Alcohol-free beer is gaining recognition, even at Oktoberfest

MUNICH — The top brewmaster for Weihenstephan, the world’s oldest brewery, has a secret: He actually likes alcohol-free beer.

Though he is fast to say he clearly enjoys actual beer extra, Tobias Zollo says he savors alcohol-free beer when he is working or consuming lunch. It has the identical style however fewer energy than a tender drink, he stated, because of the brewery’s technique of evaporating the alcohol.

“You can’t drink beer every day — unfortunately,” he joked final week on the Bavarian state brewery within the German city of Freising, about 31 kilometers (19.26 miles) north of Munich.

Zollo is not alone in his appreciation for the sober beverage. Alcohol-free beer has been gaining recognition in recent times as beer consumption shrinks.

At Weihenstephan, which was based as a brewery in 1040 by Benedictine monks, non-alcoholic wheat beer and lager now make up 10% of the amount. The rise over the previous few years, since they began making alcohol-free drinks within the Nineteen Nineties, mirrors the statistics for the remainder of Germany’s beer trade.

“The people are unfortunately — I have to say that as a brewer — unfortunately drinking less beer,” Zollo stated Friday, the day earlier than Oktoberfest formally began. “If there’s an alternative to have the crisp and fresh taste from a typical Weihenstephan beer, but just as a non-alcoholic version, we want to do that.”

Even at Oktoberfest — arguably the world’s most well-known ode to alcohol — alcohol-free beer is on the menu.

All however two of the 18 massive tents on the pageant supply the drink via the celebration’s 16 days. The sober beverage will price drinkers the identical as an alcoholic beer — between 13.60 and 15.30 euros ($15.12 and $17.01) for a 1-liter mug (33 fluid ounces) — however save them from a hangover.

“For people who don’t like to drink alcohol and want to enjoy the Oktoberfest as well, I think it’s a good option,” Mikael Caselitz, 24, of Munich stated Saturday inside one of many tents. “Sometimes people feel like they have more fun with alcohol, which is not a good thing because you can also have fun without alcohol.”

He added: “If you want to come and drink alcohol-free beer, nobody will judge you.”

This 12 months marked the primary time an alcohol-free beer backyard opened in Munich. “Die Null,” which implies “the zero” in German, served non-alcoholic beer, mocktails and different alcohol-free drinks close to the town’s fundamental prepare station this summer season however was scheduled to shut a number of day earlier than Oktoberfest opened.

Walter König, managing director of the Society of Hop Analysis north of Munich, stated researchers have needed to breed particular hops varieties for alcohol-free beer. If brewers use the standard hops for alcohol-free beer, the distinct aroma will get misplaced when the alcohol is lowered through the brewing course of.

However clients do not care about that, König stated Friday as he ready for Oktoberfest.

“They only want to know that what they are tasting is as good as traditional beers with alcohol,” he stated.