Because the style has been growing in popularity, we thought it would make sense to answer a question that’s probably on many people’s minds: what is table beer?
If you were Belgian (and the year was 1900) there’s a good chance the first beer you’d ever sipped would have been a tafelbier. Also translated in French as bière de table, table beers—as we Americans call them—are a low-ABV, malty, Belgian tradition. Back in the height of their popularity around the turn of the 20th century, table beers were viewed as the perfect mealtime sipper; they were low enough in alcohol that you could have a couple, yet still flavorful enough to accompany a robust dish.
Particulars of Table Beer
There are a couple particular features that make up the table beer style. The most striking would be the style’s low (low) alcohol content: 1.5 – 3.0% ABV. They’re also generally malt forward—hops are mostly a background player. Traditional table beers are also surprisingly varied in color, ranging from light blonde to midnight black.
As for us at Allagash, we’ve brewed a variety of table beers over the years. If you want to see what table beer, or table beer-adjacent beers we have on tap, head over to our beer page with the button below.
