Non-Alcoholic beers are not just for survival in lockdown alcohol bans they are tasty alternatives to sugary soft drinks. Brewed using beer malt, hops and yeast they are fully fermented but ultra low in alcohol. They not only have the health benefits of having low alcohol but are naturally low in calories and carbohydrates.
Golden Mole NA is brewed using the low gravity method so we reduce the grain bill such that there is not enough residual sugar to ferment into an alcoholic beverage that would typically be over 1% ABV. To retain the malt flavour a higher percentage of caramel malt is used as this produces a less fermentable wort. A very short mash time – about half of usual – this process steeps the grains for flavour without fully converting the grain starch into fermentable sugars. Non-alcoholic beers by nature will have less mouthfeel but no beer drinker enjoys a thin lifeless beer so a small addition of maltodetrix is used – a non fermentable sugar.
If non-alcoholic beers have some alcohol would they be safe to consume before driving? Well it’s not unusual for some food a drinks to contain traces of alcohol, food such as over ripe bananas and even orange juice can develop similar levels of alcohol as your favorite non-alcoholic beverage. The principle here is that the body breaks the alcohol down at a rate equivalent to the time it takes to consume it. That means that as the liquid is being absorbed into the body it breaks it down at more or less the same rate. Even by consuming large amounts in short succession it cannot absorb fast enough to cause intoxication – you may have a risk of over hydration which is more risky than the effects of the alcohol.
Are non-alcoholic beverages safe for children to consume? It may be safe but not recommended as it would mean that the underage person could develop a taste for the beverage and may risk drinking alcoholic versions.
Is it healthy? Non-alcoholic beer still has vitamins and minerals such as potassium, folic acid, iron and zinc that are good for you.
