Non-alcoholic beer tastes better than regular beer.

We hear it more and more often: non-alcoholic beer simply tastes better than regular beer. That might sound bold, but there's more truth to it than you might think. Brewing without alcohol forces brewers to take greater care, select better ingredients, and be more creative. You can taste the result immediately: clear aromas, greater complexity, and a surprising amount of character.

Foto: vandeStreek

Alcohol as a flavor enhancer and why that's important

In conventional beer, alcohol does most of the work. It carries aromas, intensifies bitterness, and rounds out the flavor. This makes things relatively easy for brewers: minor impurities are less noticeable because the alcohol masks some of them. With non-alcoholic beer, this safety net disappears completely. Every flavor component stands out clearly. No alcohol means no more leeway to conceal flaws. This demands the utmost care.

More attention to the recipe and procedure

Breweries have to go a step further to produce non-alcoholic beer, not only in recipe development but also in the brewing process itself. They often use special yeasts that produce very little alcohol or processes that remove the alcohol afterward. Both methods require precision.

Furthermore, non-alcoholic beer almost always needs to be pasteurized to ensure shelf life and stability. This affects the taste, which is why the recipe must be adjusted accordingly. You can taste this extra care, and that's precisely why many non-alcoholic beers taste surprisingly full-bodied and complex.

The preparation in the brew kettle is crucial: the ingredients determine everything.

Since alcohol no longer contributes any flavor of its own, it all comes down to the ingredients. Brewers are selecting their ingredients with ever greater care: better malt, aromatic hops, pure water, special yeast. Everything has to be perfect, because you can taste every detail. This often gives non-alcoholic beer a remarkably clear and direct flavor.

Foto: vandeStreek

Often there's a little more: hops, fruit, and more creativity.

Many brewers deliberately enhance their non-alcoholic beers with additional ingredients. Think more intense hop aromas, subtle fruit notes, or a different malt base for more body. Compared to a traditional beer that's been converted to a non-alcoholic version, it often tastes flatter. That's because simply removing the alcohol isn't enough. You have to reimagine the beer. And brewers who do this create truly delicious non-alcoholic beers.

So

Fancy a flavorful beer? Then you should definitely try non-alcoholic beers. The quality has improved significantly in recent years, and many brewers now brew their non-alcoholic versions with more care and creativity than their regular beers. Chances are you'll be pleasantly surprised.