Non-alcoholic beer, also known as ‘alcohol-free beer’, has gained a lot of popularity over recent years, with mainstream breweries like Guinness, Tennents and others all creating brews to take advantage of the craze.
This then leads to the question; how is non-alcoholic beer made?
Understanding this might help to alleviate some of the common questions that get thrown around and may even help stem your love for non-alcoholic options after hearing how similar the brewing process actually is.
It is a perfect solution for those who perhaps still want to go out but have a commitment the next day or maybe who just don’t want to deal with the hangover. There are many reasons why people might turn to non-alcoholic options.
Beer lovers, read on to find out more!
Table of Contents
Fermenting The Beer
Just like regular beer, the non-alcoholic versions are brewed in a similar way. You start with the four standard ingredients: water, grains, hops and yeast.
The grains are mashed down in combination with hot water to extract the sugars and create what is called the ‘wort’.
This sweet liquid extracted from the grains is then boiled with hops to add flavour. Yeast is then added to ferment the wort, which consumes the sugars and converts them into alcohol and carbon dioxide, along with other compounds that help contribute to the beer’s unique taste and aroma.
This is known as the fermentation process.
Dealcoholisation
Dealcoholisation is the process of removing the alcohol from the beer. Beer is considered alcohol-free once the drink contains less than 0.5% of alcohol by volume (ABV). All breweries need to be within this ballpark to be able to list it as non-alcoholic. Some countries may have different restrictions, but in general, this is the recommended figure.
There are a few ways the alcohol is typically removed:
Vacuum distillation – This method uses heat and a vacuum to evaporate the alcohol, which is then condensed and collected for reuse. This will typically remove up to 96% of alcohol from the beer, making it the correct level for commercial use.
Reverse osmosis – This method uses a semi-permeable membrane to filter out the alcohol from the beer. A semi-permeable membrane is a type of membrane that only allows specific molecules or ions to pass through whilst blocking the others. In this case, the membrane will filter out the large alcohol molecules. This process typically removes up to 90% of the alcohol from the beer.
Spinning cone column – This method uses a spinning cone to separate the alcohol from the beer. The spinning motion causes the alcohol to evaporate and be collected whilst the beer stays in liquid form. This process removed up to 96% of alcohol.
The choice of the method comes down to how the brewer wants the final alcohol content to taste, as the results of each will vary.
Dilution
Dilution in the brewing process can come in at any stage, before fermentation or after. It is the process of adding water to the wort or to the finished leaded beer, which will help reduce the alcohol content by diluting it with water.
The amount of water used will be determined by how effective the dealcoholisation process was or until the desired alcohol volume is reached.
Another reason for dilution is to adjust the desired gravity of the beer. If beer is too strong or weak, it can be diluted to a desired level by adding or removing water and achieving that desired strength.
Dilution can make or break a good beer, so it is closely monitored to achieve the desired taste.
Carbonation
Carbonation can also be done before or after the fermentation process, and it involves adding CO2 to the beer to give it a bubbly texture and taste, which we all know and love in beers.
It is typically easier for brewers to add forced carbonation after the beer has been fermented so that the overall taste can be monitored.
Careful attention is given to the carbonation process, as too much or too little fizz can impact the overall experience of the beer.
Bottled and Canned
Following the full brewing process, the final non-alcoholic product is then transferred from tanks to bottles or cans, which are then sent out for consumers to enjoy.
Before the beer is packed, it is often quality controlled to ensure that the beer is up to marketable standards and safe to drink.
In Summary
There are many routes to go down for removing alcohol from beer, but in terms of the brewing process, it is entirely similar, and you will often be surprised how close it replicates regular beer.
Hopefully, this guide has helped you understand the brewing process more so that you can tell your friends how it isn’t just ‘watered down beer’ and, in fact, undergoes a full brewing process.
Enjoy yourself all the same with non-alcoholic beer!
