Low Alcohol Beer

Keedowah

Anyone know where I can get low alcohol (not non alcohol) beer in Dublin?

Looking for something around 2.5-3% Something with good taste too!

Thanks

KJ

Marks & Spencer Cherry wheat beer is delicious and only 3.5%. Most of the fruit based beers are low in volume.

BeerNut

Can't think of anything decent that low, but at ~3.8% ABV you've got Buckley's Pale Ale, Porterhouse TSB, Williams Ginger and Fyne Ales Jarl. Adnams Lighthouse is 3.4%, though I've not tried it.

If you can get up north, Sainsbury's carries Mann's Original: 2.8% ABV and lovely.

ThunderApple

Cherry wheat beer - never tried that. I've been to Belgium and had some great cherry beer there, I don't remember the name anymore. But I remember it was really strong (about 12%).

bryaner

Whyyyyyy..

Keedowah

Going to an all day bbq party at the weekend - dont want to get really drunk - but also trying to watch my alcohol intake.

Thanks for the suggestions - going to see if I can get a couple in - keep the suggestions coming!

Beernut can you get that Buckys pale ale in Dublin? I do like a pale ale!

BeerNut

Yes, but it's draught only (Bull & Castle and Ryan's Parkgate Street), so not much good for barbecue purposes. TSB is also draught only. The others you'll get in most of the decent off licences in Dublin. And they're all pale ales.

donaghs

More than 3%, but Smithwicks is widely available in cans and is only 3.8%. Also, if you can find it (McHughs often have it), the English Brakspear Bitter is only 3.4%, but is actually a delicious beer - far tastier than a lot other ales of higher strength (e.g. Smithwicks or Kilkenny 4.3%). As mentioned earlier, NI supermarkets like Sainsbury's sell a wide variety of beers, some of the ales are under 4%. E.g. Boddingtons is about 3.5%

bryaner wrote: »

Whyyyyyy..

Depends, but a common reason is to be able have a few beers in the middle of the day, without feeling too many effects from it like drunkeness or a mid-day hangover. And feeling wrecked for the rest of day.

Going back to times when drinking water was less reliable, beer was safer to drink, so it made sense to drink the low-strength versions during the day. And save the strong stuff for the evenings.

The Belgians, well-known for strongs beers, also have a tradition of low-strength beer, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saison.
It was a thirst-quenching beer for farm workers in late summer. The lower strength meant they weren't too pissed and unable to get work done, etc.

Molloys Clondalkin

Moosehead cracked canoe is 3.5% some places are doing it for 12 euro for 12 bottles.

BaZmO*

bryaner wrote: »

Whyyyyyy..

Yep. Best to get absolutely smashed at every opportunity.

donaghs wrote: »

Going back to times when drinking water was less reliable, beer was safer to drink, so it made sense to drink the low-strength versions during the day. And save the strong stuff for the evenings.

The Belgians, well-known for strongs beers, also have a tradition of low-strength beer, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saison.
It was a thirst-quenching beer for farm workers in late summer. The lower strength meant they weren't too pissed and unable to get work done, etc.

There's also a tradition of brewing beer from the second runnings of the mash, called "small beers"

Anchor Brewing doing a version of this called "Anchor Small Beer" funnily enough. It's 3.3%
Haven't tried it but I like their other beers.

BeerNut

BaZmO* wrote: »

Anchor Brewing doing a version of this called "Anchor Small Beer" funnily enough. It's 3.3%
Haven't tried it but I like their other beers.

I thought it was quite poor. Too fizzy, too bitter and not enough backbone to carry it.

biko

Out of the beer usually found in pubs (pints/bottles) which would have the lowest ABV?
Could be good to know for those long Saturday afternoons outside the pub...
Or does someone have a list of the usual suspects?

Actually found one
http://www.wilson-drinks-report.com/duty-vat-calculator

Guinness Draught 4.1%
Buckfast 15.0%
Budweiser 5.0%
Carling 4.1%
Carlsberg 3.8%
Carlsberg Export 5.0%
Coors Light 4.5%
Corona Extra 4.6%
Fosters 4.0%
Grolsch 5.0%
Heineken 5.0%
Holsten Pils 5.0%
Pilsner Urquell 4.4%
San Miguel 5.0%
Sol 4.5%
Staropramen 5.0%
Stella Artois 5.0%
Stella Artois 4% 4.0%
Tennent’s Super 9.0%

BeerNut

Smithwick's is 3.8% ABV. All the other popular beers are 4 or over.

There seems to be a line at 4.3% ABV below which the beer marketers don't believe a mainstream beer will sell in Ireland. So you have Beck's Vier, brewed solely for the UK and Ireland market, 4% ABV in the UK but 4.3 here. They must have thought "nobody'll buy a 4% ABV lager in Ireland". Nowhere in the Smithwick's marketing does it tell you the strength.

Your list is from the UK. Most of those are different strengths here.

Keedowah

BeerNut - do you have a list that is suitable for Ireland?

BeerNut

Nope, but almost everything is in the 4.2 - 4.4 range.

rubadub

biko wrote: »

Guinness Draught 4.1% 4.2
Buckfast 15.0%
Budweiser 5.0% 4.3
Carling 4.1%
Carlsberg 3.8% 4.3
Carlsberg Export 5.0%
Coors Light 4.5% 4.3
Corona Extra 4.6%
Fosters 4.0%
Grolsch 5.0%
Heineken 5.0% 4.3 (unless you get imported bottles/cans)
Holsten Pils 5.0%
Pilsner Urquell 4.4%
San Miguel 5.0%
Sol 4.5%
Staropramen 5.0%
Stella Artois 5.0%
Stella Artois 4% 4.0%
Tennent’s Super 9.0%

Corrected the ones I know for Ireland.

BeerNut wrote: »

Nowhere in the Smithwick's marketing does it tell you the strength.

Yes, it is not readily known, most people I know who have the odd pint of it did not know. Its meant to be 4.5% in the US.

Tesco do a value beer, 2% and maybe 2.50 for 4 horrific looking 500ml cans


You could always dilute your beer with sparkling water, many beers are diluted down in the factory anyway so it is not that weird a thing to do, though would no doubt get comments.

Bigcheeze

rubadub wrote: »

Corrected the ones I know for Ireland.

Yes, it is not readily known, most people I know who have the odd pint of it did not know. Its meant to be 4.5% in the US.

Tesco do a value beer, 2% and maybe 2.50 for 4 horrific looking 500ml cans


You could always dilute your beer with sparkling water, many beers are diluted down in the factory anyway so it is not that weird a thing to do, though would no doubt get comments.

I think fosters is 5.0 and San Miguel is somewhere north of 5.

One of the things I love about English breweries is that some of them can pack so much flavour and body into a sub-4% beer.


Edit: didn't realise I was quoting that tesco pic when replying.

BaZmO*

Fosters used to be 5% but it's now at 4.3% and has been for a very long time.

TwistingJab

Bump

oblivious

Old thread, please start a new one