| Why I Stopped Drinking Light Beer by Dana Platton Hello Bob - This is the first time I've ever written any website or newspaper, or just about anything else for that matter but after having my friends laugh at me for my "conversion" to craft beer I thought it would be easier to answer them in a public form rather than go through my reasons a hundred times. My group mainly drinks light beers with Bud Light at the top of their list. I was that way too until I got my first taste of serious craft beer a year or so ago. Now I'm not only hooked I guess I'm an advocate of it to the many people like me who don't know what they're missing. In a way maybe writing you is like a public service. Most of my friends love beer in general and so does the country. I bet the nation spends billions of dollars of hard-earned money on it each year, a good chunk of it on the thousands of wonderful breweries throughout the states. Yet, for some reason a lot of people are still decide to drink bad brew. And by bad brew, I mean light beer. Everyone has different drinking taste buds but that doesn't explain why Bud Light is so popular. As for me here's why light beer is objectively bad. I1. Light beer is tasteless. It's favored water. By cutting the calories, they have significantly reducing (or eliminating) things like serious hops which translates to the loss of flavor! 2. You're not saving THAT many calories — if any. The average pint of beer rings in at around 150 calories; The average light beer has less carbs and about 100 calories. But here's the thing: less calories equals less alcohol. In a roundabout way that means people will drink more. I'm guessing when most people don't feel a buzz they tend to drink another and another until they do. All those extra beers mean loads of additional calories. I looked up a bottle of Flying Dog’s Snake Dog IPA (one I really like) and found it has 188 calories and is 7.1 percent alcohol. So, for only about 68 calories more, you’ll get extra alcohol by volume and a far better flavor profile. Bigger beers will make you feel fuller, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing if you’re trying to pace yourself. Plus, you’ll get awesome taste. I have a feeling my argument in favor of higher alcohol beers will annoy some people. I can hear them say, as many of my friends do: "But I don't drink to get drunk!". Well, I don't either but let me tell you there's no way anyone is drinking all those glass of Bud Light for the taste, it doesnt have any so ti must be because it has alcohol. 3.Light beers are usually overpriced. With the exception of swill like Genessee and Busch, light beer isn't usually that much cheaper In most places. In my local bars Bud Light usually rings in at around $6 or more a pint while craft beers are usually $7 tor $8. 4. Craft beers are healthier for you than Light beers, in my opinion. Many of the Lights contain genetically modified (GMO) corn, rice, and other ingredients like high-fructose corn syrup and carcinogenic caramel coloring. Not stuff I want to consume. Also since light beers are brewed with minimal ingredients they end up with almost no nutritional value. Not so for craft. For example, Samuel Adams Boston Lager has 2 grams of protein and 270 milligrams of potassium, Moreover, some evidence has suggested that darker beers, such as Guinness, are better for you, as they contain similar flavonoids (antioxidants) to red wine, and may help with fighting blood clots in arteries. Hopefully my reasons might convince someone to make the switch like I did. And for the record, I'm never going back to tasteless beer! ---------- Congratulations Dana on moving to craft beer. I think we all started drinking macro beer and then moved on to what beer is really all about. You certainly make a compelling case against light beer. Glad you're now a committed craft beer drinker - welcome to the club! Many thanks for sending your article in- please write again! I'd like to invite everyone to send me their own columns about anything related to beer in any way just as Dana did. I select the best and publish them here. So join in and get writing! Cheers! Bob |
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