5 Low-ABV Beers to Try Right Now

Over the past decade, American beer drinkers’ demand for ever bigger and bolder flavors has pushed hazy IPAs and pastry-laden stouts to the brink of, and often past, double-digit ABVs. Simultaneously, the wellness movement has inspired brewers to explore non-alcoholic options, spurring newfound variety and quality in the zero-proof field.

More recently, brewers have turned their attention to beers that split the difference. Shrinking ABVs, in the 2 to 4% range, are proving a growing trend.

“Two percent-ABV beers make a world of sense,” says Pete Ternes, co-owner of Chicago’s Middle Brow Beer Co., which has brewed almost exclusively 3 to 4.5% ABV beers for five years and released its 2% ABV By Day beer in 2020.

Brewers are creating low-ABV beers that are just as complex as their boozier counterparts, says beer writer and author John Holl. “After years of pushing ABVs into the stratosphere, they’re going in this different direction and looking to coax nuance and depth into these low-alcohol beers,” he says. 

Ternes agrees. “There’s so much cleverness in brewing these days,” he says. “It’s possible to produce immense complexity in beer, whether derived principally from yeast, hops, or malt, with a little extra reading and practice.”

Take the 2% Beer Initiative, a project from Jack Hendler, the co-owner and brewer at Jack’s Abby Craft Lagers and Springdale Beer Co. Hendler hones in on every component of different beer styles to reconstruct complex and flavorful iterations of classic types with significantly lower alcohol contents. Echoing Ternes, Hendler says he has seen the beer industry begin to seriously factor in consumers’ increasing interest in mindful drinking. So-called “small beers” are a response to an overall shift in American drinking culture. 

Craft brewers across the country are meeting this demand by creating complex and high-quality low-ABV beers. These are the standout options when you’re beginning to explore the trend.