Low-carb beers right for some
BY GEOFF GRIGGS
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Beer
This week, I thought it was time to look at a class of beers that until now I've studiously ignored: reduced carbohydrate beers. Recent media coverage discussing – and largely dismissing – the supposed health benefits of these new-generation low-carb beers has inspired me to weigh in on the subject.
I should probably admit right away that, while I try to eat and drink sensibly, I find myself steering clear of many so-called healthier food options. I eat butter rather than margarine, enjoy small amounts of full-fat cheese and red meat and prefer the taste of blue-cap milk. I also enjoy my beer at the strength the style demands, rather than some timid, watered-down, version.
Having sampled Speight's Traverse, Export 33 and Pure Blonde, I've come to the conclusion that low-carb beers just aren't for me. In each case, the malt and hop character was toned down to the point of blandness and a lack of mouth feel combined with a high level of carbonation resulted in a beverage that reminded me more of soda water than beer. I won't be drinking any of them again.
While my preference is for beers with plenty of flavour and character, I do understand that many others enjoy milder brews. After all, if that weren't the case, most of the world's biggest-selling beers wouldn't exist.
In New Zealand, low-carb beers are marketed mostly at health-conscious younger men and represent just 3.4 per cent of the total beer market. In the United States, however, where beer advertising is aimed equally at women, low-carb beers account for half of all beer sold. So is there a message for our brewers there?
Maybe so, but never make the mistake of stereotyping women – or their taste in beer. In America, some women are campaigning for bolder beer. According to a report published online by The Houston Chronicle, those attending a recent "Women Enjoying Beer" event in Ashland, Oregon, were asked "How do you want beer companies to acknowledge you?"
"Not in a bikini," replied Danielle Amarotico, referring to ubiquitous beer ads that feature scantily clad women. Sound familiar?
And local resident Sheila Jarvis criticised a television advert in which a woman finished playing tennis and then reached for a low-carb beer: "I find it distasteful when they imply that all active women want a low-carb beer," Jarvis said. "I'm like, `Who is that woman?' Because I don't know any!"
Women at the event said they drank beer for its taste, as a break from wine, because it can pair well with food and for the social aspect. How encouraging!
Even more encouraging was this response to the story from a reader who identified herself as "tericat": "Thank you for acknowledging the huge gap between the perception of women as light beer-drinking, bikini-clad models and the reality of an increasing number of women as savvy, knowledgeable aficionados of great beers. It still rankles me to have a waiter assume that I want something light, or to show their surprise when I order a complex, hoppy beer, but that attitude does seem to be changing. Better Beer For Women!"
So there's the challenge. Kiwi brewers and restaurateurs, are you up for it?
Cheers!
- The Marlborough Express
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Well, beer marketing and advertising is like any other marketing - trendy. If marketers think low carb, light beer is "in", that's what they'll advertise & try to sell. As with any other product, it's the task of the consumer to be smart and see beyond the advertising when choosing which beer to buy, drink & enjoy. A related, <a href="http://lowcarbs101.com/list-of-low-carb-beers/">List of Low Carb Beers</a> article.