/http://beeradvocate.com/news/stories_read/248/ |archive-date=June 24, 2006}}</ref> 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.
===Methods of manufacture=== After the normal brewing process, small starch fragments called dextrins remain in the finished beer because they cannot be broken down into fermentable sugar by the enzymes that are naturally present in barley malt. These dextrins are digested as carbohydrates and give beer about one-third of its calories and some body.<ref name=steiman/> Brewers make reduced calorie beer by reducing the dextrins (carbohydrates) in light beer and some brewers also reduce the alcohol content. Brewers typically use one of three processes, or combinations of them, to make light beer.<ref name=steiman/>
The first process involves adding the enzyme amyloglucosidase prior to fermentation.<ref name=steiman/><ref name=crazy>Schwarz, Paul and Gordon, Dennis, "Crazy Over Carbs”, “The New Brewer”, vol. 20 (2003), p. 42</ref> Amyloglucosidase converts the dextrins into fermentable sugar. This process eliminates the dextrins and reduces the carbohydrates found in 12 ounces of beer from around 14 grams<ref name=globe>”Ask the Globe”, ''Boston Globe'', Nov. 29, 1976, p. 22</ref> to less than 3 grams<ref name=crazy/><ref name=steiman/> The reduction in carbohydrates also makes the beer less filling.<ref name=steiman/> Since this process increases the available fermentable sugar, it initially produces a higher alcohol beer but brewers add carbonated water to bring the alcohol level down to a normal level.<ref name=steiman/> Amyloglucosidase is found naturally in the human digestive system, but it is not found in barley malt.<ref name=steiman/> Miller Lite and Coors Light are made using amyloglucosidase.<ref name=steiman/>
The second method uses high amylase barley malt and a longer saccharification period during the mashing process which converts more starch into fermentable sugar.<ref name=crazy/> (Amylase enzymes are found naturally in barley malt). This process is capable of producing beers with carbohydrates reduced to about 6 or 7 grams per 12 ounces.<ref name=crazy/> Anheuser-Busch light beers are made using this process.<ref name=steiman/>
The third process reduces the amount of barley malt used and replaces it with high dextrose corn syrup.<ref name=crazy/> Since the corn syrup is made using enzymes that convert the corn starches to sugars, the syrup contributes little or no carbohydrates to the finished beer.<ref name=crazy/> Carbohydrate levels can be reduced by more than 50% using this method.<ref name=crazy/> Pabst Light has been made using this process.<ref name=steiman/>
==Reduced alcohol== {{main|Low-alcohol beer}} 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.<ref name="ato-excise-schedule">{{cite web| url=http://law.ato.gov.au/atolaw/view.htm?docid=PAC/BL030002/1| title=Schedule to the Excise Tariff Act 1921| access-date=2006-12-13| date=August 1, 2006| publisher=Australian Taxation Office| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070204141329/http://law.ato.gov.au/atolaw/view.htm?docid=PAC%2FBL030002%2F1| archive-date=February 4, 2007| url-status=dead}}</ref>
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 {{nowrap|2.2–3.2%}} alcohol.<ref name="light-beer-aus">{{cite web|url=http://www.coopers.com.au/the-brewers-guild/how-to-brew/introduction |title=How to Brew Introduction |access-date=April 4, 2013 |publisher=Coopers Brewery |quote=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|date=May 2017|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> In Scotland, the term derives from shilling categories, where 'light' customarily means a beer with less than 3.5% alcohol by volume.
==See also== *Diet drink *Fat substitute
==References== {{reflist}}
{{Beer styles}}
Category:Beer styles