TAKE THE LOW ROAD The booze industry is serving up top options for those drinking less
We’ve still got the double IPAs, the barrel-aged imperial stouts and the boozy NEIPAs, but sidling up alongside them is a new entrant with a different approach to alcohol. To quote US rapper Flo Rida in his 2007 hit: Shawty got low low low low low low low low. Low-alcohol and mid-strength beers are popping up like mushrooms after the rain, and drinkers are embracing them. And it’s not just craft breweries, CUB even released a new non-alcoholic brew in August called Carlton Zero. This new low-booze trend seems revolutionary but is nothing new in many countries overseas. On a recent trip to Japan we found whole sections of bottle shops devoted to alcohol-free beers, while in Germany you’ll see massive billboards advertising mainstream breweries’ zero alcohol beers. Back in my hospo days behind the bar, it was only older gentlemen who ordered light beer (the only option being Cascade Light, perhaps with a dash of lime cordial). If a younger man ordered one he was ribbed by his mates for being soft. Boozing equalled manliness, and to reach for anything else was a sign of weakness. But maybe things are changing. Youngsters are turning away from alcohol in a big way, with recent stats showing millenials are consuming less than their Baby Boomer parents. A University College London team found that young British people are drinking less alcohol than a decade ago, with abstinence becoming “mainstream” among teenagers and young adults. Meanwhile, a report by Berenberg
In the beer scene, on the Gold Coast, Gamilaroi man and psychologist Clinton Schulz, who works in drug and alcohol rehab, last year launched Australia’s first range of craft non-alcoholic beers called Sobah, featuring a range of native ingredients such as lemon aspen, pepperberry and finger lime. For those not yet ready to go booze-free but who want to enjoy more low-key options, there is a wave of mid-strength offerings,
and spice characters from Galaxy & Topaz hops.
Subtle floral notes, strong citrus and stone fruit characters with a refreshing finish.
Capital Brewing Co / Summit Session XPA (ACT, 3.5%)
Nail Brewing / MVP (WA, 3.4%)
Newstead / 3/4 Time Session Ale (QLD, 3.4%)
IPA
Balter / Captain Sensible (QLD, 3.4%)
Little sibling of Bridge Road’s Bling IPA that doesn’t compromise on flavour.
Brewed to deliver gentle, lasting bitterness, and layered a swift kick of citrus-and-pine goodness. Gage Roads / Narrow Neck (WA 3.5%)
Medium-bodied and full-flavoured with piny hop notes and lingering bitterness.
“Mid-strength beer is also now among one of the fastest growing in popularity” with the category among one of the fastest growing in popularity, making up 14.1 percent of the total beer market, according to the Euromonitor International’s Alcoholic Drinks In Australia report. Some, such as Balter’s Captain Sensible which launched in September, acknowledge with its humorous name the “uncoolness” of drinking mid-strength, while its very presence also suggests that these days, maybe mid-strength IS the cool option. Drinkers such as Wes Kiddle, a craft beer fan and avid surfer from Ocean Grove on Victoria’s Surf Coast, chooses mid-strengths like Captain Sensible because they “make it easy to have a few beers with friends when you still have to ‘adult’”. Keeping track of how much you’re drinking is also easier, with a 3.5% tinnie being exactly one standard drink, so “you can go easy if you’ve got to drive or don’t want to get wild on a work night”. At the most sensible end of the spectrum is New Zealand brewery 8 Wired, which has released a 1% beer called Ghost Chips (named after a hilarious Kiwi anti-drink driving ad). In Brisbane, Bacchus Brewing also has a 1.15% ABV beer called Bayside Breeze. With long summer days ahead of us watching the cricket, going to barbecues, picnics and the beach, we’ve compiled a list of our favourite Aussie mid-strengths to help you enjoy a few while leaving you ready to crack on with life afterwards.
Packs plenty of punch with forward hop flavours of stone fruits and passionfruit.
Tasty middie with smooth malts and fresh hops.
Colonial Brewing Co / Small Ale (WA/VIC, 3.5%)
Research found that respondents in their teens and early 20s were drinking more than 20% less per capita than millennials did at the same age because of health and hangover-related concerns.
There’s a new trend sweeping the beer industry, a change in the air.
SESSION ALE
Balances refined malt undertones against vivacious hop notes to round out a full taste and mouthfeel.
