Difference Between Regular and Light Beer.
Harold stumbled into Dr. Wetbrain’s home.
“Wetbrain”, Harold yelled. “It was a light beer party! I have never peed so much in one night. Had to go every half hour or more. Thought OK go to the party need to lose weight anyways. After awhile I realized that I wasn’t catching a buzz. So, I started guzzling this light beer. So, now I’m peeing a lot and gaining weight”.
Dr. Wetbrain laughing, “I could see that, Harold. Let me tell you about the popular light beer vs regular beer.”
The first light beer was created in the 1940’s in the U.S.A. The public wanted beer with less calories and alcohol content. Coors Brewing Company started selling Coors Light in 1941. Europeans at that time were experimenting with producing low alcohol versions since the 1940’s. Apparently too bitter.
In New York City there was a billboard from 1939 to 1941 advertising Feigenspan Light Beer. Never really took off.
Due to high marketing campaigns in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s Light Beer took off! Which shows the culture and lifestyle of beer.
The difference between regular and light beers is the brewing process, ingredients and final nutritional breakdown.
Apparently the most common way to make light beer is to add glucoamylase to the wort before fermentation. This smart enzyme breaks down carbohydrates and turns them into sugars.
Definitions:
Glucoamylase – Glucoamylase is a digestive and industrial enzyme that breaks down complex starches into simple glucose sugars by cleaving chemical bonds from the ends of the carbohydrate chains.
Wort – a sweet liquid drained from mash and fermented to make beer and whiskey.
Decoction Mashing -A decoction mash is a traditional brewing technique where a portion of the grain and water mixture is removed, boiled separately in a kettle, and returned to the main mash to raise its overall temperature. This process breaks down grain cell walls, increases brewing efficiency, and creates rich, complex malt flavors through caramelization and Maillard reactions. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
When making light beer the mash does not have more water added or extra heating. Due to popular belief. Decoction mashing has a multistep mashing process which makes beer light. Enzymes break down more of carbohydrates during the brewing process, thus sugars.
At one-point people thought that light beer was just watered down.
Let’s talk about beer weight gain. Alcohol is the major source of calories first-of-all. Light beer is not calorie free, just less calories.
With less alcohol content you are not getting the buzz you wanted, so now you are drinking much more and must pee more and gain over all the same number of calories in the end.
The regular beer has 150 calories, light beer averages 100 calories.
Millar Light – 96 calories
Coors Light – 102 c.
Bud Light – 110 c.
Light Beer is usually overpriced due to the added brewing process and the marketing angle of culture and lifestyle.
Due to the pee problem at the Light Beer party Harold declared, “Only regular or strong beer for me from now on! Otherwise, I’m wearing diapers at this party.”
Dr. Wetbrain shook his head in disdain and thought what an idiot.