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Non-alcoholic beer
Also called Alcohol-free beer, NA beer, Low-alcohol beer, Alkoholfrei, 0.0 beer, Near beer
Non-alcoholic beer is beer with no more than 0.5% ABV, made either by removing alcohol from fully brewed beer or by limiting fermentation. 'Alcohol-free' or 0.0 versions contain 0.05% or less. Most styles, from lager to IPA and stout, now exist in non-alcoholic form.
| Origin | United States and Germany, 20th century; Clausthaler 1979 |
|---|---|
| Alcohol (ABV) | 0–0.5% |
| Color | Depends on the style, most often pale gold |
| Glass | Same as the equivalent full-strength style |
| Serving temperature | 3–7 °C |
| Classic examples | Clausthaler Original, Heineken 0.0, Erdinger Alkoholfrei, Athletic Brewing Run Wild IPA, Bitburger Drive, Guinness 0.0 |
History
During US Prohibition (1920 to 1933), brewers survived by selling 'near beer' of under 0.5% ABV, the limit set by the Volstead Act. Modern non-alcoholic beer took off in West Germany: Binding-Brauerei of Frankfurt launched Clausthaler in 1979, followed by brands such as Bitburger Drive, Erdinger Alkoholfrei and Krombacher Alkoholfrei, and German drivers and athletes made the category mainstream. Heineken 0.0 (2017) brought it to a global audience. Specialist breweries such as Athletic Brewing in the United States (2017) and Big Drop in the UK (2016) built craft-style ranges.
Appearance, aroma and taste
Non-alcoholic beers now cover most styles: pale lagers, wheat beers, IPAs, stouts and sours. Without alcohol, they tend to have less body and warmth than their full-strength equivalents, so brewers compensate with specialty malts, oats or dextrins. Dealcoholized beers often taste closest to the original but can lose some aroma; limited-fermentation beers may taste sweeter or show a wort-like, grainy note. Hoppy styles and wheat beers adapt particularly well because hop and yeast aromas mask the thinner body.
How it is made
There are two main approaches. Dealcoholization brews a normal beer and then removes alcohol by vacuum distillation at low temperature, by reverse osmosis or by other membrane filtration, often adding back aroma compounds. Limited fermentation stops yeast early, mashes at high temperatures to produce mostly unfermentable sugars, or uses special maltose-negative yeasts such as Saccharomycodes ludwigii that cannot ferment the main malt sugar. Because these beers lack alcohol's preservative effect, they are usually pasteurized.
Labeling, calories and food pairing
Labeling rules vary. In the United States, non-alcoholic means under 0.5% ABV, and alcohol-free means 0.0%. In the UK, alcohol-free means 0.05% or less, while de-alcoholised allows up to 0.5%; Germany's alkoholfrei allows up to 0.5%. Many contain about 50 to 80 kilocalories per 330 ml, though sugar levels vary. They pair like their full-strength equivalents: non-alcoholic lager with pizza and burgers, wheat beer with salads and seafood, and stout with chocolate desserts.
Non-alcoholic beer beers on the map (1)
BeerGuessr lists 1 brand whose flagship is a non-alcoholic beer, all from Germany.
Non-alcoholic beer: questions and answers
Does non-alcoholic beer contain alcohol?
Usually a trace. Most non-alcoholic beers contain up to 0.5% ABV, about the same as some fruit juices or ripe bananas. Beers labeled 0.0 or alcohol-free typically contain 0.05% or less. Check labels if you must avoid alcohol entirely.
How is non-alcoholic beer made?
Brewers either remove alcohol from a fully fermented beer, using vacuum distillation or membrane filtration, or restrict fermentation so little alcohol forms, using special yeasts or high-temperature mashing. Many large brands combine methods to keep flavor.
Is non-alcoholic beer healthier than regular beer?
It has fewer calories, typically 50 to 80 kilocalories per 330 ml compared with about 140 for a standard lager, and no meaningful alcohol. Some contain added sugar. Nutritionally it is closer to a soft drink than to beer.
Related styles: other beers
All beer styles →Sources: en.wikipedia.org, gov.uk
Last reviewed October 2026.