The Future Of Beer

Some people should never be left alone with alcohol. We all know (or may be) someone who is perfectly lovable and coherent sober, but a drop of ethanol will cause a Gizmo-to-Gremlin transformation. On the other hand, lightweights (like girlfriends and jockeys) are an essential piece of any social equation. A solution for both is to pour a crisp session brew into a pint glass and no one will ever be the wiser. There’s not one characteristic that defines the category besides its slightly reduced ability to intoxicate.
The session classification applies to beers that bridge the gap between non-alcoholic and standard styles. Less than 2% ABV is typically a blended, unfermented or malt-extract beverage, and much more than 4% ABV is a standard beer. There are unintentional varieties like Guinness Irish Stout or Aguila Colombian Lager that have always — and will always — belong to this club, and intentional varieties like Stone’s Levitation Red Ale and Dogfish Head’s Festina Peche Weisse, which are meant to compete with prominent light beer styles.
The craft beer movement was fueled by an overwhelming desire of brewers and consumers to hone in on what commercially available brews were missing — the resurrection of forgotten styles, big alcohol percentages and bold flavors. Now that these mom ‘n’ pop breweries are actually competing with international conglomerates, many have even had a chance to turn pet projects into viable business. None of these is more welcome and overdue than the trend toward low but still alcoholized beverages. When brewers had to worry about hitting specific percentages or using costly and specialty ingredients, we missed out on some great opportunities because everything was dictated by profit margins and competition. Now suppliers can set their sights on taste and pass along the savings to you.
We the people have spoken and changed what we see on our shelves, at our bars and in our glasses. One doesn’t have to enter beer geekdom or aggressively pursue their passion for purposely-drinkable beer. Just make informed choices and let your credit card do the talking and we’ll soon be cheering to actually remembering the good times.
Some may say counting a percent is an exercise in futility, but over the course of a long event or social session, it means you get to enjoy an extra beer without having to slow down. The choice of having another family-friendly beer or switching to fruit punch is entirely up to you, but we all know the dangers of Yellow No. 5.