What makes dry beer dry?

Answer 1

In fermentation, yeast changes the available brewing sugars into alcohol and carbon dioxide. Asahi created dry beer by fermenting beer longer and more thoroughly, decreasing the sugars left at the end of the fermentation, increasing alcohol and carbonation, to produce a beer with a lighter body and drier taste. Brewed in the same manner, Kirin Dry Draft Beer is billed as "exceptionally delicate, well-balanced with a dry finish." Suntory Dry is said to be smooth and clear-cut, and Sapporo Dry Draft Beer offers "an unusually smooth, sharp taste with more carbonation."

The first American dry will be Anheuser-Busch's Michelob Dry Beer, rushed into five test markets September 1, even before the six-packs were printed. There are two ways to lead in a brewing category: Get there first or come later with lots of money. In the light beer column, Anheuser-Busch got burnt by Miller Lite and had to buy Bud Light's third-place market share at a great price. It had no response to Miller Genuine Draft. With dry beer, Anheuser-Busch is flying.

Said to be endowed with a less-sweet flavor, fresh aroma and fleeting aftertaste, Michelob Dry Beer is ahead of its advertising plans. Japanese brewers have positioned dry beer with a macho image, selling that image with spokesmen such as Gene Hackman and Mike Tyson.

Recognize anything familiar? A macho image, a more fully fermented beer with higher alcohol... Holy Hammer Head, it's malt liquor?

Almost. Malt liquor differs because additional brewing sugars boost its alcohol content even higher. But as these two styles are more completely fermented, less sweet, with less body and more alcohol, they are similar.

To put the alcoholic content in perspective: Light beer contains approximately 4% alcohol by volume, regular beer 4.5%, dry beer 5%. Malt liquor varies from 5% to 7.5%. When light beer became popular, it represented a 10% step down in alcohol content. If dry beer were to be equally successful, it would mean a 10% step up for the beer drinker, 20% up for the light beer drinker.

At the moment, stronger beers run counter to consumer concerns about health and driving while intoxicated. Malt liquor has had a limited success outside its main market of young black me (just 3% of the brewer's market overall), but dry beer shows tantalizing signs of being in a winner in the mainstream.

from web

http://home.earthlink.net/~ggsurplus/dry.html

www.beer4thai.com