Maybe “Dry January” isn’t your thing. You don’t want to give up on beer completely and yet… you still want to make a healthier choice to start 2024. That’s where light beer comes in. “Light beer” doesn’t have to carry a bad connotation. Sure, there are still many light beers brewed in giant factories by macro-brewers and many of these options taste more like yellow, fizzy water than actual beer. But there are also myriad great-tasting beers that are light on calories, carbs, and alcohol just waiting to be discovered.
We don’t want you to navigate the world of light beer alone. So we ranked eight of our favorite light beers available almost anywhere. Keep scrolling to see our list.
8.) Dogfish Head Slightly Mighty
ABV: 4%
Average Price: $11 for a six-pack
The Beer:
Dogfish Head Slightly Might is a very unique beer. This IPA is only 95 calories, 3.6 carbs, 1 gram of protein, and zero grams of fat. It’s also only 4% ABV and loaded with tropical fruit flavor and gentle hop bitterness. None of that is unique. What’s interesting is the use of monk fruit as a sweetener instead of sugar. This adds even more fruity flavor to this brew without adding a single calorie.
Tasting Notes:
This lightly hazy beer begins with a nose of ripe pineapple, coconut, guava, passionfruit, citrus peels, and light, floral pine. The palate is dry, tropical, and citrus fruit-centered, and ends with a gentle hop bitterness. For a light beer, it’s surprisingly flavorful.
Bottom Line:
This isn’t your classic bitter IPA. It’s fruity, sweet, lightly bitter, and crushable.
7.) Zero Gravity McLighty’s
ABV: 3.2%
Average Price: $17 for a 12-pack
The Beer:
Zero Gravity McLighty’s is the epitome of a crushable, light lager. It might be only 3.2% ABV, but it’s loaded with Hallertau Blanc, Hallertau Mittlefru, and Czech Saaz hops. It gets its malt backbone from the use of both Pilsner and Munich malts.
Tasting Notes:
A nose of cereal grains, freshly baked bread, caramel malts, citrus peels, and light fruit greet you before your first sip. Drinking it brings forth notes of yeasty bread, cereal grains, fresh hay, honey, and lemon. The finish is crisp and refreshing, and it leaves you craving more.
Bottom Line:
This is a classic, crushable, thirst-quenching lager. It’s low in alcohol, but surprisingly big on taste.
6.) Bent Paddle Light Lager
ABV: 4.1%
Average Price: $17 for a 12-pack
The Beer:
This 4.1% ABV year-round brew from the folks at Bent Paddle is known for its crisp, fresh taste. This is thanks to being brewed with German Tradition hops and House Lager Strain yeast. On the malt front, it gets a big backbone from the use of Rahr 2-Row, Rahr North Star Pils, flaked non-GMO corn, and acidulated malt.
Tasting Notes:
The nose is a classic lager with a ton of sweet corn, cereal grains, honey, and lightly floral hops. The palate is a mix of cracker-like malts, cereal grains, sweet corn, fresh-cut grass, citrus, and floral hops. The finish is sweet, crisp, and highly refreshing.
Bottom Line:
You wouldn’t know this is a light lager when you sip it. It has a lot of flavor and a nice malt backbone that brings everything together nicely.
5.) Short’s Local’s Light
ABV: 5.2%
Average Price: $8 for a six-pack
The Beer:
While the light beer craze has only taken over the craft world in the last decade, the brewers at Shorts Brewing have been crafting this light lager for the last twenty years. Brewed with Pilsen malts and Perle hops, this pale lager is known for its crisp, clean, refreshing flavor all year long.
Tasting Notes:
Sweet corn, yeasty bread, honey, citrus peels, and floral hops start this beer off on the right foot on the nose. There’s more of the same in the best way possible on the palate. Cereal grains, corn, freshly baked bread, lemon peel, honey, and lightly spicy, floral hops make for a unique, crisp finish.
Bottom Line:
If you enjoy a classic, sweet corn, crisp, dry lager, this is your jam. It’s even better that it’s highly sessionable.
4.) Night Shift Nite Lite
ABV: 4.3%
Average Price: $9 for a four-pack of 16-ounce cans
The Beer:
This simple, refreshing beer is only 4.3% ABV and 120 calories per can. It’s not like any light beer you’ve ever had. It’s brewed with German noble hops and premium two-row barley and no preservatives or corn syrup. It tastes like a classic, crisp, German pilsner, but it’s labeled as a light beer.
Tasting Notes:
The nose is a nice mix of floral, earthy, grassy hops, lemon and orange peels, cereal grains, and honey. Sipping it brings forth notes of bready malts, cereal grains, lemongrass, hay, floral hops, and a crisp, lightly bitter, refreshing finish.
Bottom Line:
This beer is labeled as a light lager, but it tastes like a crisp, flavorful German-style pilsner. There’s nothing “light” when it comes to aroma and flavor.
3.) Lagunitas Daytime
ABV: 4%
Average Price: $11 for a six-pack
The Beer:
Lagunitas is well-known for its bright, flavorful, hoppy IPAs. It should come as no surprise that the brand sells a light version of its iconic style. It’s only 4% ABV, 98 calories per can, and 3 carbs. But, while it’s low on unhealthy ingredients, it’s high on citrus and tropical flavors thanks to the addition of specifically chosen malts, oats, and Centennial and Citra hops.
Tasting Notes:
Orchard fruits, apricots, lemon peels, grapefruit, and herbal, earthy, piney hops are prevalent on the nose. The palate is filled with ripe peaches, lemon peels, tangerines, grapefruit, pineapple, caramel malts, and dank pine.
Bottom Line:
This is a light IPA, but it doesn’t taste anything like that. It’s a crushable, sessionable beer that will appeal to all IPA drinkers.
2.) Bell’s Light-Hearted
ABV: 4%
Average Price: $10 for a six-pack
The Beer:
There are few low-ABV, sessionable IPAs better than Bell’s Light Hearted. This light version of the popular Bell’s Two Hearted is known for its mix of sweet malts, citrus fruits, and piney floral hops thanks to being brewed with Centennial and Galaxy hops as well as hand-selected specialty hops.
Tasting Notes:
Cracker-like malts, cereal grains, caramelized pineapple, lemon zest, grapefruit, and spicy floral hops lead the way on the nose. On the palate, you’ll find hints of cereal grains, honey, orange peel, lemon zest, grapefruit, and just a hint of bitter, floral, pine at the finish.
Bottom Line:
At only 4% ABV, it’s amazing how much flavor this IPA has. It’s a citrus IPA-lover’s dream. Especially a drinker looking for something slightly healthier.
1.) Half Acre Fader
ABV: 5%
Average Price: $12 for a six-pack
The Beer:
If you take a look at the can, this beer is listed as a Chicago premium lager beer. This year-round offering is known for its clean, fresh, flavor. It’s brewed with a mix of Pilsner and Vienna malts. It gets its floral hop presence from the addition of Tradition, Tettnang, and Saaz hops. And it’s a sessionable 5% ABV.
Tasting Notes:
The nose is sweet corn, cereal grains, yeasty bread, citrus peels, and floral, noble hops. The palate continues this trend with lemon peels, honey, orange, freshly baked bread, cereal grains, sweet corn, and a nice finish of floral, herbal, piney noble hops. It’s a classic, crisp lager for all occasions.
Bottom Line:
If you’re only going to drink one beer on this list, make it Half Acre Fader. It’s half no-frills, sessionable light lager, and half classic German Helles lager. Above all things, it’s delicious.