In general most craft beers are going to be fuller bodied and with higher malt content leading to bigger alcohol numbers than mass produced lagers. Those beers need to be light bodied so people will drink more and more easily. Since malt is the part that you ferment it is usually a function of how much is used. Special release beers normally have alcohols that will start creeping up quickly past the session type beer levels.
Look for pilsners, lager and just basic ‘ales’ for lower level beer. There is a lot out there that existed before the current craft beer craze which has seen a lot of higher alcohol levels associated with it.
Thanks - so it’s malt that equates to high alcohol levels? Hops are no factor? I feel like IPAs or those with insane IBU numbers are among the highest alcohol beers.
I’m just starting to explore, of course I drank a lot of beer in college but it’s your usual plonk with no flavor, as you mention Cris.
Any reccos in the categories you mention, esp craft brews? I’ve had a lot of the commonly available European beers like Paulaner, Urquell, etc.
Malt is the fermentable product, just like with wine it is the grapes and not any sort of stems or oak. Hops are added for aromas and flavor at different points in the process but do not contribute to the fermentation. Most of the trendy IPA’s are bigger in alcohol. Part of that is that the original style was normally a bit bigger than a normal ale. Part of that is breweries pushing the limits. Most of the ultra popular IPA’s are actually double-IPA’s which means they use double the malt of a normal IPA and thus have more alcohol. Pliny the Elder is a DIPA for example. Blind Pig is RRV’s regular IPA(though I think they have one other). Pliny the Younger is a triple IPA.
I don’t keep the alky numbers in my head but look for what they call ‘session beers’ from a brewery you might like. Steer clear of any sort of special release. In most of my notes in the ‘What are you drinking thread’ I post what the bottle says. Many others do too. I believe Beer Advocate has that number at each beer listing which could help you look them up by brewery for local options.
What Cris said. IBU or International Bittering Units are just a measure of the bite the hops contribute.
If you really want a flavorful beer there will be a bit more abv associated with it because of the current styles.
There are some very well made Pale Ales like Caldera, Sierra Nevada,to name a few that are easy to find that are pretty approachable, as a matter of fact there are lots of craft brews that fall between 5-6% abv,considering MCB are in the high 4’s it should be an easy call.
As Cris alluded to, Beer Advoacte is very informative, however it is currently under reconstruction but you can still review thousands of styles of beer.
Look towards Germany for your beers. Hefes, Kölsch, even Dunkelweizen will offer up a lot of flavor with alc % regularly under 5.5. In Belgium, look for Saisons and Wits. In US beers, look for lagers and “Spring & Summer” seasonals from good craft brewers. These will all be, for the most part flavorful and low, by modern standards, in alcohol.
Finally, another category you can explore is Dry Stouts. Usually fall under 5%, sometimes under 4%. They will be pretty “light” though. Not my cup of tea.
A couple of thoughts -
First, the degree of “maltiness” of beer depends on its place of origin and type. North American 6-row Barley Malt has the least malt flavor, followed closely by North American 2-row Malt. European 2-row Malt has the most malt flavor. Why? North American malt research is paid for by Budweiser, Miller, and Coors. They want high enzyme levels so they can convert more adjuncts with less malt, and they want less malt flavor. If you are an American craft brewer, your base malt for almost every beer is North American 2-row. In order to get the desired malt flavor, you need to use more malt. If brewers used European malt they could use 75-85% as much (with a corresponding drop in alcohol) to get the same flavor. From a cost standpoint, North American malt is enough cheaper that it’s pretty much a wash with using European malt from a flavor standpoint.
This leads to the second thought - a lot of customers want higher alcohol in their beer. My son tells me constantly that his friends won’t drink my beer because it’s too low in alcohol (unless, of course, it’s free), and that I should make an “Imperial” something just to exploit this market. When I’m out delivering, I’ve seen guys closely examining bottles to check for the higher alcohol levels all the time.
My daughter used to work at a Brew Pub with a very well regarded IPA that was nicknamed by the wait-staff “Go to jail ale”. It was a very drinkable 7.75%. Anyone drinking more than one of their 20 ounce “pints” was well over the legal limit.