Non-alcoholic beer (also known as a non-alcoholic, low-alcohol or lager beer) is a beer with a very low or no alcohol content. Most non-alcoholic beers are lager, but there are also some ale varieties.
In ForBeerLovers we are going to discover everything you need to know about alcohol-free beer, one of the most well-known and widely consumed types of beer in the world.
Characteristics of the alcohol-free beer
In the European Union, beer may not contain more than 1% alcohol by volume to be labelled as "non-alcoholic". As for its characteristics, they will depend on the type of non-alcoholic beer we choose. The aroma, appearance, taste, etc. are usually similar to the original alcoholic beer of the brand we choose. However, and as we have mentioned before, the Non-Alcoholic beers are usually lager, so if you want to know more about them you can read the characteristics in our lager article.
Ingredients of non-alcoholic beer
This type of beer has natural ingredients and is similar to the lager we know (if alcohol, logically). Its ingredients will depend on the type of non-alcoholic beer you choose. We recommend that you find out about the ingredients of a lager, as it is usually this type of beer that is made without alcohol.
How it is brewed
To make a non-alcoholic beer, you must first find out how to make a beer with. You can see how to make a Lager beer in our article about Lager.
You should know that there are two ways to make a non-alcoholic beer:
- First make a beer with alcohol and then remove it. Historically, evaporation was used to remove the alcohol. Now, they use other methods such as distillation, centrifugation or dialysis.
- Do not let the alcohol be generated: It consists of a process of controlled fermentation where playing with time and temperature is able to generate the minimum of alcohol. As we have explained before, less than 1% of alcohol by volume.
History of Non-Alcoholic Beer
The first non-alcoholic beer sold in Spain was Ambar Sin, from the La Zaragozana brewery. On 30 May 1976, 3,899 cases of bottles left the factory for some bars in Zaragoza. They were the first steps of a drink almost unknown until then in the peninsula. Its appearance was the same as the others, but its birth revolutionized the beer industry and the consumption habits of many Spaniards.
Currently, Spain (Europe) leads the world in the consumption and production of non-alcoholic beer, which is why there is a diversity of non-alcoholic beer brands, such as Free Damm or the 0.0 of San Miguel, among others, in addition to the association that represents all the beer producers in the country, Cerveceros de España.
Top 3 Brands of Non-Alcoholic Beers
We conclude this article by talking about the most outstanding brands of non-alcoholic beer at the moment. Although there is a wide variety of options, here we are going to leave you with a list of the 3 best ones you have to try, yes or yes!
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BrewDog Nanny State: Brewdog Nanny State is a handcrafted Pale Ale style beer with only 0.5% alcohol, but with all the flavor that characterizes Brewdog beers and a bitterness level of 45 IBU. It is produced by Brewdog, founded in 2007 in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.
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Erdinger Weizen Alkoholfrei: Alcohol-free wheat beer brewed according to the standards of the German Purity Law using only water, malt and hops. Full flavour without alcohol. For those who do not like to give up their alcohol-free beer, Erdinger Weizen Alkoholfrei is recommended. Produced with the usual care and experience of approximately 110 years of tradition and under the highest quality requirements.
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Franziskaner Alkoholfrei: Respecting the German purity law since 1516, the German Franziskaner brewery brings us its alcohol-free Hefe-Weissbier. When poured into a glass, it reveals an orange-yellow robe crowned with a rich white foam. In the mouth, it will surprise you with flavours of cereals, wheat, yeast, banana and malt.
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