A lot of people ask why and complain that non-alcoholic beer is expensive. “If it doesn’t have the alcohol, why does it cost so much?” Alcohol, however, is not something that is “added” to beer it is a byproduct of a process, and while it adds to the body and flavor, the remaining flavor comes from the malts and hops used. Making a non-alcoholic beer uses a similar amount of the most expensive ingredient, hops, and plenty of malts (sometimes the same), along with additional safety processes. Many NA Beers begin as full-strength beers which the alcohol is then removed from. While they maybe benefit from lower taxes, this alcohol now must be dealt with either by turning it into a separate product, using it for brewery sanitization, or disposing it which is expensive. So, in short, producing a non-alcoholic beer requires similar ingredients and processes, and many times multiple extra steps, the only advantage are lower taxes but those don’t necessarily make up for the costs.
Next I outline the various processes of making NA Beer simplistically and show that they result in a similar cost product. If you want more about how NA Beer is brewed, read my other blog on the topic.
Method 1: Arrested Fermentation
Arrested Fermentation is basically starting the brew process with a similar amount of ingredients, preparing a wort, starting the fermentation it, and then stopping it quickly to avoid fermenting more than 0.5 percent alcohol. This means that the same amount of ingredients and almost the same number of steps are involved. While it avoids a longer (2+ week) fermentation period, it many times stops the fermentation using a cold crash method, which requires its own extra inputs. In addition to this, extra steps need to be taken to ensure fermentation completely is stopped (filtration is one way, which is extra equipment), and then the beer typically will be pasteurized.
Ingredient Cost – Same
Process – Similar, fermentation stage is shorter, but an extra “cold crash” might be involved
Extra – stopping fermentation, ensuring yeast is inactive (filtration equipment might be extra), pasteurization, acidifying the beer for safety purposes (alcoholic beer is naturally <4.5 pH already)
Extra Equipment – Potentially a filter to remove the yeast from the beer.
Method 2: Lower Grain Bill, Higher Temperature Mash, or a variation
This method involves using fewer grains, in some cases 10-20% of the original grain bill but focused more on grains that don’t produce fermentable sugars. (BrewDog for example has a recipe published for their Nanny State non-alcoholic which uses significantly fewer grains) However, this method uses a similar fermentation process and the same amount of hops, which are the more expensive part of the beer. A modified way of doing this involves using more grains (barley) but also adding oats and wheat which add flavor and body and raising the mash temperature, which produces more flavor and body, but fewer fermentable sugars.
Ingredient Costs: Grains Reduced but Depends on Type of Malts and method, high temperature means a similar cost. Hops – Same.
Extra – Acidifying beer. Stopping potential fermentation. Cold Crash. Pasteurizing.
Extra Equipment – Maybe a filter to remove yeast sediments
Method 3: Vacuum Distillation
Vacuum Distillation involves brewing a beer to full strength and then using a vacuum chamber to gently remove the alcohol at lower temperatures from the beer. It allows for any type of full-strength beer to have a non-alcoholic counterpart.
Ingredients: Same
Extra Processes: Vacuum Distillation. Adding back de-aerated water. Potentially need to pay to dispose of the alcohol byproduct if it isn’t reused for a separate alcoholic beverage. Acidifying. Pasteurizing.
Extra Equipment: The lowest cost vacuum distillation equipment on the market is over $250,000.
Example Equipment Producers:
-BevZero – produces the GoLo which Barrel Brothers is a user who also provide contract services to others
-ABV Technology – A Minnesota-based company producing the Equalizer. There are several Equalizers across the US powering NA production by smaller breweries including a contract hub-spoke model where other nearby breweries bring their beer to a hub to have the alcohol removed and are sent back with NA Beer and a base for a hard seltzer product.
-Schmidt Sigmatec by API – Their machines are based on a process called vacuum rectification and they claim to be the only brand capable of making a 0.0% alcohol “Alcohol Free Beer” with this process. Two Roots Brewing was a user of their machine, although they only made NA (<0.5%) beer with it.
Method 4: Membrane Filtration (Nanofiltration or Reverse Osmosis)
Similar to distillation, membrane filtration involves brewing a full-strength beer and then removing the alcohol through membrane filtration. Typically reverse osmosis has been used where the beer body and flavor and some water are filtered out and only the alcohol + some water passes through the filter. The solution is then diluted with de-aerated water, acidified, and carbonated into NA beer. Recently innovations in nanofiltration, a different type of membrane, have started to emerge within the sector as well.
Ingredients: Same
Extra Processes: Filtration, adding back de-aerated water. Potentially need to dispose of the alcohol byproduct. Acidifying. Pasteurizing.
Extra Equipment: Membrane filter designed for alcohol removal, typical costs are >$100,000 some have been quoted at >$1-2 million (Octopi Brewing, a contract brewery in Wisconsin who produce several NA beers via contract and also their own line, Untitled Art, has been quoted in many articles that their equipment is over $2.5 million for example)
Some Equipment Examples:
Pro Brew Alchemator
GEA AromaPlus Membrane Dealcoholization Unit
Summary:
While there are other methods like no fermentation and boiling off the alcohol, they would also not differ massively in cost and are also not used as much anymore in the sector. The above 4 methods, plus an emergence of yeasts that don’t produce alcohol, which means the exact same process as normal beer except the use of a more expensive yeast AND safety measures, don’t involve anything significantly different than producing what is considered normal beer. So the next time someone asks “why is NA beer so expensive” here is the answer; it requires a similar ingredient list, extra processes, and typically extra equipment.
Safety is paramount when producing NA beers. At minimum the beer pH needs to be lowered, and ideally, especially when distributing, pasteurizing should be done. Also, extra sanitizing steps within brewery taprooms of keg lines. Finally, the cold chain should be maintained, especially for beer that isn’t tunnel pasteurized after packaging. These are all extra costs.