Beer is a trendy beverage among the drinking-age population. There are traditional beer and many flavored ones, mixed cocktails, and more. Recently people prefer the best non alcoholic beer. Are you planning to buy the alcohol-free beer variant? Here is everything you need to know about the product and its effects.
What is a non alcoholic beer?
Non alcoholic beer is a type of beer with no or very little alcohol content. There are different types of alcohol-free beer – the alcohol-free variant has 0.05% of alcohol content; the de-alcoholized variety contains 0.5% of alcohol. If you are looking for the best non alcoholic beer with a little more strength, choose low-alcohol beer with 1.2% alcohol content.
How do manufacturers make the best non alcoholic beer?
The process of brewing is the same as the regular beer. The finished product undergoes alcohol reduction treatment. Later, it gets boiled to evaporate any alcohol content that survived the reduction treatment. Then, the product gets filtered to remove any residue of alcohol during evaporation. Some brands use different brewing methods to reduce alcohol generation from the first step.
Why choose the best non alcoholic beer?
The primary benefit of choosing a non-alcoholic version is reducing habit-formation or alcohol dependency. The best non alcoholic beer brands do not compensate with sugar ingredients. Thus, they have fewer calories than traditional beer. It is hard to compare the calories as even the reputed brands do not print calorie content on the can. A traditional beer has 200 calories per pint (changes with brands and flavored varieties have higher calories). Alcohol-free beer contains just 60 calories per pint. The chance of intoxication is significantly less, and thus, those prone to severe hangover prefer non-alcoholic beer.
Why non alcoholic beers do not cause hangover?
The best part of using the alcohol-free version is the lack of a hangover the next morning. A hangover is due to the severe dehydration that happens when you drink alcohol. So, technically, you will be drinking liquid, and yet your body dehydrates. Thus, your brain experiences a hangover. However, the non-alcohol version does not dehydrate your body, thus zero hangovers.
Some brands promote their products as an electrolyte drink. Unless the brand adds electrolytes to the product and manages to preserve it throughout its shelf life, the chances of beer replacing electrolyte-rich drinks are minimal.
The anxiety benefit
You can alter your sleep cycle and lose deep sleep if you consume alcohol during bedtime. However, according to a study, non alcoholic beer can induce a better sleep cycle and reduce anxiety attack. If you have an anxiety disorder, consume alcohol-free beer right before bedtime to have a deep sleep and calm mood.
Kidney and non alcoholic beer
According to a study published in Zanco, consuming non-alcoholic beer can reduce the risk of kidney stone formation and bone resorption. However, this study does not prove that drinking even the best alcohol-free beer is healthy. It proves that it is better than regularly consuming traditional beer.
Can diabetics consume non alcoholic beer?
Unlike other beverages, the non-alcohol variant contains lesser sugar due to the different fermentation processes. Thus, 100mg of non-alcohol beer contains just 1.7g of sugar, which is surprisingly lower than cola, skimmed milk, and orange juice. People with diabetes should stay away from any sugary beverage. However, it is best to choose alcohol-free brands over other options if you are about to drink.
The sugar in the non-alcoholic beer is free sugar. NHS defines free sugar as sugar obtained from natural products other than fruit, vegetables, or milk. An adult should consume less than 30g of free sugar per day. A pint of alcohol-free beer (473 ml) contains 8.04g of free sugar. So, drink sparingly and also check the free sugar content as each brand has a varying level. For instance, Cobra Zero has 19.6g per pint, which covers almost your entire daily requirement.
Can pregnant women choose the best non alcoholic beer?
It is safe to say that alcohol-free beer is better than traditional beer for a pregnant woman. However, even the best non alcoholic beer contains alcohol. The effect of such a small amount of alcohol on a fetus is hard to understand. Thus, to avoid risk, it is best to avoid beer of any variant during pregnancy.
The beer placebo effect
The non alcoholic variety has the same color, almost similar bottle, smell, and taste as normal beer. These are enough to trigger your brain cells to believe that you are consuming beer. This placebo effect is useful in recently sober people to curb their cravings. However, experts often criticize that this placebo effect induces an increase in dopamine in the body, which might trigger a relapse in many. Even the smell of beer can trigger a relapse, according to Dr.Weiss of Scripps Research Institute.
The probiotic scam
Many best non alcoholic beer brands promote their product as a probiotic-rich beverage. Yes, beers are rich in probiotics, but it is only valid in traditional beer. The traditional beer uses Saccharomyces boulardii yeast, which increases gut health. But, using this yeast will increase alcohol content in the beverage. Thus, non-alcoholic variant manufacturing process uses alternative yeast species that do not share the same health benefits.
Some alcohol-free brands sell sour beers, which has live bacteria like yogurt. However, the alcohol-removal process involves chemical and heat treatment, killing any probiotic potency that the beverage holds.
So, it is good that you are choosing the non-alcohol variant. But, try to avoid consuming even the best alcohol-free beverage daily or in larger quantities. If you have to avoid alcoholic beverages for medical reasons, it is best to talk to your doctor before choosing the alcohol-free variant over the traditional beverage. Talk to him about the medical condition and request a recommendation on the daily quantity limitation and the best brand to try.