For Germany as a beer nation, this is quite a turning point: “We expect that soon every tenth beer brewed in Germany will be alcohol-free,” says Holger Eichele, General Manager of the German Brewers’ Association. The trend has been apparent for a long time, but Eichele considers cracking the ten percent mark to be a breakthrough. Until recently, “unleaded” or “castrated” beer had a pretty lousy reputation. Whoever drank it either had to drive after the party where everyone else was enjoying themselves. Or he was forbidden to drink alcohol, probably by the doctor. Today, alcohol-free is no longer an emergency solution, but rather a lifestyle product and a welcome refreshment drink for athletes.
The production of non-alcoholic beers in Germany has more than doubled since 2007, when the few non-alcoholic beer brands were still being ridiculed. And while consumption of beer with alcohol is declining, non-alcoholic beer is all the rage and the question is, which one tastes best?
This doesn’t just apply to beer. Whether vodka, whiskey, gin or rum – there is hardly anything for which an alcohol-free alternative is not now available. Cocktails in particular are increasingly being served non-alcoholic. Not only in Germany, worldwide. The analysis firm Fior Markets predicts that the triumphant advance will continue and increase from sales of just under $1 trillion a year at present to $1.7 trillion by 2028.
Wine without alcohol, on the other hand, is still rare. But he is also coming. But unlike beer, wine has a problem without alcohol. It is the flavor carrier without which it is hardly possible. “The withdrawal throws everything out of balance,” says expert Isabell Bitzenhofer from organic wine importer Peter Riegel.
Why is alcohol-free so popular? It fits in well with a time when people place more value than before on healthy living and self-discipline, says nutritional sociologist Daniel Kofahl. In the case of non-alcoholic beer, there is also a positive connotation. It’s considered healthier than the alcoholic versions because it’s lower in calories, unless mixed with soda, and it’s less stressful on the liver. It is also said to have an isotonic effect, i.e. to have the same osmotic pressure as blood, and is therefore considered a good thirst quencher.
The first alcohol-free comes from the GDR
However, not all alcohol-free drinks are completely alcohol-free. According to German food law, products labeled with 0.0 or without alcohol may contain up to 0.03 percent alcohol by volume. However, there should be no alcohol at all in explicitly declared 0.0 percent beer. There is no guarantee. However, even ripe bananas can exceed the limit.
Incidentally, the first non-alcoholic beverage came from the GDR, from the Engelhardt brewery in Stralau, Berlin-Friedrichshain. It was presented in 1972 at the Leipzig Fair under the name “AuBi”, car driver’s beer. The Federal Republic followed suit at the end of the 1970s. Today there are many non-alcoholic beer brands in Germany, more than in other beer nations such as Belgium and the Czech Republic. But no more so than in Switzerland, where the alcohol-free “Ex-Bier” from Feldschlösschen was available early on and, since 1965, the “Oro” developed by Hürlimann in Zurich, later “Birell”.