Now you will laugh, but I’m fine with non-alcoholic beer. Whats wrong with that? I don’t understand the skepticism around this issue. After all, such a drink tastes no worse than ordinary beer.
And it seems to me that it is unfairly few on the shelves of our stores. I often argue about this with friends and colleagues. Therefore, it would be right to consider this issue in more detail in order to dot all the i’s.
How non-alcoholic beer is made
Many, for some reason, believe that this is a completely separate drink. I can assure you that it is not. Yes, it undergoes some additional processes, but it still remains the same beer. The main task of these processes is only to get rid of the alcohol contained in the product.
Beer production.
One option is evaporation. That is, the beer is heated to a certain temperature (approximately +75˚) so that the alcohol thus evaporates. Naturally, with these pairs a little taste is lost, but not critical.
This process has been improved over time. To do this, the beer is heated in a vacuum. As a result, the evaporation of alcohol requires heating up to +45˚, which, of course, will retain more flavor nuances.
And the last option is the reverse osmosis process. That is, the beer is first filtered and then distilled under vacuum. To be honest, it doesn’t matter to me which method the manufacturers use, as long as it retains as much of the real flavor as possible.
Important! The reverse osmosis method is currently considered the most productive.
The popularity of soft beer
I asked how popular non-alcoholic beer is in the world. Admittedly, I expected slightly higher numbers, although recent studies indicate that its popularity is growing. If we compare ordinary beer and non-alcoholic, then the second is only 0,7% of the total volume.
If considered separately, non-alcoholic beer is most popular in Europe. Consumption leaders are such countries as Germany (not surprisingly), Spain and France. In Eastern Europe, the leader is Russia, 7% of the total European consumption.
Comparison of consumption of alcoholic beverages and non-alcoholic beer.
Some countries in Africa and the Middle East account for about 6% of the total consumption of non-alcoholic beer. If Russia is considered on a global scale, then this is only 1,2%. As you can see, non-alcoholic beer is not very respected in our country.
But during the 2018 FIFA World Cup, I often saw such beer in the hands of foreigners. Probably, from this the statistics grew.
Important! All these data refer to no later than 2018. New ones have not yet been published.
What’s the point
This is probably the most common question among people who do not recognize non-alcoholic beer. And the meaning is actually there, and it is considerable. It is clear that beer, in principle, has many admirers. Some drink it almost every day.
But there are times when alcohol is not allowed or undesirable to drink, but you want beer. Here is the finest hour of non-alcoholic beer. His taste remains the same, and alcohol does not enter the bloodstream.
As a result, you will not have a hangover, you can drink it in the evening before work, and also drive even after a couple of bottles.
It is very comfortable. Plus, alcohol cannot be called a substance that would have a positive effect on human health. This is one more argument in my piggy bank. By the way, non-alcoholic beer usually has fewer calories, which is great for people who are worried about their figure.
Important! Non-alcoholic beer still contains alcohol, but in small amounts, up to 0,5 degrees.
TOP-3 brands
In fact, there are many varieties of non-alcoholic beer, even craft beer. But I will talk about my top 3 brands that you can buy in a simple store. You should probably start with our production, namely Baltika No. 0. This is a cool light beer, light, even has a slight sweetish tint. It costs about 50 rubles.
Baltika №0.
Becks blue also proved to be quite good. The Germans know a lot about beer. It already costs 60 rubles, if we talk about products made in Russia. It has characteristic flavors of bitterness and hops, which is perfect for salty.
Becks blue.
“Apostle Weissbier” is also made in Germany. Its distinguishing feature is the presence of fruity notes in the taste. Its cost is approximately 70 rubles. As you can see, despite the fact that all of these beers undergo some additional processing, their tastes can be very different.
Apostle Weissbeer.
I’m interested in how good this beer is in other countries except Russia. For some reason I think it’s better there. Are there any of you who have tried non-alcoholic beer here and abroad, then tell us about your impressions. Perhaps I worry in vain, and we still brew the best.
*Alcohol abuse is dangerous for your health!