Since
their inception, non-alcoholic drinks have amazed and even confused some
individuals. These individuals can’t understand the
why behind non-alcoholic wine or beer. Why would someone choose to
drink an alcoholic drink without the alcohol? Non-alcoholic beer in particular
has flabbergasted some for years.
However,
despite personal opinions against alcohol-free beer, there are even more in
favor of the drinks. Perhaps you’re an expectant mother who enjoys the taste, a
designated driver who wants to feel included, on medical antibiotics or you
simply want to live a healthier, alcohol-free lifestyle, and still want to be
involved in the social scene. There are lots of reasons to drink non-alcoholic
beer, and with advances in brewing technology, the flavors are more delicious
and enjoyable than ever.
Which
begs the question: how exactly is alcohol-free beer actually
made? Recently, BeClink has begun
offering these beverages on our site, and has gained an even deeper insight
into the creation and brewing process behind the scenes. So, welcome to today’s
session of how it’s made: non-alcoholic beer edition.
Similar
to
how non-alcoholic wine
is made
, alcohol-free beer actually starts out as its regular alcoholic
counterpart. This means it goes through almost the entirely same process as
regular beer, from making a mash, to boiling the wort, to adding hops and even
fermenting. Then, the two veer off in separate directions. While regular
alcoholic beer might be bottled or canned at this point, non-alcoholic beer
proceeds through the dealcoholization process.
Years
ago, non-alcoholic beer was primarily made by boiling the ethanol out of the
mixture. Today, some breweries still continue to use this process. Because
alcohol has a much lower boiling point than water, brewers will heat the beer
up to approximately 173 degrees F and keep it there, until the solution is
below the legal 0.5% ABV (
Gizmodo). However, this process can
sometimes have the unfortunate consequence of inhibiting the natural flavors
and aromas of the beer, which some consumers dislike.
Instead,
as technology has advanced, so has the dealcoholization process. In the last
few years, new brewing techniques have made it possible to remove the alcohol
from the beer without affecting its taste. Two main techniques include reverse
osmosis and vacuum distillation. As
Mixer Direct says, “Through the new
techniques, breweries can create non-alcoholic beers with different flavors and
aromas.” These techniques allow non-alcoholic beers, like those we carry at
BeClink, to maintain the same delicious taste without any worry about alcohol.
One
popular technique of removing the alcohol from beer involves reverse osmosis.
This technique basically uses extreme pressure to push the already-fermented
beer through an extremely tight filter. The holes in the filter are so small
only water, alcohol and volatile acids can fit through. Once through the
filter, the alcohol can then be distilled from the mixture by using a standard
distillation process. This process is becoming more popular because it
maintains the unique flavors of different beers, while still reducing the
alcohol content.
The
second technique brewers use for non-alcoholic beer is vacuum distillation.
This process uses a vacuum chamber to lower alcohol’s boiling point as much as
possible. While alcohol’s original boiling point is approximately 173 degrees
F, the vacuum helps to greatly reduce it. So, instead of heating the beer to
the point where it might lose its flavor, the beer only reaches a fairly warm
temperature. This allows it to keep its taste intact while still evaporating
the alcohol out of the mixture.
Once
the beer goes through the dealcoholization process, it must be carbonated in
order to mimic the texture of alcoholic beer. Most alcoholic beer carbonates
itself during the fermentation process inside of the bottle. As yeast
metabolizes sugar into alcohol, it produces the byproduct carbon dioxide, which
gives beer its bubbles. However, as non-alcoholic beer no longer has yeast and
is not fermenting, it has no CO
2. Therefore, most brewers will
inject the drink with CO
2 during the canning or bottling process,
similar to what companies do with soda. This finalizes the brewing process, and
gives us a flavor-filled, non-alcoholic beer, which mimics its alcoholic
counterpart in almost every way.
If
you choose to live an alcohol-free lifestyle—whether for a short stage in time
or for your entire life—non-alcoholic beer is the perfect choice to try. With
recent adaptations in technology, alcohol-free beer mimics its alcoholic
counterpart closer than ever before, and provides the same delicious taste,
without any concern for alcohol. Give it a try for yourself here with BeClink
and see how you enjoy it non-alcoholic beer.