Would you drink beer if it doesn't have alcohol?

Beer can be said to be a versatile artifact in summer

Have a drink in the afternoon and feel refreshed instantly

Big skewers + beer at night, double happiness

Non-alcoholic beer, various craft beers, beer + fruit combinations

Also for those who can't drink beer or don't like drinking beer

Opening the door to a new world

Today I will introduce you to "non-alcoholic beer"

**1. What kind of beer is "non-alcoholic beer"?

When people buy beer, they usually see signs like 9°P, 10°P, and 11°P.

Beer source: an e-commerce platform

However, this is not the alcohol content, but the "original wort concentration of beer", which refers to the concentration of wort.

Beer source: an e-commerce platform

The alcohol content refers to "the volume percentage of alcohol in the beer at 20 degrees Celsius, expressed as %vol". The alcohol content of beer is generally between 2 and 5 degrees, which is mainly determined by the original wort concentration and the degree of fermentation. If the fermentation degree is the same, the higher the original wort concentration, the higher the alcohol content of the beer.

"Non-alcoholic beer" is also called "non-alcoholic beer". It is generally believed internationally that beer with an alcohol content of no more than 0.5% but still retains the color, aroma and taste of traditional beer can be called non-alcoholic beer.

Non-alcoholic beer Source: an e-commerce platform

Non-alcoholic beer is not a new phenomenon. During World War I, due to the shortage of raw materials, the alcohol content of beer produced was very low. In the 19th century, the large-scale prohibition movement in Europe and the United States opened the road to commercialization of non-alcoholic beer under restrictions. In recent years, with people's attention to healthy eating, non-alcoholic beer has ushered in a spurt of growth.

After years of development, two main production processes of non-alcoholic beer have been formed: physical dealcoholization and inhibited fermentation.

Image source: Reference 1

[Physical dealcoholization] is to remove the alcohol in the normal fermentation beer by vacuum distillation, reverse osmosis, dialysis, etc. For example, the dialysis method is to dialyze the beer through a membrane so that the alcohol in the beer can pass through the membrane and be removed by the dialysate.

This production process removes impurities to a relatively high degree, but it also causes a loss of aroma, making the beer taste bland.

[Inhibiting fermentation] refers to inhibiting the formation of ethanol during beer fermentation by changing the saccharification process, preventing or inhibiting the fermentation process, using special yeast, etc. It is usually carried out in traditional equipment and does not require additional investment, but its products usually have an unpleasant odor.

For example, interrupted fermentation is to make wort according to the traditional method and ferment it according to the common method. The fermentation is forced to be terminated when it reaches 42%-46% of the normal level, and beer with an alcohol content of 2.4%~2.5% can be obtained.

Beer made using the inhibited fermentation process tends to retain more sugar during the production process, so the wort has a stronger taste.

2. Is non-alcoholic beer healthier to drink?

Everyone is familiar with the harm of alcohol. It can cause acute and chronic liver damage. Long-term heavy drinking can lead to alcoholic fatty liver or alcoholic hepatitis, and severe cases can even lead to cirrhosis and liver cancer. In addition, alcohol intake can also increase the risk of hyperuricemia, gout recurrence, colorectal cancer, breast cancer, etc.

In contrast, non-alcoholic beer has a very low alcohol content, which will reduce the above-mentioned hazards.

However, non-alcoholic beer is not alcohol-free. Even if you drink non-alcoholic beer, there may be a risk of drunk driving. A reporter conducted a test on this. After drinking a bottle of non-alcoholic beer with an alcohol content of less than or equal to 0.45%vol, the breath alcohol test result showed that the blood alcohol content in the body was 71mg/100ml. If you drive on the road, you have reached the standard of driving after drinking. Therefore, it is not recommended for drivers to drink.

Studies have shown that drinking a beer a day (whether alcoholic or non-alcoholic) can be very beneficial for people. Beer can increase the diversity of intestinal bacteria (the more different types of bacteria we have in our bodies, the lower our chances of contracting chronic diseases).

For those who want to drink beer every day, you can choose non-alcoholic beverages. They will increase the diversity of intestinal bacteria and avoid a series of unhealthy problems caused by alcohol. In general, non-alcoholic beer is relatively healthier. For friends who love beer but want to be healthier, it is a good beer substitute . For friends who don't drink beer on a regular basis, there is no need to drink it.

3. Since it is healthier, why hasn’t non-alcoholic beer become popular yet?

When choosing beer, people still value taste the most. According to the "2020 Wine Industry Smart Life Consumption Trend Report" released by NetEase & Zhimeng, "good taste" is a factor that 50.5% of consumers pay attention to when buying wine products.

The reason why non-alcoholic beer has not become popular is largely due to "taste".

Image source network

One of the flavors of beer is the "killing" taste. The carbon dioxide obtained through fermentation in beer will escape in the mouth when drinking, producing a numbing feeling on the tongue, which is called killing taste. Since non-alcoholic beer is inhibited during fermentation, the pH value is higher, resulting in a poor killing taste. Therefore, many people always feel that "there is less gas" when drinking non-alcoholic beer .

Less foam, less flavor. The carbon dioxide foam covering the surface of the beer is like a cover on the beer, which can reduce the loss of volatile flavor substances. In other words, the more carbon dioxide is separated from the beer, the less flavor substances in the beer are lost. In order to reduce the volatilization and loss of flavor substances, it is required to increase the generation of bubbles. Since the fermentation process of non-alcoholic beer is restricted, there is less foam, so the flavor substances are lost.

Image source network

Lack of aroma. When you remove alcohol from beer, you also "kill" the aroma from the hops. Other non-alcoholic beers made by limiting fermentation also result in poor aroma because hops need alcohol as a medium to convey their unique flavor to the beer.

Image source network

However, in order to regain the lost aroma in non-alcoholic beer, some companies are trying to produce monoterpenes through fermentation of genetically engineered yeast. It is reported that this aroma mixture can improve the taste and make it more delicious.

References:

1. Wan Fangfang, Sun Jinlan, Wang Hongxia, Research progress in production methods of low-alcohol and non-alcoholic beer, Chinese and Foreign Wine Industry and Beer Science and Technology, 2020, (17), 32-36.

2. Yumu, Food Research FTA, Non-alcoholic beer, how to make consumers "addicted", https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/PzD56SVnLSh3nktAhEKSIg, 2023-5-17.

3. Li Cunpu, Scientific interpretation of factors affecting beer taste, China Food, 2023 (03), 144-145.

4. Song Changxin. Production technology and quality characteristics of non-alcoholic beer[J]. Beer Science, 2011, (5): 36-39.

5. John Sterling, Making Molecules Instead of Growing Them, https://www.genengnews.com/insights/making-molecules-instead-of-growing-them/, January 25, 2023.

Compiled by: Dang Min

Editor: Guru