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Is Non-Alcoholic Beer Healthy?

by | Stop Drinking Alcohol | 18 comments

Today I wanted to ask a question.

Is alcohol-free beer healthy?

Now I’ve done a good bit of searching around on this and to be honest, I couldn’t find a lot of information about it.

Whether the actual end product was healthy – whether it wasn’t healthy or not?

I found some good articles on:

That’s it’s good for you, if you want to go sleep, because of the hops in the alcohol-free beer.

That there’s some beneficial effects in other areas of your life.

If you, for instance, go to the gym and you want something that’s going to help you to recover very quickly, then alcohol-free beer can help you on that.

The process itself – I heard, somebody saying once – that alcohol-free beer was a lot unhealthier for you than regular beer, because of the process that it went through.

So I looked into that and I thought, well, let’s see what the process is.

From what I can gather – it’s bullshit.

The process of actually creating alcohol-free beer is the alcohol-free beer goes through all the same stages as normal alcoholic beer.

It even goes through the fermentation process.

So what you’ve got – the end result is the beer with the alcohol in it – and then they take the alcohol out of the beer.

So there are three different processes that the brewers can put the alcohol through to take all the alcohol out

One of them is heating, another one is vacuum distilling and the third one is what’s called reverse osmosis.

Now heating is the simplest one and the one that a lot of them use.

The boiling point of alcohol is a lot lower than the boiling point of water.

The boiling point of alcohol is 78°C, 173 F (seventy-eight degrees Celsius, one hundred and seventy- three Fahrenheit) – at sea level.

They don’t really boil the liquid, but they boil the alcohol and the alcohol boils off, because they’re heating up the process again.

The whole beer has already gone through the heating up process, in the early stages and now that this is the finished product and it shouldn’t be heated, they’re heating it up again in order to get rid of the alcohol.

The vacuum distilling method of doing this is another where they can heat up the thing.

Because it is in a vacuum the boiling point is a lot lower – 48°C, 120 F (Forty-eight degrees Celsius, one hundred and twenty Fahrenheit) which means that obviously it’s not being heated up as much.

Reverse osmosis is basically filtering.

So what they do is they filter out the water, and the alcohol I think, through a small series of filters that only the water and the alcohol can pass through; and they are left with this glumpy liquid.

They take their water and the alcohol, they heat that up, the alcohol evaporates and then they put that finished water back into the liquid again.

I’m not explaining this very well.

There are three processes and basically, it’s all about heating, it’s heating up the stuff.

One of the things I’d be careful about if you are going to drink non-alcoholic beers is just to look at the label because some of them are 0.5% alcohol.

In an ideal world, you don’t want that.

I’m all about – this whole channel is about – it’s not about the alcohol going into your system

You already have certain amounts of alcohol in your system, through the food that you eat and digestion processes and all that kind of stuff.

So having a small amount of alcohol isn’t going to do you any harm.

If you drink cough medicine for your cough or – there’s a lot of drugs out there – syrups and medicines and all that kind of stuff, that are going to have alcohol in them so, that’s not the point.

If you’re there and you’re desperate to get drunk and you’re trying to get drunk on alcohol-free beers, you’re not going to do it.

Some people will say “well because its alcohol in it then it’s going to drive you back to the alcohol”.

For me, I have an alcohol free beer at a celebration.

If I am going to a wedding I’m going to have an alcohol-free beer for the toast or whatever it is.

I might have the odd one if I’m out with family and I’m having a dinner.

The most I’ll have is two in an evening because . . . it’s just the purpose is gone for me.

The purpose now, in my new life, is to have something there to go, yeah cheers, and to be with everyone else.

To be honest in most bars and restaurants throughout the world if you’re not a drinker your choice is limited.

Outside of the bar, your choice is a lot broader, but inside of a bar, inside of a restaurant your choices are generally very low.

I’m going to start doing some videos on mocktails and different types of drinks you can have.

I don’t know if anyone will be interested in that but let me know in the comment section whether you want me to do that.

I think it’s just to broaden your horizons and just to let you know that there is a lot more out than just the normal alcohol drinks that you get at the bar.

