When the first German breweries started bringing alcohol-free beer to market about 20 years ago, they were well ahead of their time. They were following a trend that was just emerging at the time: the desire to stay physically and mentally fit.
Great choice
Meanwhile, beer drinkers can choose between around 70 different brands. Whether Pils and wheat beer or regional specialties such as Kölsch or Alt. Non-alcoholic beer is also so versatile that everyone has a taste for it. It is therefore no wonder that non-alcoholic beer has gained a firm foothold in the market. Annual consumption is around 2.5 million hectoliters.
But how do you get the alcohol out of beer?
Like any other beer, non-alcoholic is brewed according to the German Purity Law: from hops, malt, yeast and water. During the brewing process, these raw materials ferment and alcohol is formed naturally, which is then removed by two different processes.
A tiny amount of alcohol remains in the non-alcoholic beer to round off the taste. According to legal standards, a beverage may be labeled “non-alcoholic” if the alcohol content does not exceed 0.5 percent.
Even fruit juices may contain traces of alcohol according to this specification. However, they must be so low that they have no detectable effect on consumers, including particularly sensitive people such as the sick or children.
For beers containing less than 0.5 percent by volume, this is scientifically proven, and for most brands the alcohol content is between 0.35 and 0.48 percent by volume.
