Remember when everybody, from beer lovers to the breweries themselves, got all excited for 15% ABV, 314 IBU, thick and viscous brews? Hellya, I’ll stand in line for four hours for a four-ounce pour of that! No more. Consumers want drinkability. And with rising input costs, breweries want to brew beers that actually make money. What if people drank more than one beer?!
Breweries have shifted to lower-ABV beers as a way to show true craftsmanship—the beers are harder to brew well and flavorfully—and draw consumers into their taprooms and actually spend some time (and money) there. Aaron Dahl the Head Brewer At Golden Age Beer,
Adam Shier the Brewer & Co-founder at True History Brewing, and Erika Rosenfeld of Post & Beam Brewing talk about the art of brewing low-ABV beer. It’s not as easy as just turning down the volume.
Hear the whole conversation on the Drink Beer, Think Beer podcast.
Or download via Overcast, Stitcher, Podcast Addict, or wherever you download shows.
This episode is sponsored by:
Drink Beer, Think Beer podcast listeners are among the first to know: Sierra Nevada Brewing Company’s famed rare beer Celly Drippins will be released to the public on Friday November 6 at both the Chico California and Mills River North Carolina locations. Learn more about the details of the release events at https://sierranevada.com/event/celly-drippins-release-2026 and plan your trip to experience this extra special beer, available only on tap at the brewery for a limited number of days while supplies last.
Don Tse
Living near seven malthouses, Don Tse is a freelance beer and malt writer and consultant known globally as The Don of Beer. He has been active in craft beer for over 25 years and has famously sampled and written tasting notes on over 31,000 different beers. He is the co-host of the All About Beer podcast. Don has also written for magazines and presented on beer in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Ukraine and Singapore. Nobody in those countries thinks his jokes are funny.
