Review: 10 Barrel Brewing Pub Light

Bend, Oregon’s 10 Barrel Brewing recently sent out a head-to-head mailer that let folks compare its new Pub Light (99 calories!) with a mainstream light beer (it was Coors Light) to see what you could do in the low-cal space. Tasting the two beers blind, I found them very different experiences, with the Coors Light evoking a traditional, almost gentle brew, and with 10 Barrel’s version a heartier, more malt-forward offering.

Which did I prefer? I have to say that if I want to drink a light beer, I kind of expect a light beer experience — clean, crisp pilsner with the focus more on the grain and maybe a hint of citrus. In contrast, Pub Light showcases a bolder, chewier body that wouldn’t be out of place in a considerably higher abv beer. Notes of well-roasted grains, slightly leathery, partner with hints of orange oil to give the beer a richness you certainly don’t get with a mainstream light beer — but which, again, I wasn’t really expecting. A second can helped my thoughts coalesce and get my mind around the brew, but it remains a departure from the more typical American light beer style — for better or worse.

4% abv.

B+ / $12 per six-pack

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