My first taste of alcohol wasn't a beer. It was palm tree kallu, a cloudy, slightly sweet toddy the elders would let us kids sample in my childhood village in Telangana. It was the original low-ABV brew, consumed long before I knew what "Alcohol by Volume" meant.
A recent article by Josh Bernstein for The Wall Street Journal on the resurgence of mid-strength beers sent me on a journey—not to a bar, but back through that memory.
A Geography of Taste
Looking back, my journey through beer culture acts as a map of my life, with each pour representing a specific economic or cultural reality.
- Young Adulthood (India): The ritual was "Beer and Biryani." We drank Kingfisher, Kalyani, and Haywards 2000. These local lagers weren't about complex tasting notes; they were the fuel for long, winding conversations about the future.
- Culture Shock (Sweden): I recall walking into a cafeteria and seeing Meckatzer Löwenbräu on draft right next to the Coca-Cola at breakfast time. It was surreal. It challenged my entire definition of when and where beer belonged.
- An Economic Lesson (Moscow): A friend with US dollars once bought me a Heineken. At the time, it was a Western luxury I couldn't afford. That bottle taught me that currency dictated not just purchasing power, but access to taste itself.
- The ABV Arms Race (USA): Moving to America, I watched craft brewing evolve into a contest of intensity. IPAs climbed to 8%, and barrel-aged stouts pushed past 10%. The unwritten mantra was "Bigger, Bolder, Stronger."
The Return to Clarity
Now, the pendulum is swinging back. Mid-strength beers (3-4% ABV) are returning to taprooms. They are gaining popularity not because brewers can't go higher, but because drinkers are realizing they don't always want to.
The Analyst's View
Our taste in beer often mirrors our stage in life. The "weekend warrior" mentality eventually gives way to the Monday-functioning parent. The all-nighter is replaced by the lunch beer that doesn't derail the afternoon. We are prioritizing presence over intensity.
As I sip a Bay Light from Brookville Farm Brewing here in Maryland, I see it clearly. From toddy tapped from a tree to a precisely crafted session IPA, the journey isn't just about alcohol. It is about finding the right drink for the moment—and the life—you are living now.
What has your journey taught you?
Does your current drink of choice reflect your current stage of life?
Sources
- Bernstein, J. (2025). "The Rise of Mid-Strength Beers." The Wall Street Journal.
- Personal recollections from Telangana, Sweden, Moscow, and Maryland.
