0% Beer

[Boaz]

Hello People,

I have recently been asked if I can make an alcohol free beer....Can you what? You might be saying, out loud or to yourselves. Anyone done it successfully flavour-wise? Thanks in advance.

 

[Andrew Hodgson]

I think a 0% beer would be more like a "hop tea"?

If you don't introduce yeast than you won't get a single point of alcohol theoretically. I have never thought of such an experiment but I'm sure someone around here has, they'll give you a better picture if there is any to be had.

 

[beermanpete]

Yes, it can be done. The easiest method for a homebrewer is to make regular beer and then heat to slightly above 173 degrees F to boil off the alcohol. You will then force carbonate it in a keg. There are some threads around here discussing this.

 

[passedpawn]

You're not going to make 0% beer by attempting to boil off the alcohol. Sounds good in principle, but it won't work (completely). If you're serving somebody who really can't drink alcohol, don't bother with this. Unfortunately, I don't have any good advice for you. Good luck!

There are some very involved threads around here regarding this. Most are older. Here's one (actually a sticky at the top of one of the forums here):

Creating an NA (Or...how I neutered my beer)

 

[RPh_Guy]

I'm just going to toss out some crazy ideas.

Boil hops and malt together, and then chill, strain, stabilize, and clarify. Force carb.
Correct pH and water chemistry as normal.
Tiny amounts of pasteurized fruit juice, spices, or honey might help (to replace yeast character).

I bet that would taste something like beer. Or it could be disgusting. Good luck!

 

[passedpawn]

I'm just going to toss out some crazy ideas.

Boil hops and malt together, and then chill, strain, stabilize, and clarify. Force carb.
Correct pH and water chemistry as normal.
Tiny amounts of pasteurized fruit juice, spices, or honey might help (to replace yeast character).

I bet that would taste something like beer. Or it could be disgusting. Good luck!

Right. I've posted almost the same exact post before

I think it's important (very) to note that there is some danger in bottling the beer. Because there's no alcohol, you're relying solely on the acidity to protect the results from bottle bombs and (shreek) botulism. I don't want to be a chicken little, but if you're gonna bottle this, look into canning techniques and make sure your pH is fairly low. Might not be feasible, not really sure.

Anyhoo, I'd suggest either kegging, or pasteurizing the bottles after filling.

 

[beermanpete]

You're not going to make 0% beer by attempting to boil off the alcohol. Sounds good in principle, but it won't work (completely). If you're serving somebody who really can't drink alcohol, don't bother with this. Unfortunately, I don't have any good advice for you. Good luck!

There are some very involved threads around here regarding this. Most are older. Here's one (actually a sticky at the top of one of the forums here):

Creating an NA (Or...how I neutered my beer)

Thanks for adding the link. I realize (attempting) boiling off the alcohol won't produce truly alcohol free beer. The commercial non-alcoholic beers are not truly zero either. The prospective drinker will determine the need to be truly alcohol free. The non-fermented methods suggested would be alcohol free but won't taste like beer due to all the sugar. Is there any info available about how the commercial NA beers are made?

 

[RPh_Guy]

You're completely right about potential danger, but I did say to stabilize.
Drop pH to 4 after chilling. Add combo of pH-adjusted 35-50ppm free sulfite and typical sorbate dosage.
This will make it safe, yes?

 

[RPh_Guy]

The non-fermented methods suggested would be alcohol free but won't taste like beer due to all the sugar.

The method I suggested won't have a bunch of sugar because the enzymes are inactived by boiling.
I don't know exactly how much it'll have. I'm guessing pretty low -- in the neighborhood of a finished beer possibly.

Give it a try and report back

 

[beermanpete]

I found a couple of sites that describe the basic process for making non-alcoholic beer:

https://www.chowhound.com/food-news/53912/how-are-nonalcoholic-beer-and-wine-made/

https://gizmodo.com/the-science-of-non-alcoholic-beer-509674407

 

[passedpawn]

You're completely right about potential danger, but I did say to stabilize.
Drop pH to 4 after chilling. Add combo of pH-adjusted 35-50ppm free sulfite and typical sorbate dosage.
This will make it safe, yes?

Yea, I think kmeta would stop yeast. I have no idea what affect it has on clostridium botulinum.

 

[beermanpete]

The method I suggested won't have a bunch of sugar because the enzymes are inactived by boiling.
I don't know exactly how much it'll have. I'm guessing pretty low -- in the neighborhood of a finished beer possibly.

Give it a try and report back

Sorry, I missed the boiling part. It might work ok. I will leave it to the OP to try it. Thanks.

 

[RPh_Guy]

I have no idea what affect it has on clostridium botulinum.

Dropping pH below 4.5 is adequate protection against Clostridium. I'm sure the sulfite and sorbate help too.

 

[Yooper]

Yea, I think kmeta would stop yeast. I have no idea what affect it has on clostridium botulinum.

Kmeta doesn’t stop yeast- that’s why wine makers use it as an antioxidant. Not sure about c botulinum, but I would think not.

I would definitely pasteurize any neutered beer, as I think it could be a vehicle for pathogens.