As I age, alcoholic drinks tend to have a larger effect on me. I really like the taste of beer on a hot afternoon, but I don’t want to get sloppy/sleepy.
I’m not a snob, but usually have a variety of craft beers from my local specialty store. Having several of these over the course of an afternoon is, to put it simply, a few too many. This wasn’t a problem in years past, but age is apparently making me a cheap drunk.
So, I turn to you all for recommendations on lighter alcohol varieties that will hopefully, preserve at least some taste. Are their any good low-alcohol beers out there I can sip continually (approx 1 per hour) while enjoying an afternoon on the lake? Any ideas are appreciated. Either cans or bottles are OK. If you like the taste, I’d like to hear about it. I’m a long-time customer at my local store, and they will special order almost anything for me.
Your favorites?
PS. The search feature turned up nothing with “beer” in the title for the last year. That seems odd.
I don’t have any recommendations off the top of my head, but a term that might help in your search is “session beer.” That’s what people call the kind of “afternoon of drinking” beer that you’re looking for. The problem is, most of these will still hover right around the standard 5% ABV rating (maybe down to 4%) that the average mass-brewed beer is at.
Another potentially helpful term is “lawnmower beer” (IOW a beer that’s refreshing on a hot day), but sometimes that will just refer to the flavor/crispness and not the alcohol content, or may be used to refer to cheap beer that must be very cold to be palatable.
Pick your poison 
I’d recommend Sam Adams Light at 4.0% - if you want to go lower, you’ll give up some quality - I actually think Amstel Light is decent, but I don’t think I’m in the majority - it comes in at 3.5%. I don’t like Yuengling Light, but it’s somewhat popular, and is 3.4%.
Sam Adams Light would be my first choice. I haven’t tried it but I hear good things about Bud Light Platinum. On a hot day, I do enjoy a Bud Light Lime. The citrus notes are perfect for a summer afternoon on the lake. And, say what you will, but an ice cold PBR is pretty decent on a hot day too - clean and crisp. Not a huge flavor profile, but it goes down quite smoothly if the weather’s warm.
Bud Light Platinum is 6%.
If your beer shop can order in beer you may try having them contact some of the Utah breweries, such as Wasatch , Squatters or Epic. Due to the alcohol laws here , beer not sold in liquor stores has to be under 4%. Wasatch has a good Full Suspension Pale ale, Provo Girl is a decent pilsner , First Amendment a decent Larger, Solstice a good kolsche style and some porters amber and wheet beers. I recomend the Solstice for sitting out on the lake or cooling off after a decent mountain bike ride. So good flavours and not too strong on the alcohol front.
I like Leinenkugel’s Summer Shandy which is 4.2%. It’s a nice light summer beer that still has some flavor.
But the summer shandy has sweet lemonade in it, perhaps too sweet for the OP.
If you really can order, Yards Brewing Company in Philly has a very tasty session beer called Brawler at 4.2 ABV. It is dark in color and flavorful. Hard to find outside of the Philly region, though. I live in Upstate New York, and have to drive into Pennsylvania to get it.