Best Light Beers

[AussieJosh]

Hi guys...
Im looking at cutting down my alc intake a little you know have two or three days of no drinking a week and when i do have a drinks with friends id like to have maybe 4 full stregth beers and follow them up with light beers rather then having 6 or 12 pints of full stregth!
So my question to all of you is...what do you think are the best comercial light beers? From what i know hahn premium light is Australias best selling light. But as we all know just because somthing sells a lot does not mean its the best eg...Carlton Draught, VB Budwiser...........
Also what do you think are the best comercial international beers?
Thanks for your advice guys and girls! :icon_cheers:

 

[geoffi]

Personally I think the generally available light beers are pretty awful. I'm sure most on this forum would concur. If I have to choose the least worst option, Cascade is the least revolting for me. Hahn light tastes of...well, nothing really.

My favourite 'light' beer is the one I make myself. Dark mild, about 3%, packed with flavour, lots of mouthfeel, tastes awesome, imho. Makes Hahn/Cascade/Whatever light taste like week-old dishwater.

 

[altone]

Personally I think the generally available light beers are pretty awful. I'm sure most on this forum would concur. If I have to choose the least worst option, Cascade is the least revolting for me. Hahn light tastes of...well, nothing really.

Yep, I agree - Cascade light is probably the best commercial light I've had, but still a bit like drinking half beer half water.

 

[Batz]

Yep, I agree - Cascade light is probably the best commercial light I've had, but still a bit like drinking half beer half water.

Why the hell is this? (watery taste)
I can brew a full flavored light beer, I do it often.

Batz

 

[Bribie G]

One trick is to mash very high, say 70 degrees for no more than an hour to produce a wort with heaps of body and flavour, that will ferment out to a fairly low Alc beer. Best suited to dark milds etc, although you could do a nice hop driven beer by this method as well. I brewed such a mild for a comp and it's very drinkable.
Personally I reckon life is too short for light beer but that's just me :beerbang:

 

[QldKev]

+1 Cascade light, about the only one that tastes ok..

But as Batz said, brew your own...

QldKev

 

[Rodolphe01]

Not 'light', but LC Rogers aint bad @ 1 std drink per bottle. I prefer to drink less of something good, rather than a lot of something shit just for the sake of having a beer in my hand.

 

[AussieJosh]

as far as brewing my own....i was talking about when out at a pub or with friends...
Looks like Cascade is the go...
The only light beer i have had in recent times is Hahn, and yer it was "watery"
What about coopers light!? Im a Coopers fan! is there light any good?

 

[petesbrew]

Not 'light', but LC Rogers aint bad @ 1 std drink per bottle. I prefer to drink less of something good, rather than a lot of something shit just for the sake of having a beer in my hand.

+1
Quality over quantity anyday.

 

[O'Henry]

+1 Cascade light. But I also prefer to drink less rather than drink light.

Coopers Mild is alright (1sd/375ml). Good luck finding it in a pub though.

(edit: grammar)

 

[discoloop]

You do occasionally see Coopers Light out every once in a while. It's not a bad drop for a light beer, tasting fairly similar to the Coopers Lager... In NSW, at least, it's at boutique prices, though. The Firehouse in Nth Sydney has it on tap for $5.10 a schmiddy. *cough* ripoff!

I'd love to see more of it (at a reasonable price) though.

 

[Mercs Own]

Life is too short to drink light beer!

Do you drink light wine?

IMHO I dont see the point in switching to light beer in an attempt to cut back on your drinking (could be read as cut back on quality) If I want to cut back then I will have a mineral water with a dash of lime - very enjoyable, very refreshing, full flavoured and probably better for you than a light beer that you may not be enjoying all that much.

That said the best light beer - if you can call a 3%er light - I ever had was from Bootleg Brewery - it was about 3% and a dark ale - lots of flavour lots of character and didnt lack anything meaning I felt like I was drinking a beer not an almost beer.

Go the mineral water.

 

[Adamt]

Roger's and Coopers Mild are good midstrength offerings.

 

[Bribie G]

Provided you start your session on the stuff and don't wander off drinking anything else, XXXX Gold actually isn't too bad a drop for a Mid and certainly far more flavoursome than Carlton Mid. I understand that they do an overgravity beer and water it down but because of the mash profile it turns out with a lot of flavour in it. Somebody (Maybe Thirsty Boy) actually posted a graph a few months ago showing how the breweries use overgravity brewing to make a lower alc beer that actually tastes almost the same as a full strength (although with less alcohol character of course) but I have no idea what thread that was on.

 

[bullsneck]

Can't go past Light Ice :icon_drool2:

 

[O'Henry]

Provided you start your session on the stuff and don't wander off drinking anything else, XXXX Gold actually isn't too bad a drop for a Mid and certainly far more flavoursome than Carlton Mid. I understand that they do an overgravity beer and water it down but because of the mash profile it turns out with a lot of flavour in it. Somebody (Maybe Thirsty Boy) actually posted a graph a few months ago showing how the breweries use overgravity brewing to make a lower alc beer that actually tastes almost the same as a full strength (although with less alcohol character of course) but I have no idea what thread that was on.

At a mates place earlier this year I had a few XXXX Gold's. Was surprised. Not too bad. So, that makes it Rogers, Cooper Mild/light, XXXX Gold and Cascade so far for the AHB tick of approval. Any more.

Would be interesting to see that graph. If anyone can remember the thread's name or anything, wouldn't mind a link. Don't go searching though, just curious. Wouldn't know where to start on the search front...

 

[Hargie]

...we won the reduced alcohol category at this years AIBA...Sunshine Coast Summer Ale...some of you may have had some last night at the Grand Central...sorry i couldn't make it...stuck with the inlaws etc....

...back on track, the Summer Ale beat all those other beers....so...i guess it should be up there too...

cheers
Scott
SCB

 

[lczaban]

...we won the reduced alcohol category at this years AIBA...Sunshine Coast Summer Ale...some of you may have had some last night at the Grand Central...sorry i couldn't make it...stuck with the inlaws etc....

...back on track, the Summer Ale beat all those other beers....so...i guess it should be up there too...

cheers
Scott
SCB

+1 - if you can get the SCB Summer Ale is a kick-arse beer in a mid-strength. I would have to be the most popular mid in our place from a commercial point of view. If you can find it you won't be dissapointed. I saw it was on tap at the Platform Bar last night but I opted for the Dunkelweisen instead... :icon_drool2: There will be another time I'm sure...

I'd also say XXXX mid just because of it's wide availability and consistency, but I wouldn't make a habit of drinking it as a session beer personally. It's fairly flavoursome but you end up drinking more beers to compensate and I tend to get wicked hangovers on it. Coopers, Cascade and Boags Premium light beers would be my choice but they are noticably more watery than their full-strength bigger brothers. Cooper's Mid and LC Rogers are OK, but I think they are a little too malt driven to be good session beers IMHO. My 2c is to cut back on the full strength beers rather than compromise, but each to their own...

 

[Hargie]

+1 - if you can get the SCB Summer Ale is a kick-arse beer in a mid-strength. I would have to be the most popular mid in our place from a commercial point of view. If you can find it you won't be dissapointed. I saw it was on tap at the Platform Bar last night but I opted for the Dunkelweisen instead... :icon_drool2: There will be another time I'm sure...

...thanks mate, glad you like 'em...

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

Coopers Premium light is a great beer with heaps of flavour.

I also LOVE their Mild Ale... :icon_drool2:

These 2 are about the only 2 decent light/mids worth drinking