Is Non-Alcoholic Beer Expensive? Exploring how NA Beer is made and what makes it seem expensive.
The price of non-alcoholic beer (& wine & spirits) comes up a lot in conversations that I have. The question of why it is similarly priced, or even more expensive, than its alcoholic counterpart. This can come from people demeaning it, but also people genuinely looking to understand it and occasionally even people who consume it on a regular basis. A friend of mine, who had been trying several over the previous couple of years frequently would remark about it every time he had one. Finally, after he crossed into the stage of only keeping NA in his house to reduce his drinking, then he listened to my explanation.
But is it unnecessarily expensive? No. The reason is that it requires a very similar process, very similar ingredients, and many times more expensive inputs or processes. The only exception is reduced taxes and sometimes a reduction in some ingredients, but those are typically the cheapest inputs. In some ways, the right question to ask is how NA beer isn’t always more expensive than regular beer.
Picture: Left – “Expensive” Imported Craft NA Beer. Right – “Expensive” Local Craft NA from my Travels
There are two types of categories of methods to make non-alcoholic beer –
- biological methods where the beer is brewed in such a way that alcohol is kept below 0.5%
- alcohol removal where a full-strength beer is brewed and then the alcohol is removed
There are multiple techniques for each method to which I briefly touch on below.
Biological methods incorporate, in my opinion, 3 sub-categories, some of which can be combined. They are arrested fermentation, alternative yeasts (maltose-negative), and modified mash temperatures and grain bills. The last method takes the water temperature when it is added to the grains, the mash, and changes it so that fewer fermentable starches are available. Many times, the methods are combined, especially modified mash temperatures/grain bills with alternative yeasts.
Alcohol removal includes vacuum distillation, reverse osmosis (membrane filtration), and in very rare cases boiling off the alcohol.
The first set of methods don’t require additional equipment, for the brewing stage, but can add costs elsewhere. The second set of methods requires additional equipment to remove alcohol which can range substantially in price.
The additional consideration is safety – removing the presence of alcohol removes a significant microbial control, and while there are debates on to what steps are needed and where, NA beers require more steps for shelf-stability than their alcoholic counterparts. These can also be very expensive.
Overview of Methods & Costs
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Description |
Cost Driver |
Potential Savings |
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Biological Methods |
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-Arrested Fermentation |
Stopping fermentation before alcohol reaches 0.5% |
-Different operating procedure than normal brewing -Safety measures post production |
-Shorter fermentation time, potentially lower grain bill -Lower taxes |
|
-Alternative Yeasts |
Yeast strains modified to not ferment maltose, the primary driver for alcohol formation in beer |
-Yeasts – these yeasts are typically more expensive, especially considering they can’t be re-pitched (reused) like standard yeasts -Similar brew time, which means the same labor & other inputs -Safety measures |
-Lower grain bill (base malt mostly, the lowest cost input) if combined with Modifying mash temps -Lower taxes |
|
-Modified Fermentation |
During the mash, where water is added to grains to create fermentable sugars like maltose, the temperature of water is changed and grain bill modified to produce fewer/minimal fermentable sugars |
-Safety Measures -Different operating procedure/schedule -Similar brew time, which means the same labor & other inputs |
-Smaller grain bill (depends on technique, usually reduced base malts, not always) -Maybe energy costs for the mash and boil (shorter time, but usually higher temps..) -Lower taxes |
|
Alcohol Removal |
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Vacuum Distillation |
Brewing a full -strength beer and then removing alcohol in a vacuum chamber which reduces the temperature & boiling point |
-New equipment or outsourcing/ contracting -Maintenance of equipment -Ongoing higher energy use -Potential need for a distillery license depending on how the equipment operates -Safety |
-Lower taxes -Additional revenue selling the byproduct alcohol as an input or creating a new finished product with it. |
|
Reverse Osmosis/ Other membranes |
Brewing a full-strength beer and then pushing it through a membrane (or series of membranes) where only alcohol and water go through. The “reject” solution is the base for the non-alcoholic beer while the filtrate can be a base for alcoholic cocktails/rtd/etc |
-New equipment or outsourcing/ Contracting -Maintenance of equipment, change of membranes, etc -Increased electricity costs also -Safety |
-Lower taxes -Additional revenue selling the byproduct alcohol as an input or creating a new finished product with it. |
All methods of producing non-alcoholic beer are similar, at minimum, to producing full-strength beers. In addition, if removing the alcohol, new equipment is likely required. If not, then the brewery needs to contract with another facility, which potentially results in a higher cost also. While there are potential savings on inputs, they are the lowest cost inputs. Tax savings exist, but between process changes and other steps, those are likely absorbed. Finally, safety is a significant consideration. While there is research ongoing about pH, cold chain management, and carbonation as low-cost safety layers, these likely only work at small-scale distribution. National or even regional and cross-state require additional shelf stability steps – a tunnel pasteurizer, current best practice, can cost 1 million dollars. This is in addition to operating costs. 10 cents per can, or more, just for shelf stability is an added cost.
The point is that alcohol is not some added ingredient that makes regular beer more expensive. That would be a terrible tasting product, if it were. The point is that non-alcoholic beer involves a similar brewing process that deliberately avoids producing alcohol, or removes alcohol afterwards, and then additional safety measures. This is why a similarly priced NA beer is not expensive, in fact it might be cheap.