There has been a growing trend in the beer industry that has been raising eyebrows and turning heads – the rise of non-alcoholic beer. Rising in popularity faster than a frothy head on a freshly poured pint, non-alcoholic beer is no longer just a drink for designated drivers and sober bar patrons.
But how is non-alcoholic beer made, and what makes it different from traditional beer? In this post, we’ll explore the brewing methods behind non-alcoholic beer, and how brewers are making non-alcoholic beers with less than 0.5% ABV to taste like real beer.
How is non-alcoholic beer made?
To make non-alcoholic beer, there are two main methods: removing the alcohol from a regular beer, and brewing the beer without alcohol. Each method has a different impact on the beer’s flavor, body, and aroma.
1) Removing alcohol from regular beer
The first way of making non-alcoholic beer is brewing a beer using the traditional process, then removing the alcohol using techniques such as vacuum distillation, reverse osmosis, and boiling off the alcohol. Dealcoholization is typically used by larger breweries because the cost of each equipment is high.
Vacuum Distillation
Vacuum distillation is used by many brewers because it removes the alcohol from beer while retaining its original flavor and aroma. The process involves heating the beer to a temperature between 30-40°C (86-104°F), which is below the boiling point of alcohol but higher than the boiling point of water.
The beer is then placed in a vacuum chamber, and the pressure inside the chamber is lowered to around 15-20 mbar. At this low pressure, the alcohol begins to evaporate, leaving the water and other flavors in the beer behind.
The alcohol vapor is then condensed and collected in a separate container. The remaining liquid in the chamber, which contains the original flavor and aroma compounds of the beer, is cooled and reintroduced to the alcohol that was collected. This helps to maintain the original taste of the beer, while reducing the alcohol content to a desired level.
While the vacuum distillation process is highly effective in removing alcohol from beer, it can be costly and time-consuming, and may also affect the texture and mouthfeel of the beer.
Reverse Osmosis
Using a high-technology equipment, brewers are able to force the beer through a membrane using high pressure.
The membrane separates the beer’s molecules and retains the larger molecules – including those that contain the flavor – while the smaller molecules from the water and alcohol are passed through.
The water and alcohol are further separated using steam distillation, and the water is then added back to the concentrated flavors to create a non-alcoholic beer.
Boiling off the alcohol
Using a temperature of around 78°C (172°F) to heat the beer to its boiling point, the alcohol evaporates along with some of the water in the beer. The steam is then collected and condensed back into liquid form, leaving behind a non-alcoholic beer.
However, this method cause the beer to lose its original flavor and aroma. That is why this method is often combined with other techniques such as the “double boiling” method to preserve the taste of the beer.
The boiling method is not as commonly used as other methods such as vacuum distillation and reverse osmosis, because it often results in the loss of some of the flavor and aroma notes.
The boiling process also takes longer and is more energy-intensive compared to other methods, making it less practical for large-scale production.
2) Brewing beer without alcohol
The second way of making non-alcoholic beer focuses on a hyper-control of the fermentation process. Alcohol is created during the fermentation process when the yeast breaks down the sugar in the wort. In order to prevent the alcohol from being created, there are three methods brewers use to limit fermentation:
Reducing the amount of fermentable sugar
Since alcohol is created when the yeast breaks down the sugar, the first method is to reduce the amount of sugar the yeast can break down. That is done by using grains like rice or maize because they produce less fermentable sugars.
Another method to reduce the amount of sugar the yeast can ferment is by using techniques that extract the less fermentable sugars from the grains during the mashing stage.
Use of special yeast strains
Special yeast strains that only produce alcohol in low amounts or cannot ferment maltose – one of the main sugars produced by malted grains – can also be used to limit fermentation.
These special yeast strains do affect the flavor of the beer. Since more sugars survive fermentation, the beer can become too sweet.
Some special yeast strains also produce a high amount of lactic acid, which creates a sour flavor profile. This turns the beer into a sour beer, which can be off-putting for certain beer styles.
