Since its inception, non-alcoholic beer has found itself in the awkward position of being neither fully a beer nor completely alcohol-free. However, in recent years, the situation has been changing. In Germany, where beer culture thrives, non-alcoholic beer is gaining popularity among consumers as a “functional beverage.” In 2019, the consumption of non-alcoholic beer in Germany was nearly double that of a decade ago. In countries like Austria and Spain, the market share of non-alcoholic beer is also on the rise. Elisa Raus, spokesperson for the German dark beer brand Störtebeker, says, “In the past, people only drank non-alcoholic beer when they had to drive, but now, whether you’re driving or not, you won’t feel ashamed to drink non-alcoholic beer.”

Non-alcoholic beer, also known as “low-alcohol beer,” generally refers to beverages with an alcohol content below 0.5% while still retaining the flavor of beer. Because it contains almost no alcohol and is considered harmless to health, it appeals to a wider consumer base, and its acceptance among audiences is growing. In recent years, major breweries have been promoting it as an image of a healthy beverage and a key focus of sports marketing.

One well-known example is the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. After negotiations between FIFA and the Qatari government, fans were allowed to bring the official sponsor, Budweiser beer, into the stadiums. It’s worth noting that Qatar is an Islamic country, and public alcohol consumption is illegal. The reason the World Cup made an exception is that Budweiser provided fans with alcohol-free “Budweiser Zero” for the event.

As early as 2020, when launching “Budweiser Zero,” Budweiser beer adopted the slogan “Zero Alcohol, Zero Compromise” and enlisted “The Flash” Dwyane Wade as a co-founder of the product. Later on, the brand continued to choose athletes as its endorsers. It’s evident that from the beginning, Budweiser placed a strong bet on sports marketing, determined to emphasize the health attributes of non-alcoholic beer.

Japanese beverage giant Asahi’s non-alcoholic sub-brand, Peroni Libera 0.0%, took a different approach by collaborating with the Aston Martin Formula 1 team. For those of us accustomed to the saying “One drink for the driver, two tears for the loved ones,” this collaboration is as impactful as a century-defining high-five in the world of “Slam Dunk.”

Another major player in the beer industry, Heineken, has also invested significant resources in high-intensity, comprehensive promotion of its non-alcoholic beer, “Heineken 0.0.” This beer is prominently featured in top-tier events such as the UEFA Europa League, UEFA European Championship, Formula 1, and the MLS (Major League Soccer) in the United States.

Sponsoring teams is one thing, but Heineken takes it a step further by bringing in championship drivers directly for their promotional activities.

You sponsor the team, I’ll directly bring in a championship driver.
Image Source: Heineken Official

In some smaller and mid-sized sports events in Europe, the penetration of non-alcoholic beer is even more intense. In triathlons, marathons, and cycling races, non-alcoholic beer at the refreshment stations has become the favorite choice for most participants. For them, there’s nothing more refreshing than having a beer after crossing the finish line. For example, Erdinger, one of Germany’s most famous beer brands, promotes its non-alcoholic beer as a “hypotonic, vitamin-rich” functional beverage and provides it for free at sports events such as the Berlin Marathon.

From Trouble-Maker to Sports Enthusiast

Beer and sports have always been an inseparable and joyous pair. Firstly, their primary audience heavily overlaps, consisting mainly of young adults aged between 20 and 35. Secondly, a mild state of inebriation can catalyze and enhance the infectious appeal of sports. When attending live matches, beer vendors are a common sight, selling beer throughout the venue. When friends gather to watch a game at home, the first thing on the agenda is often grabbing a case of beer.

However, for a long time, this combination has been associated with conflict, confrontation, and even violence, especially exemplified by football hooligans causing trouble under the influence of alcohol. Consequently, many major football events in Europe have prohibited alcohol consumption in and around the stadiums during matches.

For spectators, a match without beer always feels lacking in soul. In recent years, there has been a growing call to lift alcohol bans at sporting events. The rise of non-alcoholic beer makes negotiations on this matter more feasible. Audiences can still enjoy the subtle aroma of beer without worrying about getting intoxicated.

What’s even more interesting is that the journey of non-alcoholic beer in the world of sports is not merely a routine commercial collaboration. Many athletes genuinely appreciate this low-alcohol beverage.

In the public’s perception, alcohol increases the burden on the liver, affecting protein synthesis and overall body recovery. Most athletes, therefore, abstain from alcohol during their professional careers. The beauty of non-alcoholic beer lies in its ability to minimize these side effects. Moreover, the electrolyte concentration in non-alcoholic beer is nearly identical to that in human blood, making it a perfect isotonic beverage, commonly known as “electrolyte water.” Additionally, with more than 50 phenolic compounds found in beer, it can also alleviate bodily inflammation. For athletes dealing with injuries, non-alcoholic beer has become a recovery drink with hydrating effects.

To validate this idea, some academics even conducted double-blind placebo-controlled trials. In 2009, German researcher Johannes Scheer gathered 277 participants preparing for the Munich Marathon and divided them into two groups. One group consumed Erdinger non-alcoholic beer daily, while the other group consumed a placebo. The final results showed that the group drinking beer exhibited significantly lower levels of inflammation compared to the control group.