By Emily Day
This could explain the meteoric rise of Britain’s booze-free spirits company Seedlip, the ‘world’s first distilled, sugar and additive-free non-alcoholic spirit’ made with herbs and botanicals, created by teetotaller Ben Branson. This classy-looking bevvy flew off the shelves to the extent that drinks giant Diageo snapped up a 20 per cent stake in the company. Melbourne has its own entry in the non-boozy market with Brunswick Aces, who make alcohol-free botanical spirits.
AUSSIE MID-STRENGTHS WE LOVE! Looking for a low-alcohol beer? Chances are a brewery near you will have one.
Slipstream / Billy Cart Rye Pale Ale (QLD, 3.4%)
Tropical aromas, smooth malt, floral hints and a touch of rye spiciness and gentle bitterness. Hargreaves Hill / JNR (VIC, 3.5%)
Malt selection, mash temperature and a fruity hop selection creates a light beer with no compromise in flavour. Blackman’s Brewery / Local Standard Ale (VIC, 3.9%)
Refreshing, light and flavoursome Session Ale. Enjoyed best when doing local, standard things. Hop Nation / The Patron (VIC, 3.5%)
Developed with the Footscray Historical Society to celebrate the manufacturers and traders of early Footscray who generously supported the suburb’s charities, clubs, and institutions. Beerfarm / Calm Ya Farm (WA, 3.5%)
All Australian malts & hops contribute to a chewy pale malt body along with tropical fruit
nose and floral and citrus-like aromatics.
SOUR/TART
Garage Project / White Mischief Peach Sour (NZ, 2.9%)
Kettle soured wheat, lightly salted and infused with white peaches.
Bridge Road Brewers / Little Bling (VIC, 3.4%)
Boatrocker Brewing / Miss Pinky (VIC, 3.4%)
Pirate Life / Throwback (SA, 3.5%)
Edge Brewing Project / Jungle Gelato (VIC, 3.1%)
Citrus/piney hit of fresh hops with a light malt backing and slight bitterness. Sauce Brewing Co / PissWeak (NSW, 3.5%)
Stunningly pink refreshing Berliner Weisse with Australian raspberries.
Lots of Aussie mango and fermented out dry to leave no sweetness, just fruity tones. Finished with native finger limes for a further kick.
Full-bodied mid-strength IPA. Green Beacon / Half Mast (QLD, 3.8%)
India Session Ale with fresh hoppy aromas.
LAGER
Young Henrys / Stayer Mid (NSW, 3.5%)
Soft stone fruit and lychee hop aroma, bright golden body, super refreshing with a slightly bitter finish. Grand Ridge / Almighty Light (VIC, 2.7%)
Crisp, refreshing and surprisingly full-bodied light beer.
AMERICAN WHEAT
Otherside / Lo-Fi Citrus Wheat (WA, 3.5%)
Crisp, American-style wheat beer dry-hopped with US hops and infused with orange and grapefruit for a refreshing finish.
TABLE BEER/FARMHOUSE Ocho Beer / Happy Place (TAS, 3.5%)
Bright and juicy little hop banger brewed with rye malt and Centennial and Simcoe hops. Fermented with a traditional Norwegian farmhouse yeast (kveik) for a spicy, fruity character, and a pinch of sea salt to create a spritzy, refreshing beer. Boatrocker Brewing Co / Sunshine & Rainbows (VIC, 3.4%)
Lightly tart session Saison with classic Saison esters and citrus aromas.
TONIC ALE
Pike’s / Tonic Ale (SA, 2.3%)
All Aussie malt and hops mix with orange and lemon peel, ginger, coriander and cinchona bark to create a herbaceous spicy
We chat to Joel Beresford from Dutch Trading Company about the Perth bar’s collaboration with Indian Ocean Brewing Co. DTC x Indian Ocean Brewing Co / Table Beer (WA, 2.8%)
The style of table beer is historically a low-alcohol beer produced in Belgium to be an accompaniment with meals. This idea of a 2.8% ABV beer translates wonderfully to a modern Australian context. The collaboration between Indian Ocean Brewing Co and DTC came about through a desire to produce a beer with as much flavour as possible to fit into as little amount of alcohol as possible, allowing punters the freedom of being able to have a few pints of quality local craft beer without breaking the bank or being incapacitated. The flavour profile is akin to a mini Saison, huge aromas and textures of lychee and pineapple and a subtle background Brettanomyces funk. The finish has an obvious lemon zest character, is dry and extremely thirst-quenching. thedutchtradingco.com.au Froth Beer Magazine p19