How Much Alcohol Is In Non Alcoholic Beer?
Non alcoholic beer with alcohol in it sounds like an oxymoron, but it’s true. Most non alcoholic beer has traces of alcohol in it because of how the beer is made.
What’s the Difference Been Non Alcoholic and Alcohol-Free?
It might sound like semantics, but there’s a huge difference between beer that’s alcohol-free and beer that’s non alcoholic.
For starters, alcohol-free beer usually doesn’t have any alcohol and is typically made by preventing alcohol from forming when brewing. In the United Kingdom, alcohol-free beer is regulated and must have no more than 0.05% alcohol by volume (ABV).
It should be pointed out that 0.05% ABV is a fraction of the alcohol found in a non alcoholic beer.
In both the United States, you may see alcohol-free beer advertised as zero-alcohol beer or as “0.0” beer. That number is referring to the alcohol content of the beer.
How much alcohol is in non alcoholic beer specifically?
The alcohol in a non alcoholic beer varies depending on the type of brew and how it was made.For much of the beer drinking world, the non alcoholic industry is regulated. This means government agencies determine how much alcohol in non alcoholic beer is an acceptable amount.And that can vary from one country to another.
Non alcoholic beer must have…
- Less than 0.5% ABV in the United States
- No more than 0.5% ABV in the United Kingdom and the EU
- Less than 0.7% ABV in Norway
In the United States, you won’t find a non alcoholic beer with 0.5% or more alcohol in it. That’s because to be legally classified as non alcoholic, a beverage cannot have 0.5% ABV or more. Beers under 0.5% ABV aren’t subject to the same federal restrictions and regulations as alcoholic beverages, and are exempt from most state regulations as well.
This is why in most states, people under the age of 21 can legally purchase a non alcoholic beer.
If you’re abstaining from alcohol for personal reasons and don’t want to consume any traces of alcohol, nolo beers aren’t for you.
Does It Matter How Much Alcohol Is in Non Alcoholic Beer?
It depends on why you’re not drinking alcoholic beverages. In the rare event that you have some sort of alcohol intoleranceand get sick after drinking alcohol, it could matter. You may first want to check with a doctor to see if non alcoholic beer can affect you.
If you’re abstaining from alcohol for personal reasons and don’t want to consume any traces of alcohol, nolo beers aren’t for you. Consider drinking a zero-alcohol beer instead.
What ifyou like non alcoholic beer because you enjoy the rich flavor and aroma of a good beer, but don’t want to get intoxicated? Then no, it doesn’t really matter how much alcohol is in non alcoholic beer.
That’s because the alcohol content of a non alcoholic beer is so insignificant, it’s virtually impossible to feel its effects. In fact, a group of German scientists tested the effects on non alcoholic beer in a study. They found that the levels of alcohol detected in the blood were insignificant, even after the test participants drank 1.5 liters of non alcoholic beer.
It’s impossible for most people to get drunk from non alcoholic beer because of their metabolism. The body starts to process the alcohol from the drink immediately after the beer has been consumed. Because the alcohol content of non alcoholic beer is so low, it gets metabolized faster than you can drink enough non alcoholic beers to equal a classic beer.
The answer is yes, non alcoholic beer is absolutely real beer. It’s even made the same way as traditional beer.
Is Non Alcoholic Beer Even Real Beer?
Now that we’ve looked at how much alcohol is in non alcoholic beer, one question remains: is non alcoholic beer actually beer?
The answer is yes, non alcoholic beer is absolutely real beer. It’s even made the same way as traditional beer. The only difference is that most non alcoholic beerrequires an additional step during the brewing process––removing the alcohol.
But in terms of its ingredients and how non alcoholic beer is made, there’s no real difference between the two. The method for brewingthe non alcoholic WellBeing Intentional IPA is notvery different than brewing a traditional IPA.
While many jurisdictions define beer based on its alcohol content, that’s just a legal definition. In any other scenario, beer shouldn’t be defined by how much alcohol is in it. It should be defined by its ingredients and brewing process.
Does Non Alcoholic Beer Have Any Benefits?
The obvious benefit of drinking non alcoholic beer is being able to enjoy a good beer without getting drunk. This means you can drink beer on your lunch break or while you’re watching TV and not have to worry about getting intoxicated.
Did you know there are other advantages to drinking non alcoholic beer? For starters, it usually has a lower caloric value than traditional beers. That’s because alcohol contains a lot of calories. So, when you remove the alcohol from a drink, you end up removing a significant portion of calories also.
But that’s not all. Non alcoholic beer also has other benefits like…
- Probiotics: Beneficial “gut bacteria” that’s been proven to help people manage gastrointestinal disorders have been found in non alcoholic beer
- Polyphenols:This group of compounds is found in grains and hops, and is a powerful antioxidant that can help fight against cancer and heart disease
- Reducing stress:Compounds found in hops have been linked to increased gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) activity, the neurotransmitter that helps you relax. Because of this, some non alcoholic beer drinkers report feeling relaxed after drinking
As you can see, non alcoholic beer has its benefits. Since it doesn’t have enough alcohol to cause intoxication, non alcoholic beer is a great way to relax and enjoy a delicious beer while maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
