While on a holiday in Madeira, Portugal, I came across the Bavaria non-alcoholic beer at the local supermarket.
Since the state of Bavaria is where the German beer purity law was created, I was excited when I got my hands on a Bavarian beer. Sadly, I got catfished by this brewery: This non-alcoholic beer is brewed in the Netherlands, not Germany.
But I won’t judge a beer by its deceptive name, so read on for my tasting notes in this Bavaria 0.0 review.
A Quick Look At Bavaria 0.0
Bavaria 0.0 is brewed by Swinkels Family Brewers – the second-largest brewery company in the Netherlands after Heineken – in Lieshout, a village located in the south of the Netherlands.
That’s right – Bavaria beer is not brewed in the state of Bavaria.
In fact, I only realized that Bavarian wasn’t a German beer when I saw the ingredient list and noticed several ingredients that are not permissible under the German beer purity law.
Bavaria 0.0 review
Looks & Aroma
Bavaria 0.0 pours a clear light amber yellow. It has a thin foam head that quickly disappears (poor head retention), and it leaves a little froth around the glass.
The foam texture is thin and carbonation is light with fast rising bubbles.
On the nose, there is a light bready smell that comes from the barley malts. I can’t get a hint of any hops, which I’m guessing is because they used hop extract instead of real quality hops.
Taste
The taste follows the nose with a bready malt flavor and medium sweetness. Again, no hops are detectable and the bitterness is light.
On the palate, it has a watered-down body with low carbonation. It also has a syrupy mouthfeel that feels mouth-coating.
The finish is dry and the sweetness is well-balanced with some bitterness. I’m not enjoying this Bavaria non-alcoholic beer at all.
Customer Reviews
I was surprised to see a 4.5-out-of-5-star rating on Amazon with more than 2,000 customer reviews. Clearly people do enjoy the taste of Bavaria 0.0, even if I found it to be one of the worst non-alcoholic beers I’ve tasted.
The general consensus seem to be that people like the light body and sweetness, and the low price is one of the main reasons why they favor Bavaria 0.0.
Bavaria 0.0 Ingredients
Bavaria 0.0 is brewed with natural mineral water, barley malt, glucose syrup, hop extract, and flavoring.
Glucose syrup, hop extract, and flavoring are three things I do not want to see in my beer.
Good non-alcoholic beers should not need added sugar (and definitely not from glucose syrup), and the flavor and aroma should come from quality grains and hops – not artificially added extracts and chemicals.
Bavaria 0.0 Calories
At 60 kcal per serving, Bavaria 0.0 is considered a low-calorie non-alcoholic beer.
However, the sugar level is quite high for my liking especially knowing that not all the sugar is produced naturally from fermentation.
| Avg Quantity Per Serving (250ml) | Avg Quantity Per 100ml | |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 60 kcal | 24 kcal |
| Fat | 0g | 0g |
| – Saturated Fat | 0g | 0g |
| Carbs | 14.5g | 5.8g |
| – Sugar | 7.75g | 3.1g |
| Protein | 0.625g | 0.25g |
| Salt | 0g | 0g |
Final Verdict Of My Bavaria 0.0 Review
Bavaria 0.0 is a cheap pilsner that you can pick up from a supermarket for less than a dollar or pound, but it’s just not worth it.
Without proper hops and yeast to make this drink, calling it a beer is a stretch.
There are many other better non-alcoholic beers out there, so don’t waste your money on this one.
Where to buy Bavaria 0.0
If you’re in the UK, you can find it on Amazon UK, in selected Tesco, Morrisons, and ASDA stores. But why would you do that?
If you’re interested in German non-alcoholic beers, check out our review of Erdinger Alkoholfrei. It is affordable and tastes a lot better than Bavaria 0.0 (plus, it is a real German beer brewed according to the German beer purity law!).
Other key FAQs about Bavaria 0.0
Is Bavaria 0.0 gluten-free?
No, Bavaria 0.0 is not gluten-friendly as it is brewed with barley malts.
For a list of gluten-free and gluten-reduced non-alcoholic beers, check out this article: Ultimate Guide To Gluten-Free Non-Alcoholic Beer
Bavaria non-alcoholic beer sugar content
Bavaria non-alcoholic beer has 3.1 grams of sugar per 100ml.
Looking for low-sugar non-alcoholic beers? Then check out this article for our recommendations.
Is Bavaria 0.0 halal?
Bavaria 0.0 is not halal-certified and does not have a halal seal. It is also produced in the same facilities as Bavaria’s alcoholic products.
In the Netherlands, Halal Feed and Food Inspection Authority is the body that approves products for Muslim consumers, and they have only given Bavaria 0.0 a “statement” – less than a full halal certificate – stating that Bavaria 0.0 follows Halal rules in the production process.
Did you enjoy this Bavaria 0.0 review? Then check out our other non-alcoholic beer reviews:
This alcohol-free pilsner is made with glucose syrup, hop extracts, and flavoring. That should tell you everything.