Mar 6, 2018 - Food and Drink

Why Feather Light is now my beer of choice for almost every occasion

Ted Williams

Let’s be honest: I love IPAs just as much as the next guy, but they leave me hammered.

Maybe I’m just a lightweight, but it is what it is.

I can’t afford to get hammered. I have kids. I have employees. And I have enough spelling and grammar issues already — just imagine if I was writing with a buzz.

If I’m out with my wife on a date, I’m not drinking Feather Light. If I’m out with buddies because my in-laws took the kiddos for the weekend, I’m not drinking Feather Light. If the world’s going to end and I have one beer to drink before death, I’m not drinking Feather Light.

But for all other occasions, Feather Light is now my beer of choice.

Feather Light is Charlotte’s first light beer, created by Unknown Brewing. The brew is 3.8% ABV and clocks in at under 120 calories. That’s less than Bud Light’s ABV of 4.2%.

On Sunday afternoon, my 3-year-old son and I went for a walk around the neighborhood. We wound up sneaking some pretzel bites at the Myers Park Mellow Mushroom because we knew we needed some carbs before a veggie-heavy dinner.

I was thirsty for a beer. I saw that Mellow Mushroom had just added Unknown Brewing’s Feather Light on draft. I hadn’t tried it yet, so I ordered it.

My Feather Light arrived. Admittedly, I was skeptical. I took the first sip. Damn, that’s tasty. Slightly tart. Another sip. I picked up on the citrus flavor.

It’s delicious. Tasted like Captain Jack meets Juicy Jay. In a good way.

feather-light-at-mellow-mushroom — “Taproom customers have been coming into the taproom since the beginning and asking what is the lightest thing we got,” Unknown Brewing Marketing Director Scotty Kent told the Agenda. “People wanted an amazing craft experience but they didn’t want something heavy or overly hopped.”

feather-light-cans-charlotte-unknown-brewing — The beer will cost $5 in the taproom and $9.99 for a 6-pack. Unknown Brewing uses pilsner and other specialty malts. The tart taste comes from doing steps in their kettle as well as using lemon peel and light citrus hops.

When I talk to Charlotte bar and restaurant owners, the big four local beers right now are NoDa’s Hop Drop N Roll, OMB’s Copper, NoDa’s Jam Session and Legion’s Juicy Jay.

I don’t think Feather Light will reach big four-level fame, but it serves a very specific use case, so who knows what the ceiling is?

One Untappd user described Feather Light as “So light they forgot to put any flavor in it….may as well drink a Michelob Ultra.”

Here’s the thing, even though it’s impossible for beer snobs to wrap their head around, a lot of people drink Michelob Ultra.

I agree with another Untapped user’s assessment: “Honestly perfect for what it’s trying to be.” Bingo.

Unknown Brewing should deploy the Dos Equis positioning strategy — “I don’t always drink light beer, but when I do, I prefer Feather Light.”

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Why Feather Light is now my beer of choice for almost every occasion

Let’s be honest: I love IPAs just as much as the next guy, but they leave me hammered.

Feather Light is Charlotte’s first light beer, created by Unknown Brewing. The brew is 3.8% ABV and clocks in at under 120 calories. That’s less than Bud Light’s ABV of 4.2%.

When I talk to Charlotte bar and restaurant owners, the big four local beers right now are NoDa’s Hop Drop N Roll, OMB’s Copper, NoDa’s Jam Session and Legion’s Juicy Jay.

Unknown Brewing should deploy the Dos Equis positioning strategy — “I don’t always drink light beer, but when I do, I prefer Feather Light.”

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