Is Small Beer the New Pale Ale?

Will small beer overtake pale ale in popularity? Probably not, but I have noticed an uptick in beers that are 4% alcohol by volume and under. These beers are brewed with people like me in mind: those who absolutely adore smaller beers. So here are 10 beers at 4% ABV or under, some local, some not.

The localest example is the recently released Always Wonder, from Bluejacket. Cushwa Brewing’s Nanofluid, a bit north of us, is also a small lager. Further afield in Virginia Beach is Commonwealth Brewing’s Puff. All three of these beers are 3.5% ABV.

With three being a crowd, I could not be happier to have these three beers all available in the DC metro region. (Bluejacket, Commonwealth, Cushwa, if you’re reading this I will gladly pay for these beers but will also accept a case or two on behalf of DCBeer).

Commonwealth’s Puff is the outlier here, first as an ale, secondly as an all-wheat beer, thirdly as a smoked beer, and lastly as a historical style: Grodziskie Pivo, from Grodzisk, Polan

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