How to Make Non-Alcoholic Beer
The whole topic of how to make non-alcoholic beer is pretty much a topic on its own, so here it is – a short and sharp guide to the way in which NA Beer is made!
What better week to discuss how zero alcohol beer is made than the week which contains International IPA Day and International Beer Day!
Before we get started, if you missed Part 1 of this 2 Part Blog you can find out everything you need to know here. Short on time? That’s okay too, let’s quickly recap what you got in Part 1:
- how Zero alcohol beer allows for inclusion and belonging.
- the way Non alcoholic beer lets you enjoy the experience of a drink with no downside.
- debunking the myth that non-alcoholic beer has alcohol in it (it doesn’t!).
In Part 2 of our guide to Non-Alcoholic beer we’ll cover off:
- the way in which brewmasters have previously made non-alcoholic beer; and
- how new techniques and technology are used to brew beer without any alcohol whatsoever.
If you’re keen to learn more about non alcoholic beer 101, let’s pick up where we left off.
How is zero alcohol beer made?
The creation and development process of low or no alcohol beer has been totally reformed in the last 4 or 5 years. This change has seen a whole new world of taste and product quality come to you, the drinker.
The biggest difference comes from removing alcohol from alcoholic beer vs brewing beer with zero alcohol from the get-go. We talk more about it below.
The Old Way vs The New Way
“The way it’s always been done is no reason to do it again tomorrow” is a favourite motto of mine. This saying is a perfect analogy for where the manufacturing of NA began.
In years, decades even, gone by the process to create a NA beer was 100% focused on transforming a traditional alcoholic beer into a non-alcoholic.
This means that zero alcohol beers were created by using a traditional brewing process. Picture a full traditional fermentation and then, after this is done, the beer would go through an additional process to draw out the alcohol from the drink itself.
While these methods still exist and are used effectively (especially in Germany) there is a host of new tech that is hitting the market. So we’re now treated to a whole new world of taste profiles and beer styles.
The New World of Non-Alcoholic Beer Brewing
So what methods are being used by brewmasters as of 2021?
Brewing with an alternate yeast.
Brewing with a yeast that has a hard time making alcohol is something that has come to the fore lately and brewers are experimenting with yeast from the Big players like CH Hansen as well as working with Kombucha yeast.
Arrested Fermentation
As the name suggests, is the method that utilises an approach where you stop the ferment early, in essence before the yeast has a chance to metabolise (freaky when you think about it right) the sugar into alcohol.
Reverse Osmosis.
Put simply for those of us (myself included) that are not entirely scientifically gifted. Imagine the process that is used to remove salt from seawater. With this, you can see the way that such high-level filtering creates a scenario whereby, with some minor tinkering afterwards, beer is brought to you sans alcohol.
Vacuum Distillation.
This is the process I talk about in a previous blog and it is a process the Giesen team use to create their deliciously delicious non-alcoholic Sauv Blanc. Amazing! The process uses heat to separate a traditional alcoholic beverage out to effectively 3 parts. A bland and tasteless liquid, the tasty bits and the alcohol.
By dumping the alcohol or using it for rocket fuel brewmasters are left with a host of options to reconstruct their non-alcoholic beer with the fragrance base liquid.
Looking to verify the above? Good idea! Check out what the team over at Gruvi have to say on the topic
If you’re keen to try a few amazing beers now you know how they’re made, check out the review’s I’ve put together or learn more about the brands here too
