Why the World Can’t Get Enough of Dry Beer

If you’ve been scanning beer brands and varieties, you may have noted quite a few sporting the word “dry” on the label.

In Australia, dry beer along with low-cal beer, represents more than 15% of the total Australian beer market. This has bolstered brewing companies like Coopers, Toohey’s, and Carlton to launch their own dry beer. Dry beer can now be found globally, including in Canada and Australia, and continues to evolve, especially within the craft brewing sector.

Dry beer made a big impact, especially with the introduction of Asahi Super Dry in Japan, which became a breakthrough and led to its international success. Even if it’s a hit with a lot of consumers, the term “dry” is still puzzling for some. One Quora question even went so far to ask why beer would be called “dry” when it’s made mostly of water.

To feed our curiosity, we’ve gathered some interesting facts about dry beer, including what exactly makes a beer dry and how different brands per country are when it comes to this type of beer. You can also expect to learn about the ongoing relevance and resurgence of dry beer, especially with its renaissance among craft brewers in 2024.

So, grab a bottle and read on to find out everything about dry beer.

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What is dry beer?

The term “dry beer” can seem like a contradiction, as it might suggest a lack of moisture or water content, but in reality, it refers to a style trait, not the beer’s wetness. In brewing, “dry” means and refers to the absence or very low level of residual sugar in the finished beer, which shapes its flavor profile rather than its physical properties. This is similar to the concept of dry wine, where both dry beer and dry wine lack residual sugar and are known for their crisp, non-sweet flavor. The defining characteristic of a dry beer is that it lacks residual sugar, resulting in a crisp flavor and a clean, refreshing finish.

Dry beer is a style defined by these characteristics: it typically has a crisp finish, light body, and little to no sweetness. Things that set dry beer apart include its lack of residual sugar, crisp flavor, refreshing qualities, and often a pronounced bitterness from hops or roasted flavors that are not masked by sweetness. Many dry beer styles, such as dry stouts and brut IPAs, are designed to be as dry as champagne. It’s important to note that “dry” does not refer to wetness or water content. Despite their lack of sweetness, dry beers can still possess complex flavors.

What Is Extra or Super Dry Beer?

In dry beer, the fermentation process is extended to allow for more natural sugars to break down and convert to alcohol. This extended fermentation can potentially lead to higher alcohol content or a drier finish. High attenuation is a brewing practice that results in a lower final gravity and a naturally drier taste in beer. Traditional brewing methods and specific practices are often used to achieve this dryness. Varieties that are termed “super dry” undergo even longer fermentation, resulting in a beer that is full in strength but has fewer carbs.

Dry Beer History: Chugging Down Memory Lane

To start, the historical context of dry beer begins in Japan, where the style first gained prominence. According to The New York Times article published in 1989, dry beer was first introduced in Japan in 1987 and was subsequently adopted by brewers in Europe and North America.

The first dry beer on the market was the Japanese brand Asahi Super Dry, launched in March 1987.

Developed as a result of consumer research, the formula immediately dominated the Japanese market. Other major breweries, such as Kirin Brewery and Sapporo Breweries, quickly introduced their own versions of dry beer, contributing to the style’s rapid growth. These different versions from Kirin, Sapporo, and Suntory International helped dry beer achieve a huge 40%-chunk of the Japanese beer market share at the time and marked a significant shift in consumer preferences.

The dry beer trend also spread to the US, Europe and Australia, with several domestic brands introducing their dry brew from the 90s to early 2000s. During this period, related styles like ice beer also emerged, offering light-bodied lagers with a restrained aroma and a slightly higher perceived mouthfeel.

What’s interesting about dry beer is how brewers around the world have different takes on how it’s supposed to taste. For instance, in Japan, the beer has more alcohol than regular brews, which is not the case for American-made dry beer.

And while American and Japanese brewers emphasise the clean aftertaste and higher carbonation, Europeans do not necessarily espouse this belief in their dry beer varieties. The most marked traits of dry beer are its crisp, effervescent quality and the absence of residual sugar, which set it apart from other beer styles.

Writer Florence Fabricant states that dry beer “appears to be an elastic concept that the beer industry is stretching over a batch of stylish selling points,” which suggests that dry beer takes on characteristics that consumers in a given area would favour.

Examples of dry beers include Asahi Super Dry, Sapporo, and Guinness Draught.

A Unique Brewing Process

The unique flavour profile of dry beer is the result of a special brewing technique. It starts with mashing malted barley and water into a sweet liquid called wort. Malt serves as the base ingredient, but dry beer is known for having low malt flavors, resulting in a light bodied and straw colored appearance. The mashing is done at higher temperatures to break down more starches and decrease the amount of residual sugars. The liquid is boiled for several hours, during which hops are added to contribute to both dryness and a low but perceptible bitterness. The beer is then fermented. During the fermentation process, the yeast breaks down sugars in the wort and produces alcohol and carbon dioxide as by-products.

Beer

Sugars that are not broken down during the process give beer its sweet flavour. To lessen the sweetness, a specific strain of high-performing yeast that can ferment more sugar is used for dry beer. More adjuncts such as rice or corn are also included in the mash to make the beer lighter and drier. Other techniques to brew dry beer include using little to no crystal malts for lighter alcohol content and mashing low to encourage enzyme activity.

Dry beer typically features a clean, crisp, and refreshing flavor with a vibrant degree of acidity or effervescence. Its mouthfeel is clean and smooth, often devoid of sticky sensations due to the absence of sweetness. The bitterness is low but perceptible, providing a subtle yet noticeable hop character that balances the restrained malt flavors. Most dry beers have an alcohol ranging from 3.5 to 4.5 percent ABV, making them easy to drink and highly sessionable.

Australian Dry Beers

One of the first dry beers to hit the Australian market, Hahn SuperDry has become the frontrunner in bringing that crisp, dry taste to the country. This beer has very low-calorie content with just 0.7% carbs per 100 ml. That’s 70% less than regular beer. It’s also 99.99% sugar-free, which makes it perfect for those who are looking for a lighter beer option.

In a beer and cider market overview released in 2022, Carlton Dry and Tooheys Extra Dry made it to the top ten leading brands. Another popular fave is Coopers Dry from one of Australia’s oldest breweries. They’re definitely worth trying if you’re looking for crisp and refreshing beer down under.

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Japanese Dry Beers

Asahi Super Dry is the first dry beer of Japan–and the whole commercial world–which has now become a global icon. The beer’s formulation was developed based on consumer research highlighting the need for a kind of beer that could work with the delicateness of Japanese food without overpowering the palette. This beer features a crisp and dry taste described as Karakuchi.

American Dry Beers

The biggest market to go along with the dry beer trend, American brands started brewing their own formulations in the ‘80s. However, what they market as “dry beer” often belongs to a wider range of beer types. Bud Light, Coors Light, and Miller Light are all light lagers with a dry finish but are considered dry beer. Michelob Ultra, with its low-carb, low-calorie mix, is also marketed as dry beer.

European Dry Beers

European dry beer, like American varieties now, is more of dry-hopped beer than dry beer. Instead of the yeast activation typical in Japanese dry beer, it undergoes dry hopping. Holsten Dial Pils is one of the most popular ones in Europe. This dry German beer has very low sugar content and a crisp taste. Heineken is a well-known example of a pale lager, representing a globally recognized standard for this beer style. Guinness and other Irish stouts are also classified as “dry” because they are less sweet than other stout types. However, they are far from being light and crisp like Japanese dry beer.

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What does a dry lager pair well with?

Beer is a great beverage to pair with meals due to its ability to cleanse the palate and distinct flavour that can highlight a certain taste.

Alcoholic Beverages

For dry beer, the crisp and clean body of flavour goes well with bold food combinations, such as spicy stir-fries, barbecue, and curried dishes. Pizza is also a nice food to pair with dry beer, as the carbonation balances the acidity of tomatoes and heaviness of cheese.

Light flavours also go well with dry beer, as what the Japanese swear by. A light lager accentuates the taste of sushi, shellfish, and fresh seafood.