Another noteworthy story occurred during the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. When the German delegation arrived at the Olympic Village, they brought along a considerable amount of beer, including 3,500 liters of non-alcoholic beer provided by the German national beer brand Krombacher. This was intended to aid athletes in rapid physical recovery. In that Winter Olympics, Germany achieved outstanding results with 14 gold medals (ranking first overall) and 31 total medals (ranking second overall). The global media even gave non-alcoholic beer a new nickname – “German Stimulant.”

Of course, not all athletes consider non-alcoholic beer as a substitute. Reportedly, Krombacher also supplied 11,000 liters of regular beer.

Health Trend and Taste Challenges

For centuries, low-alcohol beer has been a part of brewing culture. In medieval Europe, brewers produced beverages with alcohol content below 2%, known as “small beer,” even providing it as a purified water source for children. However, the modern production of non-alcoholic beer emerged during the Prohibition era in the United States.

In 1920, the U.S. Congress passed the Volstead Act, famously known as Prohibition, prohibiting the production and sale of beverages with alcohol content exceeding 0.5%. This led American brewers to develop non-alcoholic beers with alcohol content below 0.5%, which could be marketed as health products, sodas, malt beverages, and more. However, with the repeal of Prohibition in 1933, non-alcoholic beer quickly lost its market.

Non-alcoholic beer re-emerged in the 1970s, a period marked by the Cold War between the U.S. and the Soviet Union, each witnessing different trajectories:

• In the U.S. camp, Manny Zelzer, a Texas-based petroleum engineer, noticed the popularity of American beer in regions between Texas and the Middle East. As many Middle Eastern countries deemed alcoholic beverages illegal, Manny began distilling alcohol from beer to share with friends. Recognizing a business opportunity, he founded the “Texas Select” brand, successfully establishing the Middle East as a major market for non-alcoholic beer.

• In the Soviet camp, East Germany faced social problems due to widespread alcoholism. Ulrich Wappler, considered a “pioneer of non-alcoholic beer” at 87, recalled, “From 1955 to 1982, per capita beer consumption in East Germany increased from 68 liters to 147 liters. It was a very alarming phenomenon.” To address this, the East German authorities introduced regulations banning alcohol consumption and required local breweries to produce beers with extremely low alcohol content. During this time, the first East German non-alcoholic beer, Aubi, was born. Although it had a slightly bland taste, its affordability, being almost half the price of regular beer, contributed to its successful promotion.

Yet, the trend of non-alcoholic beer, like the Cold War, did not last long – mainly due to one common reason: it didn’t taste good. Currently, there are two mainstream methods of brewing non-alcoholic beer: inhibiting fermentation and physical de-alcoholization. The former uses additives like special yeast to block the formation of ethanol during fermentation, preserving more sugars and malt aroma but often resulting in peculiar flavors. The latter involves distillation or reverse osmosis to remove alcohol from regular beer. While this eliminates off-flavors, it leads to a very mild taste.

During the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, some fans complained about the taste of Budweiser Zero, a non-alcoholic beer priced around 60 Chinese yuan for a 500ml bottle, describing it as “mild malt flavor, initially fizzy, watery, and bland.”

However, the period from 2019 to 2022 saw a resurgence of interest in non-alcoholic beer due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The decrease in alcohol consumption resulted from restrictions on social gatherings, the closure of bars and clubs, and an increased focus on healthy living. The shift towards more home-based scenarios during lockdowns also led people to choose non-alcoholic beverages suitable for family consumption.

Sophia Shaw-Brown, a researcher at the global beverage industry analysis company IWSR, conducted a survey of hundreds of consumers in ten countries worldwide and found that nearly 40% of respondents claimed the pandemic led them to reduce their alcohol intake. Brown noted, “When you’re no longer 21, the beer with 7% alcohol will make you feel uncomfortable the next day – the brewers have realized this.”

Influenced by health consciousness, non-alcoholic beer is becoming increasingly popular. Rob Fink, operator of the UK-based non-alcoholic beer brand Big Drop, mentioned, “It’s funny because a few years ago, it was difficult to convince bars to sell non-alcoholic beer. Now, many owners are calling us proactively to inquire about stocking it.”

In essence, non-alcoholic beer can be seen as the “diet cola” of the beer world. Pursuing health often comes at the cost of a slightly lacking taste. Therefore, for non-alcoholic beer to seize this opportunity for growth, besides emphasizing sports events, improving the taste is a crucial aspect.

In the last five years, a “taste revolution” for non-alcoholic beer has been underway. Some small breweries draw inspiration from obsolete recipes and brewing techniques, such as the use of “lazy yeast.” This yeast, once eliminated by brewers due to its slow fermentation, is now found to produce flavor while maintaining low alcohol content. Another approach is adding lactose to create a thicker mouthfeel and enhance the beer’s richness, a tradition tracing back to ancient “sahti beer.”

Modern brewing techniques also play a role. Vacuum distillation, reducing the liquid’s boiling point to minimize its impact on taste, was first introduced in the 1980s and has recently gained popularity. Some manufacturers use “membrane filtration,” allowing only alcohol, pigments, and flavor components to pass through a customized filter, distill alcohol, and then add water, creating non-alcoholic beer. Other methods include increasing carbon dioxide to enhance bubble thickness and mouthfeel and even attempting genetic engineering to generate more robust aromas during fermentation. Regardless of the method, 0.5% alcohol content remains a red line.