When it comes to the world of beer, there is a lot to get your head around, especially if you’re new to it all. There are a few phrases like light, pale, craft and draught floating around, and to the average joe, this can all be confusing.
However, we’re happy to say that once you know these terms you might be able to find your new favorite beer a little easier, given that you can understand the terms just a little bit more.
In this article, we will take a look at the most popular types of beer from light, draught, pale and craft and go over what makes these different from one another.
Light Beer
Off the top, one of the beer types that is the most self-explanatory is the light beer.
This is the category or the type of beer that features the least amount of alcohol, or has the lowest standard drinks per bottle or can.
These beers are also often reduced calories too, which means you’re cutting back on the number of carbohydrates or sugars in these beers when compared to other types such as pale, craft and draught beers.
In most countries, these beers have an alcohol concentration of 2.2% or 3.2% when compared to the 4% or higher on some other standard beer types.
One important thing to keep in mind though is that depending on where you’re located there are different levels and concentrations of alcohol in ‘light’ beers, and so it might be worth doing your research and taking a look before choosing a new drink.
Draught Beer
Another popular type of beer is the draught or spelt beer. These beers are often served or provided in a keg and come pressured to enhance or sustain carbonation and reduce the chances of these beers going flat or potentially losing flavor over time.
In most cases, you will find or experience draught beer on-tap-only and not too often in casual spaces like your home’s liquor cabinet.
It is good to keep in mind that there are ‘draught’ beers offered in cans and bottles, though these don’t offer the same flavor level, carbonation and overall taste as those that come directly on-tap or from a chilled and pressurized keg.
You can click here for some of the most popular beers and ales out there today as well as some of the canned draught beers.
Pale Ale
When it comes to one of the more popular alcoholic beverages, Pale Ale is essentially a hop-forward or strongly malt-flavored beverage that comes in a medium-strength, which means it lands a little higher on the scale than the light and some draught beers out there.
Comparing these ales to a range of others on the market will reveal that these are some of the more rich-flavored out there, which means if you’re looking to cook with beer, or are looking for something that offers a little more taste, then a pale ale is likely something to consider.
When compared to the light beers, pale ale is mildly stronger with an ABV of between 4% and 6%.
Craft Beers
Slowly climbing in popularity over the past few years, craft beers are becoming one of the more popular in the country today, with a lot of these beers escaping the confines of homes and landing into the fridges of people all across the globe.
One perk of these beers are that they’re typically made on a much smaller scale, which allows the producers to have a far more hands-on control over the flavors and quality of these beers, which means these beers are often more full-flavored and come in a range of sub-flavors that aren’t often found coming from the big producers.
Something to make a note of with craft beers, however, is that you will want to make sure you take a look at reviews and customer experience from these micro-breweries given that they may not produce a product of a quality or flavor that you are going to enjoy.
Choosing Between Light, Draught, Pale and Craft Beer
Of course, when it comes to making your choice between these types of beers you’re always going to want to try before you buy, and also to consider your flavor preferences and ability
to handle your alcohol.
For those who prefer a more pared-back flavor, light beers and draught beers might be something to consider, though for full-flavored and stronger beers, opting for a craft beer or a pale ale might be something to keep in mind.
