Beer ReviewHolsten BeerHolsten Alcohol Free Beer Review

While the Holsten Alcohol Free Pils has been around for quite a while and it is a beer that often gets overlooked in the day of craft and boutique non-alcoholic beer. So what does the German non-alcoholic Pilsner have to offer?

The Holsten Alcohol Free is a light and bright non-alcoholic Pilsner combining a light malty base, a touch of aromatic hops and a clean lightly bitter finish. While in flavour, most people will find the Holsten can drink well at summer weekend barbeques or with spicy winter warmer midweek meals.

Key Takeaways

ABV: <0.5%
Style Pils
Calories: 12 calories / 100ml
Colour: Deep Golden
Main Notes: Baked Malts. Light Bitter Finish
Cost: $13 – $15 / 6 pack.
Rating: 5.5/10

Holsten Alcohol Free Beer Glass in Hand

Does Holsten Taste Like Beer?

If you regularly drink non-alcoholic options, the Holsten Zero may be a little on the lighter side particularly when compared to other options.

The Holsten Zero is light and vibrant with traditional pilsner traits, a baked malt base and aromatic notes. It has a light and vibrant mouthfeel with a short and clean finish that is lightly bitter.

I have worked my way through a 6 pack and shared it with a few other people to get their feedback and the common consensus is that the Holsten is bright, crisp and clean while being light on depth and flavour.

In each glass of Holsten, you’ll find a balanced profile made up of:

  • Baked malt notes.
  • A light amount of sweetness.
  • Soft aromatic hops.
  • Clean and crisp sweetness to finish.
What I Like What Could Be Better
Bright and vibrant. Compared to other options it can be a little low on flavour.
Has the hallmarks of a baby Pils Has a light body and finish.

While the Holsten Zero is a well-profiled alcohol-free Pils, it won’t be for everyone – it might not be for you. If you’re looking to find a non-alcoholic lager you’ll love, I compared 8 others – you should check out here or check out the podcast for a new favourite drink by clicking the image below.

Tipple Zero Podcast Non Alcoholic Podcast

Body and Drinking the Holsten Zero

If the Holsten is one you’re interested in, I would let you know that – given the Holsten Zero’s light body and vibrant style, it really does need two things when drinking:

  1. To be cold (like, really, cold); and
  2. To be enjoyed out of a glass (If you can avoid the bottle, do so for this one)!

When poured into a glass, the Holsten Zero has a brilliantly deep gold colour with a loose foamy head that stays around while you drink and leaves foamy rings as you make your way through the glass.

If you’re interested in treating yourself to some great beer tasting glasses, the ones I talk about all the time are the Spiegelau Craft Tasting Kit from Amazon. Given I’ve used them since kicking off Tipple Zero it is amazing to see how much of a difference they make.

Check out the kit here (USA Link here), if you are interested in stepping up your beer drinking game.

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Is it a beer for you? Find out if you’d like it below.

Holsten Zero Alcohol Free Beer With Food On A Table

Who Would Drink Holsten Zero?

Holsten is a completely alcohol free beer that contains no alcohol and is marketed as a 0.0% beer. In most jurisdictions, it will be classified as a food making it a good option for anyone who can’t drink, is unable to drink or otherwise chooses not to drink.

If you enjoy the lighter side of non-alcoholic beer you are likely going to enjoy the alcohol-free Holsten zero. It is for anyone who is looking for a vibrant and fresh beer without the traditional weigh-in flavour or mouthfeel that comes with a Pils.

The Holsten Zero is not going to suit drinkers who are looking for a bright, bold and weighted IPA or a bolder larger. If that sounds like you, look into:

  1. My review of 8 non-alcoholic lagers.
  2. The Vandestreek Playground or the Vandestreek NEIPA (my favourite range of non-alc beer ranges)

So if you are the type of person who enjoys a supremely bitter Pale Ale (like the Big Drop) or fruity IPA or XPA like the (Heaps Normal), this may not be the one for you. If you’re looking for a bunch of other options, you should read about them all here.

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Holsten Zero Alcohol Free Beer In Hand

Buy Holsten Zero Alcohol Free

A 6-pack of Holsten Zero is approx. $13 – $15 and is available through Dan Murphy’s, Craft Zero and other major retail locations both in-store and online.

