Dogfish Head Slightly Mighty Lo-Cal IPA, brewed for the health conscious beer drinker, debuts this spring.
The off-centered brewers in Delaware might be the first brewery to create a low-calorie India pale ale for the healthy-minded drinker. Essentially light beer’s version of the venerable IPA
Slightly Mighty Lo-Cal IPA has 95 calories and 3.6 carbohydrates per 12-ounce serving.
India pale ales are known for big hop and malt flavors, making the task of reducing the calorie and carbohydrate content tricky. In the brewing process, enzymes break complex carbohydrates into fermentable sugar that the yeast we turn into alcohol. A typical IPA has on average 16 to 20 grams of carbohydrates per serving. Dogfish cut Slightly Mighty’s to less than four.
Reducing the malt bill reduces the sweetness of the beer, making it taste watered down. Not to mention the astringency from a Dogfish Head-style IPA’s hop bill.
To bring balance to flavor and balance to this low-cal IPA approach, Dogfish has used monk fruit. This superfruit is twenty times sweeter than most fruit juices, low calorie, and a great sweetness replacement for Slightly Mighty. According to the brewery, the addition of monk fruit juice did not add calories to the final IPA.
Dogfish Slightly Mighty IPA is touted to have aromas of pineapple, coconut, and citrus, with a dry, fruity palate. Look for this new low-calorie India pale ale starting in April 1st in select markets. Full distribution by fall 2019.
Style: IPA (w/ Monk Fruit)
Availability: 12oz Cans, Draft.
Debut: April 1
4% ABV
