Non Alcoholic Beer

From taste, to flavor, to an almost spitting imitation of the real thing, non alcoholic beer is evolving. No longer the O’Doul’s of the 90s, non alcoholic beer is gaining traction quickly, and for good reason!

Whether it’s cracking one open while doing yard work or having a refreshing bev with the boys, many of my clients who have heart disease still want to enjoy a beer or two on occasion. Non alcoholic (NA) beer gives them the option to do so. They can worry a bit less and not feel like they are sacrificing their heart health.

NA beer contains between 10 – 110 calories and 2 – 25 grams of carbohydrates which is why it should be consumed in moderation. In excess, this increase in calorie or carbohydrate consumption may impact your nutrition or blood sugar goals. Drink reasonably and responsibly!

Effects of Alcohol

The serving size for one beer is considered 12 fluid ounces or the equivalent of one bottle or one can of beer. This is considered one standard drink.

Moderate drinking is considered no more than 1 drink per day for women and no more than 2 drinks per day for men.

As moderate drinking transitions to heavy or binge drinking, it can adversely affect your heart health. Excessive drinking can increase your risk of high blood pressure, cardiac arrythmias, stroke, peripheral arterial disease (PAD) and heart failure.

Are there any benefits to drinking alcohol? Unfortunately, not really from a health perspective. In some studies, low to moderate drinking might show some cardiovascular benefits while others show negative consequences. Less to none is best.

Reasons people choose to drink non alcoholic beer 

There are a variety of reasons why an individual chooses these alternative brews.

1. Reduce intake of alcohol or work towards sobriety
2. Health conditions that contraindicate consuming alcohol
3. Potential medication interactions
4. Want to go out and spend time with family and friends in a safe manner
5. Reducing the likelihood of negative side effects.
   1. Feelings of being hungover
   2. Gastrointestinal issues 
   3. Restless sleep/insomnia

FAQ about Non Alcoholic Beer

Does Non Alcoholic Beer have Alcohol?

Yes, it does contain alcohol. In order to classify as a non-alcoholic beer, it must contain less than 0.5% alcohol by volume (ABV).

What’s the difference between non alcoholic and alcohol-free beer?

Non-Alcoholic beer must contain <0.5% ABV. 

Alcohol-Free Beer must contain no alcohol or 0% ABV. 

Zero Proof Alcohol

Zero Proof Alcohol means that the alcoholic beverage contains 0% ABV. Therefore, negligible amounts of alcohol are present.

Are Non Alcoholic beers gluten free?

Not usually.

The reason why they are not generally classified as gluten free is because many beers utilize a grain that contains gluten. Gluten is a protein that is found in wheat, barley, rye, and sometimes, oats.

Two ways a non alcoholic beer can become gluten free.

1. If a beer utilizes a gluten free grain, it may provide an end product that is gluten free.
2. Processing beer that results in a reduction in the gluten content of the NA beer to contain less than 20 parts per million (ppm). 

How many non alcoholic beers equal one beer?

Let’s consider a standard beer as 12 fluid ounces with 5% Alcohol by Volume.

One light beer (5% ABV) is equivalent to 10 NA beers. That’s quite a bit of non alcoholic beers to match the ABV of one beer!

Here is a comparison chart to show an approximation of how many NA beers you would need to drink to equate to the alcohol by volume in one beer.

Type of Beer	Non-Alcoholic Beer Equivalent **
Light Beer ABV 4 – 5%	8 – 10 NA beers
Regular Beer ABV 5 – 6%	10 – 12 NA beers
Craft Beer ABV 6 – 10%	12 – 20 NA beers

Calories in Non Alcoholic Beer

Calories in non alcoholic beer can fluctuate as can their macronutrients (carbohydrates, fat, and protein). Most I have found are between 10 – 110 calories per serving, give or take. Calories in alcohol are primarily determined by the alcohol content, and/or the carbohydrates present. Calories increase as alcohol by volume, and/or carbohydrates increases.

Remember, 1 gram of alcohol = 7 calories and 1 gram of carbohydrates = 4 calories.

It’s a misconception that the darker the beer, the “heavier” the beer, or the more calories it contains. The darker color is usually a result of the brewing process. For example, Guinness Zero is 75 calories for 14.9 fl. oz. compared to Samuel Adams Just the Haze IPA at 98 calories for 12 fl. oz.

