When it comes to non-alcoholic (NA) beer, opinions are usually black or white with little, if any, shadings of gray. To paraphrase an old saying: What is one man’s ambrosia is another man’s hemlock.
Pros and Cons of Alcohol Free Beer
Many beer drinkers are appalled at the thought of drinking this type of beer. The kinder critics describe such brews as having a watery, flat, cardboard, or soapy taste. Stronger critics are not so gentle, often using vulgar terms in describing the effect on their taste buds.
Proponents, on the other hand, claim that, although non-alcoholic beer may lack the full-bodied flavor and bite of its big brother, the difference is not that great. Furthermore, they also argue that this type of beer is a nice alternative for those who, for a variety of reasons, cannot, or will not, drink regular beer.
What Alcohol Free Beer Is
Non-alcoholic beer dates back at least to the days of Prohibition (1919-1933) when a product called “near beer” was created in an attempt to quench the thirsts of American beer drinkers. The demand for this type of beer sharply decreased following the repeal of Prohibition, only to be revived again in the 1990s because of the increased awareness of drunk driving and alcoholism.
Simply put, “near” or NA beer is regular beer with much of its alcohol content removed through distillation. The terms alcohol free or non-alcoholic beer are actually misnomers. All these beverages do actually contain a small percentage of alcohol. By law in most countries, this percentage must be 0.5 or less, an amount which is smaller than that found in some processed foods and fruit juices.
Because of its low alcohol percentage, NA beer is generally considered to be safe for women who are pregnant or nursing and individuals with certain diseases (usually kidney or liver related) or who are taking certain medications.
Most NA beers are lagers. Not surprisingly, the ones given the best marks by users are those from Europe, particularly Germany. Some, but not all, of the more popular brands are:
German Alcohol Free Beers
- Beck’s Alkoholfrei. Readily available in the U.S. A similar beer made by the same brewer is Haake Beck which has an alcohol content of only 0.3% and 93 calories per 12 oz. bottle.
- Bitburger Drive. The official drink of the German National Football (soccer) Team. It claims to be fully fermented which eliminates the need for pasteurization.
- Clausthaler NA. Clausthaler actually produces five types of non-alcoholic beer: Classic or Premium; Extra Herb (a dry Pilsner); Amber (created mainly for the American market); Hefeweizen (a wheat beer); and Clausthaler Lager (created for the UK market). The Classic and Extra Herb beers are the two best selling NAs in Europe.
- Erdinger Weissbier. Another wheat beer with an alcohol content of 0.4% and low calories (88 calories per 12 oz. bottle).
- St. Pauli Girl NA. Has a pleasant hop aroma and is considered by its many supporters to be the best tasting of the NA beers.
Other Popular Alcohol Free Beers
- Buckler. This beer is made by the Netherlands based company, Heineken. It is noted for its distinct pilsner taste which definitely does not imitate it’s parent brew.
- Kaliber. Produced by the famed Guinness brewery of Dublin. It has been described as having a nutty, mellow flavor.
- O’Douls and O’Douls Amber. Produced by Anheuser-Busch, these are the only American alcohol free brews which rate somewhat favorably. They do have their share of critics, though.
- Tourtel Blonde and Tourtel Brune. These two beers, produced by Carlsberg, are the two most popular French NAs. The former is described as having a malt flavor with a slight bitterness, and the latter has a sweet taste.
For more on non-alcoholic and other types of beers, see Beer Tutor and Beer Advocate (a free registration is required for the latter).
Related Article: Non-Alcoholic Beer
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