Special yeast strains are relatively new to the non-alcoholic beer industry, and more research and testing is needed to create better and more specific yeast strains.
Changing the environment the yeast works in
Lastly, since fermentation only occurs when the conditions are right, brewers can alter the environment the yeast is working in to slow or stop fermentation.
For example, fermentation requires a certain temperature. By heating or cooling the fermenting wort (which is just the beer before it enters into any fermentation), fermentation can be slowed down or stopped before alcohol is produced.
Other examples of changing the environment are to have the fermentation in a pressurized environment, or adjust the acidity of the wort.
Completely avoiding fermentation
Not all non-alcoholic beers have gone through fermentation. Some non-alcoholic beers are made without the fermentation process, and have completely zero traces of alcohol. Brewers would instead tweak the production process or ingredients to create the look and taste of a beer.
This approach is commonly practiced in Islamic countries where even trace amounts of alcohol is prohibited by law and religion.
This is a trickier way of making non-alcoholic beer because fermentation is the main contribution to creating the flavor and aroma of beer. Without fermentation, the drink is just a sweetened wort. However, it works well in making fruity and sweet beers.
Also Read: 0.0% & 0.5% ABV: What Is Considered Non-Alcoholic?
How to make non-alcoholic beer taste like beer
One of the reasons why we love non-alcoholic beers so much is that many non-alcoholic beers taste very similar to alcoholic beers. That is especially true with non-alcoholic craft beers, which experiment with different hops and malts to create that familiar taste of beer.
Non-alcoholic beer ingredients
Just like the ingredients used to brew alcoholic beers, non-alcoholic beers also use the same four main ingredients – water, grain, hops, and yeast.
It is the hops that create that bitterness and aroma that is associated with beer. Some of the common hop varieties we’ve seen being used to brew non-alcoholic beers are the Mosaic, Simcoe, and Citra hops.
The Mosaic hops has flavors reminiscent of berries, tropical fruit, and citrus, while the Simcoe hops offer a piney, earthy, and tropical taste. As for Citra hops, they can present notes of peach, apricot, lemon, and other tropical fruits.
Malts like malted barley or wheat (and other grains) are used to provide sugar and create a wort. Some breweries might add other ingredients like spice or “natural flavoring” to improve the flavor profile of their non-alcoholic beers.
Brewers might change the types and amounts of hops, malts, and other ingredients used in the brewing process to compensate for the absence of alcohol.
Also Read: What is the difference between alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks?
Adding carbonation
In order to mimic the texture of alcoholic beer, the beer has to be carbonated after it goes through the dealcoholization process. This is because when yeast metabolises sugar into alcohol, it also produces carbon dioxide, which gives beer its bubbles.
Since non-alcoholic beers no longer has yeast and is not fermenting, it does not contain carbon dioxide. To recreate the bubbles, many brewers will inject the non-alcoholic beer with CO2 during the canning or bottling process, similar to what companies do with soda.
Also Read: Is Non-Alcoholic Beer Bad For Your Stomach?
Other factors to create the taste of beer
There are other less common ways that brewers might use to create the taste of beer. One way is to add flavorings to non-alcoholic beer to enhance its taste and aroma. These flavorings may include natural extracts from fruits, spices, and herbs, but we’ve also seen “natural flavorings” on labels.
When it comes to natural flavorings, we are not a fan of such ingredients. Firstly, natural flavorings are chemically-created flavors, and we prefer our beers natural.
Secondly, natural flavorings tend to have a chemical taste. We’re also a firm believer that a good non-alcoholic beer shouldn’t need to have added natural flavorings for taste enhancement!
Final Conclusion: Can non-alcoholic beer taste good?
New technologies and innovations have been happening in the non-alcoholic beer industry, and we’re excited to see if that changes how non-alcoholic beer is made! One thing is for certain – the taste of non-alcoholic beers will only keep getting better.
Also Read: