Dry beer and ale?

[oldmoneytexan]

I have a theory on why so many beers advertised with the word "dry".

I'm assuming most in the US during the turn of the century drank wine and champagne, and other alcohol, and the influx of German immigrants bringing their beer that wasn't as readily available in the US? (Just an assumption).

During the early stages of beer advertising, they seem to have tried to compete with wine and Champagne. Most older advertising utilized beautiful ladies and could easily have been substituted with wine or champagne. Men and women in formal attire in formal settings, celebrating. Rarely was pre-pro beer pieces (from what I've seen) advertised it as a "blue collar" drink.

In the wine/Champagne world, "dry" refers to the sweetness of the wine. A wine is considered “dry” when all of the grape sugar is converted to alcohol during fermentation, while a sweet wine still has some residual sugar. Same with Champagne.

So many beers and ales used the words "dry" and "extra dry", "pale dry" "mellow dry" and even "sparkling dry".

Many beers used the words "aged" and "extra aged". "Sparkling" is used on many beers.

This terminology seems to be describing wine or champagne more than beer.

How many beers used the word "champagne" in their name or advertising? Miller has always been the "Champagne of beers".


Any truth or am I way off?

Edward

[bodean]

I always wondered were the connotation “sweet” wines and “dry” wines came from. I never knew it had to do with fermentation. Good info. Here's my two bits, but before I explain my thoughts, please note that I have no sense of smell, so I am very limited on how things taste, however, I am somewhat versed in marketing. The designations of “Dry”, “Extra dry”, etc. when applied to beer, I consider those to be IPA’s and similar. They taste “bitter” to me, like a “dry” wine. I think advertising has a lot to do with it also. As an example of advertising, I don’t think Miller beer is any more bubbly or effervescent than any other beer so, to me, the “champagne of beers” moniker has more to do with the idea that it’s “expensive” rather than its effervescence. It was, and is, a very well thought out attempt to help sell the product. I also think “sparkling” has to do with carbonation of the drink, which I consider a feeling and not so much a taste, but it does sound appealing. After all, who wouldn't want to sparkle after a few beers?

I seldom drink beer but when I do it’s usually Dunkels and dark beer simply because they have some “body” that I can taste. To extrapolate further I think blended whiskey is akin to “sweet” wine and Bourbon is akin to “dry” wine. Ironically, I don’t care for “dry” wines or beers but I have drank more than my share of bourbon…

[menke]

More possible reasons for so much 'dry' terminology... I'm sure lots of folks drank badly made home-brew during prohibition; one hallmark of which is incomplete fermentation due to poor yeast practices resulting in overly sweet (and underly alcoholic) beers. Beers were also rushed out before they finished fermenting, hence all the claims about being 'aged.'

So a lot of those marketing terms were used to set commercial beers apart from the bad home-brew that everyone had been drinking. It's not just a German influence; german beers run the whole range aside from the bitter stuff.

Then there's the weight gain thing- if you claim there's little or no sugar, then it's gotta be healthy for you, right? Disregard that alcohol metabolizing into sugar in your body later on...

It's also a little more adult-sounding, at least compared to sticky sweet soda pop.

If you're talking about pre-1900 drinking, I think it was more of a cider and distilled alcohol scene. With some cheap sweet wine thrown in there. The public didn't have much scientific understanding of fermentation, or the language of wine tasting. You simply liked it or didn't like it. The beer folks have slowly but surely worked their way up to a similar use of language to describe the flavors.

It's funny, though, like bodean says. Sweet is the opposite of dry, but it's ALSO the opposite of bitter. The enemy of my enemy... should I drink only dry, bitter beers? Oh, wait, I already do.

Unknown.jpeg (17.61 KiB) Viewed 639 times

[oldmoneytexan]

More possible reasons for so much 'dry' terminology... I'm sure lots of folks drank badly made home-brew during prohibition; one hallmark of which is incomplete fermentation due to poor yeast practices resulting in overly sweet (and underly alcoholic) beers. Beers were also rushed out before they finished fermenting, hence all the claims about being 'aged.'

So a lot of those marketing terms were used to set commercial beers apart from the bad home-brew that everyone had been drinking. It's not just a German influence; german beers run the whole range aside from the bitter stuff.

Then there's the weight gain thing- if you claim there's little or no sugar, then it's gotta be healthy for you, right? Disregard that alcohol metabolizing into sugar in your body later on...

It's also a little more adult-sounding, at least compared to sticky sweet soda pop.

If you're talking about pre-1900 drinking, I think it was more of a cider and distilled alcohol scene. With some cheap sweet wine thrown in there. The public didn't have much scientific understanding of fermentation, or the language of wine tasting. You simply liked it or didn't like it. The beer folks have slowly but surely worked their way up to a similar use of language to describe the flavors.

It's funny, though, like bodean says. Sweet is the opposite of dry, but it's ALSO the opposite of bitter. The enemy of my enemy... should I drink only dry, bitter beers? Oh, wait, I already do.
Unknown.jpeg

I never considered the bad "home brew" junk people drank during prohibition. Excellent info. Thank you!