The rise of non-alcoholic beer

After the champagne corks pop - or the corks of very fine beer bottles - more and more people are taking an alcoholic break. Dry January is what they call it - not drinking alcohol for a month. Frankly, we don't participate in that: we think it's better to enjoy sensibly all year round. Having said that: we would like to give you some tips, and help you remember "how was it again"?

Alcohol-free beer and low-alcohol beer

Anyone who had said in 2010 that alcohol-free beer would already account for almost 10% of total beer volume by 2023 would most likely have been escorted to the exit with a clammy patch on their forehead and their arms firmly tied behind their back. Meanwhile, 65% of beer drinkers sometimes consciously choose alcohol-free beer or low-alcohol beer, and this beer category is by far the fastest growing. This growth will continue for some time: in 2030 the market share of alcohol-free beer could easily reach 20%.

Just a few more important facts. If in 2010 we drank 12.5 million liters of alcohol-free beer together in the Netherlands, in 2022 it will be 81.9 million liters - more than 650% growth. But what about this exactly? Alcohol-free beer, provided it is brewed in the Netherlands, may only be called such if, when tested, it contains a maximum of 0.1% alcohol by volume. This sometimes causes confusion, because that limit used to be 0.5%. If it says 0.0 on a bottle or can, the beer is virtually alcohol-free when tested. Low-alcohol may only be so called if it contains more than 0.1% but less than 1.2% alcohol by volume. These regulations apply to the Netherlands: there is no European directive yet, and some countries have different limits. Alcohol-free may be used in Germany and Belgium for beer with a maximum of 0.5% alcohol by volume (our old limit), and countries like France or Spain only set the limit at 1.2% alcohol. The confusion arises from the fact that what is allowed in one country is also allowed in another - and so a lot of alcohol-free beer is sold in the Netherlands that when tested has a maximum alcohol content of 0.5%. These beers are brewed in Germany or England, for example, where they are alcohol-free - and so they may also be sold that way in the Netherlands.

Calories

Alcohol-free beer and low-alcohol beer fit into a considered lifestyle. Whatever consideration a consumer may have in choosing alcohol-free beer or low-alcohol beer: one bonus is that these beers contain far fewer calories than regular beer. Actually, that's a double bonus: in fact, a test will already show that beer contains fewer calories that wine, milk and even fruit juice. Since alcohol is made from sugar, little or virtually no alcohol means there are even fewer calories in beer. Thus Jever FUN. a German alcohol-free beer, counts only 13 kilocalories per 100 ml - less than 50 kilocalories in a bottle of alcohol-free beer, that is! It's also sugar-free, too!

Popularity

That alcohol-free beer would become so popular is something we did not imagine in 2010 - and what has caused this enormous popularity? Besides the fact that it fits into a well-considered lifestyle, another important explanation is that the variety in types of alcohol-free beer - and thus the amount of different flavors - has increased enormously. In addition to alcohol-free pilsners, you can find alcohol-free (or low-alcohol) India Pale Ale, white beer, stout and Hefeweissbier, for example. Alcohol by itself has no flavor, but it is an excellent flavor guide. Natural flavors in beer are enhanced by it. Many non-alcoholic beers were long ignored because people did not really think they tasted like beer - this is where the flavor-enhancing effect avenged itself.
The rising popularity is certainly due to technical advances, which make alcohol-free beer easily taste better than ever before. Previously, alcohol-free beer was made by stopping fermentation, which converts malt sugar into alcohol, as quickly as possible. That produced sweet and stale-tasting beer. Today, a German invention is used that removes the alcohol formed, after normal production, from the beer. In this way, natural flavors are better preserved. The latest invention is vacuum distillation: the fully fermented beer is put under high pressure, causing alcohol to evaporate even at low temperature. The also evaporated aromas are separated and put back into the beer - a fantastic invention! This creates, among other things, the world's first alcohol-free Trappist beer: La Trappe Nillis!

Alcohol has a diuretic effect - everyone knows that once you start peeing you can stay busy. Low-alcohol, and certainly alcohol-free, beer does not have this unpleasantness and thus proves to be an ideal isotonic thirst quencher. Drinking a non-alcoholic beer after exercise ensures that the body recovers much faster from the exertion - another reason for its increased popularity. Alcohol-free beer can also be an excellent accompaniment at the table. Especially subtle dishes such as risotto or fresh salads need subtle support. Precisely low-alcohol or alcohol-free beer can provide this!