Fact or fable: is there less alcohol in beer at a festival?

You probably didn't notice it in the past few days, but it's summer. And with summer comes a whole series of festivals. Normally, you would be dancing with a drink in hand in the sweltering heat, but I've already stood at two festivals in a row in my poncho. Oh well, I've had a great time despite the slight throat infection I've ended up with.

Alright, back to business. One thing that surprises me during such a festival is the amount of beer that gets consumed. Normally, I can feel it after three glasses, but during a festival, I only start to feel something after three times that amount. The rumor has been going around for a while that the beer at festivals is diluted with water. But is that true or not?

For the organizers of a festival, it would only be beneficial to lower the alcohol content in beer. Besides the fact that it causes less hassle for visitors, they remain sober longer. Since most people want to feel some of the alcohol, a lot more trays of beer are ordered. So, for such a festival, this means good cash flow. Moreover, the costs for a brewer are lower because less beer is consumed due to the water.

Yet, festival beer is nothing more than just a myth. At festivals, the same beer is served as in your favorite pub. The difference is that you get a plastic cup and that it's fresher, thus having a lighter taste. Festivals use tanks that contain thousands of liters of beer and come directly from the brewery.

On top of that, it is not even legal to sell beer that is mixed with water. It is allowed, but legally, the alcohol percentage can only deviate by 0.5%. Beer must therefore contain at least 4.5% to be sold under the term ‘beer’.

What is allowed, however, is serving a light variant of regular beer. ‘Light beer’ is brewed with a lower alcohol percentage (often around 3 percent) and contains fewer calories. Often, this type of beer is required by municipalities. They will only grant a permit for, for example, a football match if light beer is served. A small downside of this drink is that you can actually taste that there is less alcohol in it.

So, in answer to the question: is there less alcohol in festival beer? No. It does exist, but it is hardly served at festivals unless they would clearly state it. I can hear you thinking: if regular beer is consumed at festivals, why do I get drunk less quickly? Well, it's quite simple. In a club, you drink a lot of alcohol in a short time, and at a festival, this is more spread out. Don't forget that you walk miles and often stand outdoors. The alcohol just hits less hard.

Source: npo.nl mellowed.nl