And confusingly in Australia ‘Light’ beer is low alcohol (~3.5%) and in the USA ‘Light’ is low-flavour. I think many australians have been caught off gaurd by going to the US and drinking bud light thinking ‘these soda-water beers really go to your head’
It’s just old fashioned terminology. 4% was the strength of a standard bitter or lager, round about 5% a premium bitter or lager.
The UK doesn’t use the term “light beer”, so you can probably just think of it as being the equivalent to that distinction.
Obviously there are some wildly strong craft beers out there these days, but the lingo still is what it is.
And confusingly in Australia ‘Light’ beer is low alcohol (~3.5%) and in the USA ‘Light’ is low-flavour. I think many australians have been caught off gaurd by going to the US and drinking bud light thinking ‘these soda-water beers really go to your head’