Another thing worth mentioning is just because a non alcoholic beer or alcohol free beer is low in alcohol does not mean it is low in calories or carbohydrates. Look at the serving size and nutrition facts to see how they can fit into your overall dietary plan.

I’ve put together the nutrition facts for a few of the most popular brands on the market. Check out how they compare to one another in the table below.

Calories and Carbohydrates in Non Alcoholic Beer

Non-Alcoholic Beer	Style	ABV %	Serving Size (fl.oz.)	Cal	Carbs	Fat	Pro
Athletic Brewing Co. Upside Dawn Golden Ale Run Wild Atlética	Golden IPA Mexican-Style Copper	<0.5 <0.5 <0.5	12 12 12	45 65 60	14 10 14	0 0 0	<1 <1 1
Best Day Brewing West Coast IPA Kolsch Hazy IPA	IPA Kolsch Hazy IPA	<0.5 <0.5 <0.5	12 12 12	68 55 53	11 11 11	0 0 0	3 3 3
Blue Moon Non-Alcoholic	Belgian-Style Wheat	<0.5	12	80	8	0	1
BrewDog USA Punk AF Non-Alcoholic	Pale Ale	<0.5%	12	20	2.3	0	0
Brooklyn Brewery Special Effects IPA Special Effects Pils	IPA Pilsner	<0.5 <0.5	12 12	80 –	17 –	0 –	1.5 –
Budweiser Zero	Light	0.0	12	50	12.1	0	<1
Busch NA	Light	0.4	12	60	12.9	0	0.6
Ceria Brewing Grainwave	Belgian-Style White Ale	0.0	12	77	14	–	–
Clausthaler ISO 0.0	Light	0.0	11.2	106	23	0	2.3
Corona Non-Alcoholic	Lager	<0.5	12	60	17.5	0	1.3
Coors Edge	Light	<0.5	12	41	8	0	<1
GO Brewing New School Sour Berry Head On American Wheat	Sour Wheat	<0.44 <0.46	12 12	61 30	15 10	1.4 0	0.61
Grolsch 0.0	Golden	0.0	11.2	96	18.8	0	1.7
Guinness 0.0	Stout	<0.5	12 (can: 14.9)	75	17.3	0	1.4
Heineken 0.0	Lager	<0.5	12	69	16	0	2
Kronenbourg 1664 Blanc 0.0%	Wheat	0.0	11.2	96	23.4	0	0
Partake Brewing Blonde IPA Pale Pilsner	Blonde IPA Pale Ale Pilsner	<0.5 <0.5 <0.5 <0.5	12 12 12 12	15 10 10 25	3 0 4 4	0 0 0 0	0 0 0 0
Peroni Nastro Azzurro	Lager	0.0	11.2	–	–	–	–
Samuel Adams Just the Haze IPA	IPA	<0.5	12	98	22	0	1.5
Sierra Nevada Trail Pass Golden	Golden Ale	<0.5	12	95	19	–	–
Sober Carpenter Blonde Ale Raspberry Sour	Blond Ale Sour	<0.5 <0.5	16 16	60 75	9 15	0 0	0 0
Stella Artois Liberté Non Alcoholic	Lager	0.0	11.2	59	13.2	0	1.5
Untitled Art Mango Dragonfruit Fruited Sour	Sour	<0.5	90	16	16	1	3
Wellbeing Hellraiser Dark Amber	Dark Amber	<0.5	12	80	32	–	–

For some of the non alcoholic beers, serving size and servings per container varied, primarily for non-domestic NA options. I streamlined the nutrition facts to make it easier for you to understand with less calculations for you to do. Non-domestic NA beer, such as from Europe, provide nutrition facts per 100mL because they follow the metric system. Most bottles or cans contain 330mL which is equivalent to approximately 11.2 fl. oz.

*NA beers may also contain more than one serving per can or bottle. For example, Guinness 0.0’s serving size is 12 fl. oz. and servings per container are 1.25.

