Non-alcoholic beer, 15 products compared

The non-alcoholic beer currently available in Italy is good and genuine, in addition to having about half the calories compared to the traditional one. And it can be consumed without health contraindications, when driving, and during work activities requiring absolute sobriety. Our market survey on 15 products.

Non-alcoholic beer, market survey in Italy

The sampling conducted by GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade), as usual, considers:

• the main industrial brands,
• the  private label  of the GDO (Large Organized Distribution). To date only Coop, in this category,
• the MDD (Distributor Brand) of  discount (Eurospin, Lidl and Todis).

Non-alcoholic beer, how much alcohol?

The first distinction among the products on the market called 'non-alcoholic beer' is the alcohol content. In the absence of harmonized EU rules, in Italy the national regulations are relied upon which allow the use of this denomination on beers with a volumetric alcohol content

The 15 beers non-alcoholic beers subject to sampling, as shown in the table at the bottom of the page, can be divided into two sub-categories:

• 9 beers are substantially alcohol-free (sometimes expressed as
• 6 beers instead contain a modest amount of alcohol (

Tasty beer without 'side effects'

The difference in alcohol content is relevant for those who intend to avoid alcohol completely. Prohibited for pregnant and breastfeeding women, as well as minors, alcohol poses serious risks if consumed before driving, operating machinery, or performing any activity requiring full attention.

Excessive consumption and prolonged alcohol consumption is also associated with a higher risk of developing various forms of cancer (breast, intestine, liver, mouth and throat, esophagus, and stomach), as recalled by  World Cancer Research Fund. (2)

Non-alcoholic beer, half the calories

Another unfavorable consequence of habitual alcohol consumption is the risk of overweight and obesity. Alcohol alone (net of other ingredients) provides 7.1 kcal/g. These are 'empty' calories, meaning they have no nutritional value.

Non-alcoholic beers have on average half the calories compared to ordinary beers (e.g. Heineken 0.0, 21 Kcal/100 ml, compared to classic Heineken, 42 Kcal/100 ml). The energy content of the 15 beers examined ranges from 14 (Poretti) to 26 Kcal/100 ml (Clausthaler).

Nutritional table, the transparency that is missing

The nutritional table is mandatory on the label of all beverages with an alcohol content

Sugars partially remain (from

Ingredients, aromas and additives

The list of ingredients always deserves attention, even on the labels of non-alcoholic beers. Some products contain ‘natural aromas’, definitely preferable to generic ‘aromas’ (instead of chemical synthesis).

Citric acid and glucose syrup are sometimes used to balance the flavor, which is then stabilized through pasteurization (as customary in industrial beers, which differ from artisanal beers that are always ‘raw’).

The majority of labels of non-alcoholic beers are characterized as  clean label, unlike non-alcoholic aperitifs instead full of additives, as seen in our previous investigation.

The tasting

The tasting test, entrusted to a  panel of non-expert tasters, shows how most of the 15 non-alcoholic beers examined have nothing to envy from the ordinary ones. The favored products, in our humble opinion, are:

– Wieninger Bier Weizen No alcohol, for the best taste. A German weiss beer, available in smaller distribution channels (e.g. Tigre supermarkets in Rome) and sometimes at Eataly,

– Best Bräu non-alcoholic, Polish product sold by Eurospin. Winning in quality/price ratio, even with defective and barely readable printing of the labels on the cans.

Italian beer, laws to be redone

The non-alcoholic beer – a true  must in Spain – begins to gain ground also in Italy. Assobirra detects a  trend dynamic, (4) which is indeed confirmed by the growing offer.

The beer  Made in Italy is however discriminated by the same Italian legislator:

• for half a century, the Italian beer law has imposed only on national producers the compliance with a parameter (the malt concentration, expressed in Plato degrees) that forced them to face higher costs and pay more excise duties (anchored precisely to the Plato degree, in Italy) compared to foreign competitors (5,6),
• still, non-alcoholic beer producers are forced to dispose of the alcohol extracted during production as waste. Instead of allowing its reuse, in the food supply chain rather than in others (e.g. chemical, pharmaceutical). Despite the proclamations on the circular economy and support for business competitiveness, food waste is mandated  ex lege.

Alcohol, a cultural flaw

Italy has already distinguished itself for a lively controversy against recent European reforms that introduced the possibility of producing fully dealcoholized wines. Unfortunately, without understanding the high growth potential of innovative products that can supplement the income of farmers and businesses.

Market opportunities offered by zero-alcohol beverages instead deserve attention, as alternative consumption occasions (also at work, before driving, or by vulnerable population groups) and safeguarding collective health, without giving up high-quality productions.

Marta Strinati and Dario Dongo

Notes

(1) Law 16 August 1962, no. 1354 reads in article 2, paragraph 1:
‘The designation "non-alcoholic beer" is reserved for the product with Plato degree not less than 3 and not more than 8 and with volumetric alcohol content not exceeding 1.2%‘. 
https://www.normattiva.it/uri-res/N2Ls?urn:nir:stato:legge:1962-08-16;1354

(2) Alcohol and cancer risk. World Cancer Research Fund https://www.wcrf-uk.org/preventing-cancer/what-can-increase-your-risk-of-cancer/alcohol-and-cancer-risk/

(3) Dario Dongo, Andrea Adelmo Della Penna. Non-alcoholic beer, health and wellness. Questionnaire for a thesis. Food Times. 22.3.20

(4) According to AssoBirra's 2021 Annual Report (p. 61), ‘In 2021, the per capita beer consumption was even higher than the previous two years, marking 35.2 liters against 34.9 in 2019 and just 31.7 in 2020. Among beers, the rise of special beers stands out: 17.82% of the total, compared to 14.52% in 2020, at the expense of Lagers (81.29% vs. 84.18%), while low-no alcohol beers show a small but significant growth (1.43% vs. 1.30), expected to be protagonists of the next trend‘.  https://www.assobirra.it/annual-report-assobirra/

(5) Marta Strinati. Italian beer facing low-cost competition. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 24.9.14

(6) Dario Dongo. Italian beer, new regulations. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 20.3.2018