I have read many threads about NA beer and personally don’t drink the stuff unless I have to. Most of the ideas include heating the beer in an open container to above pasteurization temps to drive off the alcohol. I dislike these ideas for a couple of reasons. The temp needed can change the flavor of the beer and the open container exposes the beer to O2 which we all know is not good for finished beer stability or shelf life. In an effort to give a buddy of mine who is a recovered alcoholic his beloved beverage back to him I have devised a method that takes both of these concerns out of the process.
The theory: Simple distillation using vacuum instead of temperature. Liquids under vacuum boil at low temps. Different liquids even when mixed have different boil points. In other words alcohol will boil off before water will, and at a different temp. Liquids boiled in an enclosed container and vacuum are not subject to O2 absorption.
The equipment: A long stem thermometer, and enclosed container like a 2-3L flask, a 2 hole rubber stopper to fit the flask, a vacuum pump. Tubing to connect the pump to the flask. I have used 2 different types of vacuum pumps. An air conditioning vacuum pump and a nebulizer air pump that I reversed the flapper valves in. AC pumps have the advantage of being able to dial in desired vacuum.
The setup and operation: Beer that is uncarbed and at room temp is put into the flask leaving head space for foaming. The stopper is installed and thermometer is installed in one hole with the tip in the beer. The tubing is installed through the stopper keeping it in the headspace. The pump is turned on and the temp is monitored. The amount of vacuum determines the boil off temps and time taken to achieve the process. I suggest doing this with water first so the boil point of water is determined for your vacuum setting. With low vacuum the temp will rise a little and plateau. At this point the alcohol is being boiled off. When the temp begins to rise again the alcohol is gone and the water is warming up to a boil. Stop. You now have uncarbed NA beer. Transfer the beer to a 2-3L plastic soda bottle and install a carb cap. Cool and force carb the beer with a max pressure of 25psi. Give to your buddy for his enjoyment.
Notes: Although the beer will visibly start to boil when the water is boiling you usually won’t see boiling until the alcohol is gone at low vacuum. Low vacuum is less than 10 in HG. High vacuum is up to 30in HG. Low vacuum will take longer but gives more control over the process. Either way the process is complete in less than 1 hour. The beer does taste a little different, after all alcohol affects flavor.
The Test: I was designated driver one night for a bunch of buddies and I had consumed almost 4L of this beer. We rolled into a DUI check point and the cop smelled beer on all of us myself included. After a field sobriety test, and 2 breath tests I was released to continue driving.
The theory: Simple distillation using vacuum instead of temperature. Liquids under vacuum boil at low temps. Different liquids even when mixed have different boil points. In other words alcohol will boil off before water will, and at a different temp. Liquids boiled in an enclosed container and vacuum are not subject to O2 absorption.
The equipment: A long stem thermometer, and enclosed container like a 2-3L flask, a 2 hole rubber stopper to fit the flask, a vacuum pump. Tubing to connect the pump to the flask. I have used 2 different types of vacuum pumps. An air conditioning vacuum pump and a nebulizer air pump that I reversed the flapper valves in. AC pumps have the advantage of being able to dial in desired vacuum.
The setup and operation: Beer that is uncarbed and at room temp is put into the flask leaving head space for foaming. The stopper is installed and thermometer is installed in one hole with the tip in the beer. The tubing is installed through the stopper keeping it in the headspace. The pump is turned on and the temp is monitored. The amount of vacuum determines the boil off temps and time taken to achieve the process. I suggest doing this with water first so the boil point of water is determined for your vacuum setting. With low vacuum the temp will rise a little and plateau. At this point the alcohol is being boiled off. When the temp begins to rise again the alcohol is gone and the water is warming up to a boil. Stop. You now have uncarbed NA beer. Transfer the beer to a 2-3L plastic soda bottle and install a carb cap. Cool and force carb the beer with a max pressure of 25psi. Give to your buddy for his enjoyment.
Notes: Although the beer will visibly start to boil when the water is boiling you usually won’t see boiling until the alcohol is gone at low vacuum. Low vacuum is less than 10 in HG. High vacuum is up to 30in HG. Low vacuum will take longer but gives more control over the process. Either way the process is complete in less than 1 hour. The beer does taste a little different, after all alcohol affects flavor.
The Test: I was designated driver one night for a bunch of buddies and I had consumed almost 4L of this beer. We rolled into a DUI check point and the cop smelled beer on all of us myself included. After a field sobriety test, and 2 breath tests I was released to continue driving.