Once upon a time, it was hard to find a good low-alcohol beer – they often tasted bland and lacked mouthfeel. But as brewing techniques improve, and brewers experiment with different methods and ingredients, there’s a growing range of great beers in the 2.5% to 4% category.

Try one of these tasty session beers next time you're looking for a responsible beverage.

Croucher Lowrider

These days you don’t have to sacrifice flavour in order to stay relatively sober. The industry leader in this category is Croucher Lowrider, a 2.5% “Very Small IPA” that’s super hoppy, bitter, light-bodied and refreshing. It’s so good it often holds its own in competitions against bigger IPAs.

Croucher LowRider A Very Small IPA (2.5%), RRP$14.99, 6 x 330ml

Tuatara Iti Little Pale Ale

If you’re looking for a little more kick without going into touch, Tuatara Iti is a delicious 3.3% pale ale. That extra little bit of alcohol lifts the flavour and Iti delivers in spades while keeping you well under the 4% threshold. FYI, science tells us that your body can process alcohol at roughly one standard drink per hour, and a 330ml serve of a 4% beer is one standard drink. So any time you’re under that 4% mark and drinking responsibly, you’re onto a winner.

Tuatara Iti Little Pale Ale (3.3%) RRP$22.99, 6 x 330ml bottles

Garage Project's Fugazi and Good George Small Wonder

Garage Project’s Fugazi (2.2%) is another miracle of tall flavour on a low base, and Good George Small Wonder (2.5%) is bantamweight with a middleweight’s punch.

Garage Project Fugazi Hoppy Session Ale (2.2%). RRP$18.99, 6 x 330ml

Good George Small Wonder Pale Ale (2.5%). RRP$21.99, 6 x 330ml