So that’s the only reason I do that.

I’ve got an acquired taste for the malt and the hops and stuff.

Alcohol hasn’t really got a taste.

The main thing for me is that I’m out of that loop now of getting drunk.

I don’t feel the effects of drinking an alcohol-free beer.

The alcohol-free beer that I always drink is zero-zero, there is no alcohol in it.

There probably is a trace amount of alcohol – they can’t get everything out of it – but like I say you know, you have to be realistic with these types of things.

At the same time – do I recommend it for somebody who is trying to quit drinking?

I don’t.

It’s too close to the old thing.

It’s close in one way and it’s not close in another way.

If you’re just coming off beer and you’re drinking alcohol-free beer, you’re going to notice a difference.

You’re going to see that there’s something missing there and it’s that something missing which might drive you to go back to the old full alcohol beers, in my opinion.

When I first had an alcohol free beer, it was a year . . . after, maybe six months a year, I can’t really remember.

It was a long time after I stopped and I hadn’t tasted a beer in a long time.

This beer didn’t taste any different to me, it just tasted like beer.

It was without the alcohol.

Without the threat of it damaging me.

Without the threat of me getting up in the morning with a hangover, but without it interfering with my life.

I’m not sure how I would have reacted if I had started drinking alcohol-free beer straight away.

The whole thing is to get you out of this lifestyle.

To get you away from the life that involves alcohol.

Going to pubs, going to bars and going to restaurants where you regularly drink.

It’s to extract the alcohol from the habit.

Extract the habit of alcohol from your life.

Extract the routine and you can’t do that if you’re continuing to drink alcohol-free beer, in my opinion.

There’s probably been people who have successfully done this but, I wouldn’t recommend it, for at least a few months anyway.

Until you’ve escaped from that routine, I’d always try and stay away from that kind of stuff.

Anyway, I am going to leave it there for now.

Is alcohol-free beer healthy?

I think it’s healthier than the alcohol version, simply because they’ve taken the fucking toxins out of it; ergo, it’s got to be healthier than the alcohol version.

From what I can see the processes of removing the alcohol don’t really do anything to poison the finished product.

I think the finished product is healthier because they’ve taken the alcohol out of it.

That’s it’s for today.

“You cannot change your future, but you can change your habits and surely your habits. . . will change your future”

Until next time…
Stay safe.
Keep the alcohol out of your mouth.
Take care.
Good luck.
Onwards and Upwards!

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18 Comments

  1. M

    Excellent topic. I love an alcohol free beer. For me personally, it has made quitting alcohol near to easy. I actually like the TASTE and I don’t miss the alcohol. I am glad they exist. I do drink 0.5%…. I don’t have a problem with it but I know each person is different. One beer is 0.13 standard drinks so I would have to have near to 10 beers to even have 1 standard drink and I don’t drink that many and your body would likely be processing that trace amount quite quickly. That is just for me though, perhaps it would trigger someone else.

    Reply
    • Vicky

      Hi I was a heavy drinker for years, I’ve stop now with the help of non alcohol wines and beers I love the taste of them all and I no I really couldn’t of done this without them I’ve not touched a drink for 2years now, I am so proud of my self but like I said it’s only because of the non alcohol drinks that has made me do it

      Reply
  2. Teren Stover

    Very good article. As a drinker, my choice was wine. Since quitting, with the help of people like you, I’ve started drinking non alcoholic beer on occasion. The stuff I like is O’Doul’s Amber. I don’t like pop so it’s either that or water. I like the taste and will drink up to three when at the Legion on a Friday evening. Sometimes one with a meal. Like you said, this does not tempt me to go back to wine or even regular beer. It could be a challenge for some, but my enjoyment of the alcohol free life is so strong, I’m not seriously concerned that consuming this stuff will take me down the alcohol path. Thanks for your insights.

