Why is American beer so weak?

Question

I'm from Canada and was just wondering is there a law against having beer over 3% in the USA. Even our light beer is 4% and our regular at least 5% even up to 7% sometimes. Or is it so people have to pay more to get drunk?

Answer 1

I think it has to do with state regulations. I live in California, and the popular priced beers are anywhere from 4.5% to 5.5%.

Answer 2

The reputation that American beer has in Canada is fully deserved and fully-earned. It is also held by many Americans, and for the same reason.

The reason is that State law dictates the alcohol content in beer, and for many years, States bordering Canada, or at least those from which most US visitors to Canada originated, all had lower-alcohol levels than Canada. It was almost a standing Canadian joke that Americans came Canada to get drunk on two beers, and most Americans agreed....although they would not admit to only two beers.

This began at least as far back as the 1950s and it continued until the end of the century.

Answer 3

Only in some places. For example, in Utah (predominantly Morman) there is no beer higher than 3.2%. For the most part though, the beer is pretty normal. The big name brands like Coors etc, are really tasteless and crappy, but there are a ton of small breweries that have awesome beer. I'm Canadian as well, and I just got back from living in Colorado for 7 months, and just in the little county I was living in, there were three or four breweries with great beer, sometimes over 5%. You just have to look locally.

Answer 4

I think thats actually a myth among foreign countries. I know in some states they have beer with lowered alcohol content but across the board the average ABV percentage for beer in the US is around 5-5.5%.

Your most popular brands like Budweiser, Coors, Miller are all around 5-5.5%.

Most people mistake American beer as weak on alcohol which isnt entirely the case. Its actually weak on flavor. The reason for this is Americans have adapted a taste for beer that is made with what are known in the brewing industry as adjuncts. Adjuncts are things such as rice, flaked corn, and other things that add to the fermentable sugar content of the "wort" which is the beer before it is fermented. Adjuncts are good because they provide the fermentable sugar needed to raise the alcohol content to the desired level. The problem with adjuncts is they lend very little to no flavor only fermentable sugar. This is why many American beers taste really watery and dont have a lot of flavor. Not to mention adjuncts in most cases are much cheaper to use than having to make the entire mash from barley which is much more expensive. If you really want to try one of the best examples of a classic American lager Sam Adams is definitely a good one. SA uses no adjuncts and uses far more hops when making their beer giving it a very good flavor.

Answer 5

I am not very sure you know what your talking about. most beer not just in America but all over the world usually runs about 4-7% this is because beer yeast dies at alchool levels above this. There are beers that go above that they are usually refered to as IPA's or India Pale Ales. They were designed so the English could have beer transported from England to India without having it spoil. Here is a link to a site with many popular beers, and their corosponing alchohol contents.

http://www.realbeer.com/edu/health/calories.php

Answer 6

Its a Christian right-wing conspiracy. They are afeared that Jeeeezzusss will get angry from His cloud at watching all the drunk peoples if the American beer is too strong. Just go to Utah were the beer is even weaker than that.

Answer 7

Many Americans, especially in college, binge drink significantly. Its part of our culture. We go to college and something like 90% of students drink, and close to that abuse alcohol at least once while there. Lighter beer seems to be a better way to 1. Control how much we drink 2. Be healthier due to lower carbs.

Answer 8

It relies upon on what you're evaluating it to. each and every person's macro-brewery lagers are low priced, vulnerable, ****-swill. there is no longer something that differs u.s. from the different united states of america in that regard, because of the fact the beer that sells the main stands out as the single that could attraction to the main folk (people who do no longer fairly like the style of beer). yet another subject, on the topic of the export of beer from u.s., or everywhere else, for that rely, is that sometimes in straightforward terms the optimum-volume-revenues beers (think of budweiser) are worthwhile for export. So u.s., like Germany or Belgium, keeps a superb kind of the solid stuff in-united states of america because of the fact it does not have the comparable extensive-marketplace attraction. it somewhat is why i've got consistently reserved judgement a pair of place like Canada, who i understand has some recommendations-blowing beer, yet does not have many craft breweries sufficiently vast for export to different international locations, so all that has a tendency to deliver out is in fact Canadian budweiser.

Answer 9

3% in the US?

You must be buying some cheap beer to make your comparison. You're stacking the deck by comparing your crappy Canadian beer with crappy American beer.

I believe most US beers are at least 5%.

I can't even think of a Canadian beer. Let alone a good Canadian beer, eh? Take-off, eh.

Answer 10

You must be buying your beer in the grocery store. Grocery stores sometimes carry 3.2% beer since the sale of full strength beer is illegal on Sundays in some states, but they can sell the 3.2.

Answer 11

I think that's only true in Minnesota....
I live in WI, and our beer is as much as 5%.
I'm talking NATIONAL brands, Like Budweiser, too.

I just googled alcohol percentage, and a quick scroll through the beers listed showed NONE of them with 3%.
Your info is incorrect.