# What happened to dry beer? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** beer\ **Created:** [May 10, 2008, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-dry-beer/448838 "2008-05-10T19:57:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2008, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-dry-beer/448838/1 "2008-05-10T19:57:42Z")
Remember the “dry” beer phase in the 1990’s? Bud Dry, Michelob Dry and all the others. What happened to them? Also, is “ice” beer still available? ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2008, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-dry-beer/448838/2 "2008-05-10T23:19:24Z")
a. People developed tastebuds. b. I hope not. ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2008, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-dry-beer/448838/3 "2008-05-10T23:24:53Z")
Even have ice beer in China these days. It’s a niche product but several makers have it. I remember having Bud Dry sometime in the last 6 months on a plane flight somewhere. Probably United from China to the US but I don’t remember. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2008, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-dry-beer/448838/4 "2008-05-11T00:19:34Z")
Does “ice” beer just mean ice filtered? There are a few. I know some cheap brands (Milwaukee’s best and others) still have ice versions. ---
**Author:** ![MadTheSwine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MadTheSwine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MadTheSwine)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2008, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-dry-beer/448838/5 "2008-05-11T00:40:42Z")
[QUOTE=SenorBeef] I know some cheap brands (Milwaukee’s best and others) still have ice versions. [/QUOTE] I prefer the term affordable.(I didn’t take part in the Beer Madness thread cause my beloved Best was not included :mad: ) ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2008, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-dry-beer/448838/6 "2008-05-11T00:40:44Z")
Dry beer is just a particular lager style, less sweet and more alcohol. It was yet another marketing name for an [existing style of beer](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dry_beer#Variations): > [@Wikipedia](#): > > Though all lagers are well attenuated, a more fully attenuated pale lager in Germany goes by the name Diet Pils.[7] A marketing term for a fully attenuated pale lager, originally used in Japan by Asahi Breweries in 1987, “karakuchi” or “dry”, [8] was taken up by the American brewer Anheuser-Busch in 1988 as “dry beer” for the Michelob brand, Michelob Dry.[9] This was followed by other “dry beer” brands such as Bud Dry, though the marketing concept was not considered a success.[10] In fully attenuated pale lagers, nearly all the sugar is converted to alcohol due to the long fermentation period. The resulting clean, lean flavour is referred to as “dry”[11]. Ice beer is another marketing name for yet another [existing beer style](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_beer#Ice_beer). Basically its a way to raise the alcohol level: > [@Wikipedia](#): > > The process of icing beer is done by bringing the temperature of a batch of beer down to at or below the freezing point of water (32°F or 0°C), the greatest constituent of beer. Because water freezes at a higher temperature than does alcohol, the water becomes frozen and the alcohol stays a liquid. Because of this, a layer of ice can be skimmed from the surface of beer (hence the name “ice” beer). This creates a concoction with a higher volume ratio of alcohol to water and therefore creating a beer with a higher alcohol content by volume. “Cold filtering” is basically a [marketing myth](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_filtering#Cold_Filtering): > [@Wikipedia](#): > > Contrary to popular belief, all beer filtration is done cold. When beer is chilled the protein molecules tend to clump together and so are easier to filter out. When breweries advertise the words “cold-filtered” on their cans or bottles, it is simply a marketing gimmick. Coffee is often similarly advertised as being “mountain-grown”, even though all coffee is mountain-grown.[1] ---
**Author:** ![Bobotheoptimist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/919ad9/32.png) [@Bobotheoptimist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bobotheoptimist)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2008, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-dry-beer/448838/7 "2008-05-11T00:46:47Z")
I miss Michelob Dry. They stopped making it soon after I quit drinking, IIRC. Coincidence? ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2008, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-dry-beer/448838/8 "2008-05-11T00:51:37Z")
> [@](#): > > * * * > > $DO || ! $DO ; try > try: command not found I have no opinion on beers, but **Bobotheoptimist** , I just want to say that may be the geekiest sig line ever created. Huzzah! 😃 I lift a pint (of Crystal Light) to you, sir! ---
**Author:** ![Bobotheoptimist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/919ad9/32.png) [@Bobotheoptimist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bobotheoptimist)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2008, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-dry-beer/448838/9 "2008-05-12T03:43:04Z")
[QUOTE=WhyNot] I have no opinion on beers, but **Bobotheoptimist** , I just want to say that may be the geekiest sig line ever created. Huzzah! 😃 I lift a pint (of Crystal Light) to you, sir! [/QUOTE] Thanks. I saw it on the T-shirt of a guy giving a talk on … well, let’s just say “encryption” (I don’t remember if there was a NDA or not). Doesn’t really matter, just that the guy was a full blown computer geek. Not a well adjusted fella like me. 😃