    Reply
  3. John Pavlovic

    Great article,everyone’s journey with alcohol is different.I cannot drink non alcoholic beer as it makes me crave the real stuff.I am still struggling with long term abstinence,your videos help a lot.I just viewed a great story on the BBC.It was by John Marsden , Do I drink to much.Well worth a look.Thanks for your efforts.Cheers John

    Reply
  4. Chad Huber

    I didn’t drink any non alcoholic beer for the first 3 to 4 months after stopping a 30 year daily drinking habit.I think it’s up to the person it doesn’t make me crave real beer but I could see where it might for some.I never drink more than 2 simply because as Kevin said the purpose is gone .It really is about breaking the cycle of getting intoxicated every day it’s tough at first but as time goes on it seems normal to not drink it will be two years for me December 7 and I can say it’s worth the effort I feel better than I’ve felt in 20 years.

    Reply
  5. casual reader

    Touching article, good job!

    Reply
  6. Patrick B

    I agree with Kevin that it’s not a good idea to drink alcohol-free beer, especially when you are in the early days of quitting. Although it doesn’t technically feed your alcohol habit, I find it does reinforce the habit of turning to a bottle to get some result, e.g. deal with stress, relax, etc., so it still keeps you tied to the drinking habit to an extent.

    Reply
  7. Phillip

    I,m with M. I drink 0.5% n.a.b. and its never made me want a (proper) drink. So good health to all.

    Reply
  8. Wayne Keast

    I drink a non alcoholic beer every day for health. Through research I’ve found that it lowers the white cell count in ones blood. I have lymphoma and therefore always looking to lower my white cell count.

    Reply
  9. Robert

    When I drink Erdinger alcohol free, I keep getting leg cramps !

    Reply
  10. Justin

    “That’s it’s good for you”. Seriously.. you may want to find an editor to give your site

    Reply
  11. David Anthonisen

    You explained it so well,I am thinking about drinking 0.00 beer now.thank you.???

    Reply
  12. Lisa Richards

    I drink non alcoholic beer when I go out to see bands. I love music and live shows. Diet pop and pop is horrible for your health and i think the non alcoholic beer is better than pop for health. It also tricks my brain into thinking I’m drinking without the drunkenness. I think it’s a great way to stay sober. For me. When im at a show trying to drink diet pop all I can think about is how awful it tastes and i wish i could have a cold beer. Problem solved and now I can stop obsessing over what im missing and enjoy my night.good luck everyone.

    Reply
  13. Lisa R

    I drink non alcoholic beer when I go out to see bands. I love music and live shows. Diet pop and pop is horrible for your health and i think the non alcoholic beer is better than pop for health. It also tricks my brain into thinking I’m drinking without the drunkenness. I think it’s a great way to stay sober. For me. When im at a show trying to drink diet pop all I can think about is how awful it tastes and i wish i could have a cold beer. Problem solved and now I can stop obsessing over what im missing and enjoy my night.good luck everyone.

    Reply
  14. norm

    also don’t forget to mention about driving….avoiding DUI charges

    Reply
  15. Tim

    You are wrong when you say “alcohol hasn’t really got a taste,” I’ll explain. For 15+ years after I stopped drinking regular beer, I wanted something for special occasions
    and I felt safe enough to try an O’Doul’s. There’s zero desire to drink alcohol or deal with its side effects. Now, I’ll pick up a 6 pack, at the very most, every other month, I like the crisp, clean flavor in place of other drinks. Then, 2 yrs ago [28 yrs. clean] while visiting an old friend in Chicago I tried a regular beer, it tasted like someone put a shot of Isopropyl Alcohol in an O’Doul’s, I didn’t finish it. Later on, when we went out, I took a sip of her wine … agh, Isopropyl Alcohol! I don’t like that taste, and I wonder, how I ever liked that taste?

    Reply
  16. Bucky

    Hi I was a heavy drinker for years, I’ve stop now with the help of non alcohol wines and beers I love the taste of them all and I no I really couldn’t of done this without them I’ve not touched a drink for 2years now, I am so proud of my self but like I said it’s only because of the non alcohol drinks that has made me do it

    Reply
  17. wayne gislason

    23 years sober…finding the near beer satisfying because I don’t get the alcohol effect but I do get the beer taste, which I like…type 2 diabetic also and have found a 35 cal. one with 7 g of carb…one day at a time

    Reply

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