Whether it is Summer or Winter in your part of the world, the Holsten is a solid option to reach for. Check out the links below for locations across Australia

Let me know what you think by dropping me a line at jonathan@tipplezero.com, I’d be keen to hear whether I’ve hit the mark here!

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Holsten Beer Bottle On Bench in front of Retail Packaging

Holsten Alcohol Free Nutrition

Beer Sugar per 100ml Calories per 100ml
Brewdog Nanny State 0.4 g 6 cals
Big Drop Uptown Craft lager 0.1 g 11.8 cals
Holsten Zero Alcohol Free 0 g 12 cals
Bit Burger Drive 0.0 0 g 22 cals

Holsten Zero Alcohol-Free has 12 calories, less than 1 gram of sugar and 0 grams of fat per 100ml, making it one of the very few sugar-free non-alcoholic beers on the market.

Comparing the Holsten Zero to other non-alcoholic beer options, it lands squarely in the top two for the lowest sugar and lowest calories. Other popular alternatives such as the Big Drop Lager comes in on par with the Holsten, and marginally ahead of the Great Northern Zero.

If you’re interested in looking into the sugar and calories in non-alcoholic beer you need to read the review I wrote on exactly this by reviewing 39 (or more by the time you read this) non-alcoholic beer options for sugar and calories. Read it over here.

The full breakdown of the Holsten Zero is listed below.

Avg Quantity
Per Serving (330ml)

Avg Quantity
Per 100ml

Energy 165 kJ
40 Cal

50 kJ
12 Cal

Protein

0.7 g

0.2 g

Fat, total

0 g

0 g

— saturated

0 g

0 g

Carbohydrate

8.9 g

2.7 g

— sugars

< 1 g

< 1 g

Sodium

< 10 mg

< 10 mg

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Holsten Alcohol Free Nutritional Informatoin

When to Drink Holsten Zero

The Holsten Zero is versatile, I have enjoyed it with a spicy Szechuan dish I put together, as well as some home-made chicken meatballs and the palette and profile were great to compliment the food in both settings.

I would say the non-alcoholic Holsten Zero beer is a solid option:

  • For those occasions you want the food to shine.
  • When you have a spicy dish you need a drink to cut through.
  • If grilled or barbequed meats are set for the main course.
  • You’re looking for a super sessionable beer that can be enjoyed with ease and without getting tired of it.

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Spicy Food Stirfry in Bowl

The Wrap Up: Final Thoughts

The Holsten Zero is a popular widely stocked option that many who are dipping their toe into the non-alc space will no doubt look to try.

For me, I prefer bigger and bolder non-alcoholic beers like the Big Drop Paradiso or Big Drop Pale Ale, and if I was to go with a Pils I’d choose the Uwe due to the complexity and layer of flavour in each glass.

If I was rating this to a friend, I’d give it a 6.5/10 due to the quality of the other options out there which provide a big flavour with marginally more sugar and zero alcohol.

While this is a great light and ‘easy to drink’ option, I’ll likely stick to other options like the Weihenstephaner or James Squire which all pack a significant amount more flavour for only a small sugar/calorie penalty.

Interested in giving a go? Jump back up the page to buy a 6-pack by, alternatively check out the other non-alcoholic lager options!

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by Jonathan Lambrianidis

Non-alcoholic drinks writer and podcaster, beer brewing and winemaking side-kick, lawyer and cyclist. Owner of Tipplezero.com and the Non-Alcoholic Drinks Podcast.

2 comments

  • David M Scott

    January 10, 2022 at 12:05 pm

    As a type 2 diabetic and only one kidney sugar,carb and calorie content are very important to my health. Of the nn alcoholic beers in
    Canada Holsten appears to have the lowest as well at zero not .05 % alcohol as do most so called non. And, because I prefer light crisp tasting beer Holsten is a winner for me. In Canada a 6 pack s $9.95,
    $7.95 on sale. Great comprehensive review

    • Jonathan Lambrianidis

      January 12, 2022 at 7:01 pm

      Hey David! It sounds like non-alc beer is helping you enjoy the taste of beer without the need to add the complexities that sugar/carb/calorie content brings to your plate. Great work finding a brew that works for you and stay well mate. let me know of any other options you enjoy and I’ll try track them down here too!

      Cheers,
      Jonathan

Comments are closed.