With it being Super Bowl Sunday, what better occasion than to dive into the history of the humble American Light Beer?! I could not think of a better beer to celebrate the occasion than the McLightly’s Light Lager, an hommage to the man who singlehandedly popularized light beer in the U.S.
Joseph L. Owades and Light Beer
Well, it all started with Joseph L. Owades, a Jewish immigrant from Eastern Europe who became a food scientist and yeast expert working for Rheingold Brewery in Brooklyn. In the mid-1960s, he discovered an enzyme called amyloglucosidase which ate more sugars than could usually be fermented, allowing for the production of lower-calorie beer. 🧪 🧬
Rheingold and other breweries had trouble marketing this beer though, as “diet beer” did not appeal to the typical male beer drinker of the era. It wasn’t until Miller focused on the fact that you could drink more Light Beer that things took off. Alongside some aggressive, hyper-masculine marking Miller Lite was born and the rest is history, with Light Beer making up 40% of all beer sold in the states and dominating the beer scene. 🍻
Light Beer Is Back in Vogue!
Ironically, however, Light Beer is having somewhat of a comeback in craft breweries as a combination of a maturing market and the economic downturn makes it more appealing to the average consumer. Many new craft light beers display vintage branding focused on the heyday of Light Beer to tap into the nostalgia many craft drinkers have for their more “unenlightened” drinking days. Could this be craft beer’s saving grace? 🍻
McLighty’s Light Lager: Beer Review
One such craft version is McLighty’s Light Lager from Zero Gravity Beer in Burlington, Vermont. While branded like a classic Light Beer it’s a far cry from many macro offerings.
Brewed with Pilsner and Munich malts, it manages to capture all the sweet, bready, and honied flavor you’d expect from a craft lager, while a combination of Hallertau Blanc, Hallertau Mittelfruh and Saaz hops bring some great fruitiness and crisp, grassy bitterness. Despite being only 3.2% and 90 calories, it’s got a surprisingly full body with a great round, smooth mouthfeel yet it goes down as just as easily as a fizzier competitor and is no more filling. I could easily crush many of these while watching some handegg. 🏈 😋 👌🏻
Read More about Beer History
Originally from England, Mike Davis came to Quebec ten years ago to study history. During this time he fell in love with the microbreweries of Quebec, which reminded him of English pubs. Now, he holds a Ph.D in History from McGill University, but works in the beer world as the Brand Ambassador for Microbrasserie 4 Origines.
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