| Miller Brewing Company launched the first reduced | | | | were officially classified as "cereal beverages" to |
| alcohol beer, "Miller Lite" in 1973. Now, almost 40 | | | | distinguish them from the illegal recipes. These brews |
| years later, almost every major and micro brewing | | | | proved to be popular with the public and about 300 |
| company offers a reduced alcohol product and it | | | | million gallons were produced in the early 1920s and |
| accounts for an ever growing percentage of the | | | | provided a much needed revenue source for many |
| annual 180 million barrel US market. | | | | breweries. |
| To be considered a light, or reduced alcohol, beer | | | | One of the most important reasons for near-beer's |
| must contain no more than 3.5% "alcohol by volume" | | | | popularity was that it was easily spiked with grain |
| (ABV). This compares with "regular" beer that, | | | | alcohol and soon acquired yet another nickname; |
| generally, contains between 5% and 6%. A recent | | | | "needle beer" because of a needle was often used |
| testing of the best selling US light beer, Bud Light | | | | to inject the alcohol through the cork. |
| showed it to have about 100 calories in a 12 oz. can | | | | Preceding near-beer was "small beer" which was |
| compared to about 142 in Budweiser's regular beer. | | | | widely produced both in colonial America and even |
| The spelling "Lite" is a trademark of Miller brewing | | | | earlier in Europe. Small beer is an extremely low |
| company and should not be used to refer to reduced | | | | alcohol drink that is flavored with different ingredients |
| alcohol beer in general. | | | | such as molasses. It was often served to children |
| The states of Utah, Oklahoma, Minnesota, Kansas, | | | | and servant along with meals, including breakfast. At |
| and Colorado will allow convenience stores and | | | | the time, it was a safer drink than water because of |
| supermarkets to only sell beer with ABV of 3.2%. | | | | the brewing process which boiled the wort, which |
| Higher alcohol content beer may be sold only in liquor | | | | killed the water born diseases of the time such as |
| stores licensed by the state. Interestingly, Oklahoma | | | | cholera. |
| further mandates that beer over 3.2% ABV must be | | | | Small beer has fallen out of favor with today's |
| sold only at room temperature. Some classify this | | | | drinkers and is mostly brewed by home brewers and |
| reduced alcohol beer as "near-beer" but that term | | | | some microbreweries. However, Anchor Brewing |
| originated much earlier, during the prohibition era. | | | | Company in San Francisco still produces "Anchor Small |
| Originally, "near-beer" was a name for malt based | | | | Beer" which is listed with an ABV of 3.3%. |
| beverages with little or no alcoholic content. These | | | | Learn more fun stuff about beer at Brew Beer |
| brews sprang up as soon as prohibition outlawed the | | | | Today. |
| brewing of any alcoholic beverage. These brews | | | | |
