Drinks

Small beer (also, small ale) is a beer/ale that contains very little alcohol. Sometimes unfiltered and porridge-like, it was a favoured drink in Medieval Europe and colonial North America where George Washington had a recipe involving bran and molasses It was sometimes had with breakfast, as attested in Benjamin Franklin’s autobiography. Before public sanitation, cholera and other water-transmitted diseases were a significant cause of death. Because alcohol is toxic to most water-borne pathogens, and because the process of brewing any beer from malt involves boiling the water, which also kills them, drinking small beer instead of water was one way to escape infection. Small beer was also produced in households for consumption by children and servants. It was not unknown for workers in heavy industries and physical work to consume double figure (pint) quantities of small beer during a working day to maintain their hydration levels. This was usually provided free as part of their working conditions, it being recognised that maintaining suitable levels of hydration was indeed essential for optimum performance.

Small beer/small ale can also refer to a beer made of the “second runnings” from a very strong beer (e.g., scotch ale) mash. These beers can be as strong as a mild ale, depending on the strength of the original mash. This was done as an economy measure in household brewing in England up to the 18th century and is still done by some homebrewers and microbrewers such as Anchor Brewing Company.

Reducing the energy content of beer is accomplished by a large reduction in the carbohydrate content and a small reduction in the alcohol content, since both carbohydrates and alcohol contribute to the energy content of beer.(Unlike reduced-alcohol light beers, the alcohol reduction is not primarily intended to produce a less intoxicating beverage.)

This is the primary definition in the United States, where the spelling Lite beer is also encountered.

Light beers with significantly lower alcohol content allow consumers to drink more beers in a shorter period without becoming intoxicated. Low alcohol content can also mean a less expensive beer. This is the primary definition of the term in countries such as Australia and Scotland. In Australia, regular beers have approximately 5% alcohol by volume; light beers alcohol content may have 2.2%–3.2%. “Light” customarily means a beer with less than 3.5% alcohol by volume.

In the United States, the sale of only low-alcohol light beer is allowed in some establishments. For example, in Minnesota, Kansas, Oklahoma, Colorado and Utah, beer sold in supermarket chains and convenience stores must be less than 3.2% alcohol by weight (4% ABV). This low alcohol beer is also referred to as Low-point beer or 3.2 (”three-two”) beer. Minnesota has a full-service alcohol license available to retailers, permitting sales of beers up to the normal alcohol level, but 3.2 licenses are easier to obtain.

Light beer refers to beer which is reduced in alcohol content, or in calories, compared to “regular” beers. Light beers may be chosen by beer drinkers who wish to manage their alcohol consumption or their calorie intake; however, they are sometimes criticized for being less flavourful than full-strength beers, being (in perception or in fact) “watered down”.

Near beer was originally a term for malt beverages containing little or no alcohol (less than one half of one percent by volume), which were mass-marketed during Prohibition in the United States. Near beer could not legally be labeled as “beer” and was officially classified as cereal beverage. The public, however, almost universally called them “near beer.”

The most popular “near beer” was Bevo, brewed by the Anheuser-Busch company. The Pabst company brewed “Pablo”, Miller brewed “Vivo”, and Schlitz brewed “Famo”. Many local and regional breweries stayed in business by marketing their own near-beers. By 1921 production of near beer had reached over 300 million US gallons (1 billion L) a year (360 L/s). Another near-beer is Palm Green.

A popular illegal practice was to add alcohol to near beer. The resulting beverage was known as spiked beer or needle beer, so called because a needle was used to inject alcohol through the cork of the bottle or keg.

Food critic and writer Waverley Root described the common American near beer as “such a wishy-washy, thin, ill-tasting, discouraging sort of slop that it might have been dreamed up by a Puritan Machiavelli with the intent of disgusting drinkers with genuine beer forever.”

Today the term “near beer” has been revived by some people to refer to modern versions of non-alcoholic beer.

Low-alcohol beer (also, non-alcoholic or NA beer, small beer, or small ale or near-beer) is beer with very low or no alcohol content. The vast majority of low alcohol beers are lagers, but there are to a lesser extent some ales.

In the United States, beverages containing less than 0.5% alcohol by volume (ABV) can be legally called non-alcoholic according to the Volstead Act. Due to the extremely low alcohol content present in various brands of “NA” (non-alcoholic) beer, the sale to minors and adults under age 21 is legal in most states.

In the UK the following descriptions apply by law (correct at May 2007):

No alcohol/alcohol free: not more than 0.05% ABV
Dealcoholised: over 0.05% and under 0.5% ABV
Low alcohol: not more than 1.2% ABV

In the rest of the European Union, it must be not more than 0.5% ABV to be described as alcohol free.

Although labeled as non-alcoholic, some products may still contain small amounts of alcohol as seen above and as a result some US states prohibit their sale to minors, and even young adults. According to Michigan law, persons must be 18 to purchase “non-alcoholic beer” within the state. This is the case in several other states including Mississippi and Montana. In Missouri, the alcohol laws only pertain to alcohol which is more than 0.5% ABV, and thus no law prohibits minors from purchasing low-alcohol beer (see alcohol laws of Missouri).

In countries where alcohol advertising is forbidden or limited, non-alcoholic versions of many popular brands of alcoholic beverage are created for the purpose of advertisement.

A non-alcoholic beverage is a beverage that contains no alcohol. Such drinks are generally drunk for refreshment, or to quench people’s thirst.

