Light beer

Light beer is a beer, usually a pale lager, that is reduced in alcohol content or in calories compared to regular beers. Light beers may be chosen by beer drinkers who wish to manage their alcohol consumption or their calorie intake; however, they are sometimes criticised for being less flavourful than full-strength beers, or for tasting or actually being watered down.

After some scattered fits and starts, light beer began to be mass marketed and accepted by American consumers in the early to mid-1970s, following two years of test marketing and promotion. This was followed by a nationwide rollout of Miller Lite in 1975 (then known merely as "Lite Beer from Miller").

Reduced calorie/reduced alcohol "light beer" is distinct from "light lager", which was a historical term that distinguished pale or golden lagers with lighter body (such as German Helles beers) from the traditional amber lagers and other inherently darker beers.