• For Clausthaler ISO 0.0
  • Origin: Germany
  • Amount per 100mL: 32 calories, 7.1g Carb, 0g Fat, 0.7g Pro
• For Grolsch 0.0%
  • Origin: Netherlands
  • Amount per 100mL: 23 calories, 5.7g carb, 0g Fat, 0.5g Protein
• For Kronenbourg 1664 Blanc 0.0%
  • Origin: France
  • Amount per 100mL: 29 calories, 6.7g Carb, 0g Fat, <0.4g Pro
• For Peroni Nastro Azzurro
  • Origin: Italy
  • Serving Size: 1 bottle (33 cl ow) = 11.2 fl. oz
• For Sober Carpenter
  • Origin: Canada
  • Serving Size: 1 can (473mL) = 16 fl. oz.

My Non Alcoholic Beer Adventure

My quest wasn’t easy, and one I certainly didn’t take lightly. After quite a few trips to different liquor stores, here are some of my take-aways.

• Most liquor stores don’t have a big selection of non-alcoholic beer. NA beers tend to either have their own separate door in the fridge or cooler, are merchandised alongside their alcoholic counterpart, or tucked away on the bottom shelf.
• There are no sample pack options. Instead, you have to buy the entire case. This can certainly be a deterrent for someone who is wanting to try it before they buy it. A potential opportunity would be for liquor stores to give you the option to build a sample pack of NA beers.
• Non alcoholic beer can be pricey. This is likely due to the fact that they must undergo additional production which requires more equipment, time, and labor.
• It’s helpful to think of non alcoholic beer in two categories when comparing them to the real thing.
  • First category: As an alternative to the full alcoholic version
    • Examples: Coors Edge compared to Coors Light or Budweiser Zero compared to Budweiser.
  • Second category: Based upon style
    •  Examples: Wheat, Golden, IPA, Kolsch

Best Practices for Trying Non Alcoholic Beer

I’ve complied some best practices to save you some time and energy.

1. Order a sample pack online. Here’s why this can be beneficial for a few reasons.
   • You can search for brands or styles you enjoy and purchase one can or bottle to try.
   • Use the reviews as a guide. You can see the brands and styles other people are enjoying and can use those reviews to influence what you purchase.
   • You might be able to spend a little less money. You can build a bundle pack with a few ones to try. This can reduce the likelihood that cost is a factor.
   • You’re less tempted to pick up an alcoholic beverage or buy a case of beer. This can come in handy if you’re working towards lessening your alcohol intake and the temptations that come along with it.
2. Ask a friend. You might already have one in your group that has ventured into the NA beer realm. Ask them! They probably have tried quite a few and could offer up a few suggestions.
3. Order one at a brewery or out at dinner. More and more breweries and restaurants are serving up non alcoholic beer options. This might be the perfect opportunity to taste test one!
4. Make it fun!
   • Swap alcoholic beverages with non-alcoholic ones on game days.
     • When we are distracted, we tend to mindlessly eat and drink, especially when we are watching our favorite sports team claim either victory or defeat. By choosing a NA beer, we can help reduce the likelihood of drinking too much and still enjoy the game. It’s a win-win!
   • Enjoy a Brews and Board Game Night.
     • Have your family and friends over to review non alcoholic beers and get competitive, playing some of your favorite old school classics.
   • Create a Char-brew-terie Board.
     • A charcuterie board is a selection of preserved meats and sometimes cheeses laid out on a board or platter, according to the Food Network.
     • With a char-brew-terie board, you can create the same concept as you would a charcuterie board mixed with a flight of NA beer. Unlock your inner foodie with these beer and food pairings!
       • Blond Ale + Monterey Jack Cheese
       • IPA + Spiced Almonds
       • PIlsner + Mild Cheddar Cheese + Crackers + Apple Slices
       • Wheat + Caprese Salad

Curating my Top Choices

Best Non Alcoholic Beer

1. Best Day Brewing Kolsch
2. Athletic Brewing Upside Dawn Golden Ale
3. Guinness 0.0
4. Samuel Adams Just the Haze IPA
5. Brooklyn Brewery Special Effects Pils
6. Heineken 0.0
7. Corona Non-Alcoholic
8. Sierra Nevada Trail Pass Golden
9. Budweiser Zero
10. Untitled Art Mango Dragonfruit Fruited Sour
    

Bottom Line

Non alcoholic beer is the sleeper in your Fantasy Football Draft. It’s up and coming, and you should jump on the trend before it hits the big leagues. It can be a simple switch that can make a substantial impact on your heart health, without having to compromise the fun, flavor, and camaraderie that comes alongside drinking beer. Cheers, my friends!

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