Non-alcoholic mixed drinks (including punches, “virgin cocktails”, or “mocktails”) are often consumed by children, people whose religion restricts alcohol consumption, recovering alcoholics, and anyone wishing to enjoy flavorful drinks without alcohol. Examples include Shirley Temples, Virgin Marys, and virgin-style Piña Coladas.

Non-alcoholic beer can, in fact, contain a small amount of alcohol (the exact percentage varies by country). Thus purchasers of non-alcoholic beer in many U.S. states must be at least 21.

Non-alcoholic beverages contain no more than .5 percent alcohol by volume. The category includes drinks that traditionally have no trace of alcohol such as sodas, juices, and sparkling ciders. It also includes drinks that have undergone an alcohol removal process such as non-alcoholic beers and de-alcoholized wines.

Low-alcohol-content drinks are produced by fermentation of sugar- or starch-containing products, and high-alcohol ones are produced by distillation of these. Sometimes, the alcohol content is increased by adding distilled products, particularly in the case of wines. Such fortified wines include Port and Sherry.

The process involved (as well as the resulting alcohol content) defines the finished product. Beer involves a relatively short (incomplete) fermentation process and an equally short aging process (a week or two) resulting in an alcohol content generally between 3-8%, as well as natural carbonation. Wine involves a longer (complete) fermentation process, and a relatively long aging process (months or years — sometimes decades) resulting in an alcohol content between 7-18%. Sparkling wine is generally made by adding a small amount of sugar before bottling, which causes a secondary fermentation to continue in the bottle. Distilled products are generally not made from a beer that would normally be palatable as fermentation is normally completed, but no aging is involved until after distillation. Most are 30% or greater alcohol by volume. Liqueurs are characterized by the way in which their flavors are infused and typically have high sugar content. Spirits typically contain 37.5% alcohol or greater and are not infused with flavors during the distilling process, however some modern spirits are infused with flavors after distilling (the Swedish vodka Absolut, for instance or Polish infused cranberry vodka Sobieski).

Standard alcoholic drinks in the United States all contain the same amount of alcohol, about 0.6 fl. oz. (American) each (17.75ml). A U.S. standard drink is a 12 ounce can or bottle of beer, a five ounce glass of dinner wine, or a 1.5 ounce drink of 40% distilled spirits (either straight or in a mixed drink).

In the UK, alcohol content is measured in units. One unit equates to 10 ml of pure ethanol (approx. 1/3 fl. oz. American). A typical large glass or pint of beer contains approximately 2 units. A shot (25ml) of 40% spirit contains exactly 1 unit.

The names of some beverages are determined by the source of the material fermented:

In the United States, the places where alcohol may be sold and/or possessed, like all other alcohol restrictions, varies from state to state. Some states, like Nevada, Louisiana, Missouri, and Connecticut, have very permissive and laissez-faire alcohol laws, whereas other states, like Kansas and Oklahoma, have very strict alcohol laws.

Many U.S. states require that distilled liquor be sold only in dedicated liquor stores. In eighteen alcoholic beverage control states (Alabama, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wyoming), liquor stores are run by the state itself, ostensibly to prevent young cashiers from allowing sales to underage friends while pretending to verify their age. In Nevada and Missouri, however, state law does not specifically enumerate the precise locations where alcohol may be sold, allowing even gas stations to sell any alcoholic beverage as if they were liquor stores. In some states, liquor sales are prohibited on Sunday by a blue law.

Most U.S. states follow a three-tier (alcohol distribution) system where producers cannot sell directly to retailers, but must instead sell to distributors, who in turn sell to retailers. Exceptions often exist for brewpubs (pubs which brew their own beer) and wineries, which are allowed to sell their products directly to consumers.

In each of the Nordic countries except Denmark, there is a government monopoly on the selling of hard alcohol in stores.

In Sweden, beers with a lower alcohol content, called folköl (more than 2.25% and up to 3.5% alcohol by weight), can be sold in regular stores to anyone older than 18, but drinks with a high content of alcohol can only be sold in the official government-run vendors to people older than 20, or in licensed facilities such as restaurants and bars, where the age limit is 18. The law states that alcoholic drinks bought at these licensed facilities must be consumed on the premises, and it is not allowed to consume alcoholic drinks bought elsewhere. For non-alcoholic drinks there is no such legal requirement, but individual facilities may still set their own restrictions.

In Norway, beers with an alcohol content of 4.74% by volume or less can be legally sold in grocery stores. Stronger beers, wine and spirits can only be bought at official government-run vendors. All alcoholic beverages can be bought at licensed bars and restaurants, provided they are consumed on the premises. Beers and wine can be purchased by anyone of age 18 or older, spirits by anyone 20 or over. Norway levies some of the heaviest fees in the world on alcoholic beverages, particularly spirits, on top of a 25% GST on all goods and services. For example, 700 ml of Absolut Vodka currently retails at 275 NOK, which is about 54 USD.

The state-run vendor is called Systembolaget in Sweden, Vinmonopolet in Norway, Alko in Finland, and Vínbúð in Iceland. The governments claim that the purpose of this system is to cut down on the consumption of alcohol in these countries where binge drinking is an ancient tradition. The first such monopoly was in Falun in the 19th century. In the early 20th century, Sweden had a brief prohibition of strong alcoholic drinks, followed by strict rationing, and then more lax regulation, including being open on Saturdays. These measures have had success in the past, but since joining the European Union it has been harder to curb importation, legal or illegal, from other EU countries, making these measures less effective. There is an ongoing debate over whether or not to maintain the state-run alcohol monopolies.