My brother left a few Bud Lights in my fridge a few months ago, and I’ve hung on to them so I’ll know when I’ve hit bottom. I forgot that there was an even lower bottom.
There are quite a few that are not true microbrews (i.e., limited local distribution) that exceed 5%. But I agree that none of the national brewers make beverages over 5%.
I was probably over-enthusiastic about the fact that virtually every place in the US now has quite a few local brews available and that they often top 5%. Mea culpa.
PJP=Purple Jesus Punch
That’s the spirit!
I don’t know about “failed.” The problem with Zima, IMHO, was that the product got associated with a certain demographic and sales plateaued. The sales were still respectable, but not what a national brewer wants to see.
I probably accounted for 100% of the sales of Zima at the beachfront convenience store I patronized in the decade or so it was made.
So…yeah, you’re right. It failed. I should have bought a lot more. (“Why is our branch store at the beach selling ALL the Zima we get?”)
And…Basic Budweiser is about 5%. Nobody says that drinking two Buds will knock you on your butt.
OK, I did my homework:
Sierra Nevada Stout 5.8%
Budweiser American Ale 5.3%
Killian’s Irish Red 5.7%
Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Ale 5.9%
Michelob Pale Ale 5.9%
Coors Winterfest 5.6%
Blue Moon Full Moon Winter Ale 5.5%
Redhook Nut Brown 5.6%
Genesee Cream Ale 5.1%
Shiner Hefeweizen 5.4%
New Belgium Fat Tire 5.2%
Negra Modelo 5.3%
Blue Moon Harvest Moon Pumpkin Ale 5.8%
I think a few of these would qualify as “macrobrews.”
I know some are 5.something but most macros keep their flagship at low 5s and light at low 4s. Sierra, New Belgium, etc are micros. The Killian’s ABV is given 3 different numbers but all are over 5%, so we’ll take that.
Some of the others are seasonals or discontinued. American Ale hasn’t been in production for 6 years.
Why?
You have an odd definition of “failed”. It was in production for the US market for 14 years, has been in uninterrupted production for the Japanese market, and is now being reintroduced to the US market.
“My name is Talky Zima, and I’m going to kill you…”
They’re basically the only ambient-grind-trip-hop 8-piece out of Ireland’s County Clare that uses not one but two sousaphonists.
That’s…combined…I hope?
Part of me wants to watch one of their videos to rectify my ignorance. The other part of me always watches this instead.
Count me among those who don’t know why people hated it so much. The first time I ever “drank to excess,” it was Zima. It was 1994, and I had five of them that night (and before you sneer, yes, five bottles of anything qualifies as “drinking to excess” for me).
I remember it as a lime-ish, less-sweet-than-7up kind of malty thing, certainly nothing offensive. Kind of like tonic water without the bitterness.
I should try one now to see if I still like it. I’m sure my tastes have changed. When I drink now, I usually drink IPA.
Nice to know who’s my age on the board. 
You forgot the rope and Neosporin.
I have an acquaintance who would always pick up Circus Peanuts candy when he bought condoms so he wouldn’t feel embarrassed. So now I snicker whenever I see circus peanuts. Same idea.
True, but I was trying to make the point that Zima’s ABV is not out of the range of the macrobrews. It’s pretty standard.
And I don’t really consider Sierra Nevada to be a micro. It’s nationally distributed, though not produced on the level of the big boys.
Nope. Get on the beach around 9:00A and off at 5:00P. That’s only about 1.5 per hour, so nothing extreme.
IME it’s hard to purchase a craft beer below 5%. At my local watering hole, I’m routinely choosing between beers between 7 and 10 ABV.
This article is interesting on several points, but point #5 indicates that the average ABV for craft beer is 5.9%. See 5 Beer Stats You Should Know
Nah, I picked that up when I made my monthly pregnancy test and single coathanger trip.
Ah. Thought you were making the opposite point.
Sierra, New Belgium, and Boston (Sam Adams) are pushing it, true. While Shiner and Yuengling are too regional to be macro IMHO.
True, though the newest beer trend seems to be Berliner Weisse, which is traditionally in the 3% range. The micro version might be a little higher but I still see sub 5% examples at breweries.
Ther beerporium where I drink has 36 beers on tab (and over 1,000 unique bottled beers). Draft ABV ranges from 3% shandies to 14% or higher.
I take ABV into consideration when ordering, so I can enjoy 3 or 4 and be cool. My gf never considers the ABV and is sometimes shocked when she goes to stand up and can’t quite manage.
This is the place I go (though a different location): The Flying Saucer. This location claims 200 on tap. I think the one I go to is closer to 100.
In any case, they don’t have things like shandys. Even the ciders are higher than 5%.