If you say non-alcoholic craft beer, you say Mash Gang. This brewery from England has taken the non-alcoholic beer phenomenon to another level with their complex flavors and funky styles. Where sweet flavors dominated the previous "Cereal" line, they now come with slightly more traditional beer styles such as (West Coast) IPAs, White beers and lagers. But Mash Gang wouldn't be Mash Gang without some craziness too. We have listed the newcomers for you. Here they are! 1. Reign in Blood A bold chocolate and vanilla stout with cherries, brewed in collaboration with Norwegian brewery Amundsen. Black Forest kirsch in a glass. 2. From Devastation to Bliss A wheat beer with aromas of red berries and turkish delight and added rose petals and raspberry. No crazy colors this time, "just" a beautifully balanced hazy beer that exceeds four stars on Untappd, so that's promising. 3.South Central A somewhat fruitier West Coast IPA with Citra, Cascade, Centennial and Chinook hops and added caramelized pineapple, dried lime and a hint of chilli. 4. Cheap Lager Now it gets funky. This lager comes in different can designs, so it is a surprise which can you get. Mash Gang delivers a very accessible lager with no exotic hops and no fuss. Slightly cheaper than the other beers, but certainly not in taste. 5. Like Icarus A white beer inspired by traditional Belgian white beer, but with a slightly different twist. Hoppy and super fresh due to the subtle addition of coriander and orange. 6. The Schoff With this sour beer you spontaneously feel like summer. Brewed in collaboration with Vault city and packed with orange, lemon, grapefruit and grapes. A cross between a soda and beer. Sweet and sour. Let the sun come! 7. Natural History A steady West Coast IPA from Mash Gang with Citra, Cascade, Centennial and Chinook hops and added grapefruit peels. 8. Gacha This beer needs some explanation. A Gacha is a surprise game. Together with breweries Sarina Hyena, Northern Monk and Bevcraft, Mash Gang has brewed several beers and bundled them under this name: the Gacha. There are more than 100 different can designs that are all slightly different. You don't know in advance which beer you will get (and neither do we). We can guarantee you that it will be fruity and colorful. Super fun to check in on Untappd and see which beer chose you ;) 9. Gary's Fizzy Army Brewed together with Northern Monks for their famous Patrones Project, you know it's going to be fruity. This sour is packed with blueberries, cherries, pineapple and passion fruit, all combined for a super fresh, sour and fruity mouthfeel. Tarty for sure. 10. Birth Can this be listed? We think so. Mash Gang, The Garden Brewery and Brulo have joined forces and released three great beers. The first one we could get our hands on was this one from The Garden Brewery from Croatia. Another high level West Coast IPA. We hope to be able to offer the other beers (Life and Death) as well very soon. Stay tuned. View all Mash Gang beers here.

A question we would initially answer with no, but after some research we thought it would be fun to write something about this. Being drunk, what is that? "Being in a temporary state in which one's physical and mental faculties are impaired by an excess of alcohol" (dictionary.com) So, according to the experts, to be drunk you must have alcohol in your blood and your behavior must change from your "normal" behavior. When you drink 0.0% beer, no alcohol enters your blood. If you drink beer with a maximum percentage of 0.5% (normal consumption), then that is physically not enough to get you drunk. Yet there is an important twist.. When you drink alcohol, a happiness chemical is produced in your brain. Some kind of reward substance. This allows you to behave differently, but it also makes you a bit more relaxed. Scientists have discovered that this reward substance is also produced when you drink non-alcoholic beer. For that reason, it is not wise in all cases to drink non-alcoholic beer when you are struggling with an (ex) alcohol addiction. On the other hand, it is a nice extra for people who want to drink less, for example because they want to live a healthier life. Relaxation of non-alcoholic beer If a cold non-alcoholic rascal doesn't relax you enough, you can opt for a beer from Impossibrew. This English beer brand adds spices to their beer so that the drinker can relax better. It all started with Mark, a young beer lover who had to stop drinking due to health reasons. He looked for different alternatives to relax, to end up in that well-known alcohol daze. He came across a Japanese article from 1211 about relaxing herbs for body and mind. Although many told him that what he wanted to brew was "impossible", it didn't stop him. A number of years, awards and crew members later they bring a lager and pale ale to the market that makes you nice and "relaxed". Then you no longer have to visit the Holland and Barret, but just open an Impossibrew. Are you going to try? View Impossibrew's beers here.

Non-alcoholic beer is extremely popular, we all know that. But which beers have you ordered the most this year? For this Christmas edition, we delved into the statistics and investigated the most sold (and tastiest) beers of 2022. Can you guess which brewery is in the top ten no less than 4 times? Guinness Draught - 0.0 % ABV Untappd Score (worldwide): 3.1 Country: Ierland Guinness 0.0 is at number 1 this year. You couldn't get enough of this beer! This Irish stout is packed with coffee and has a roasted taste that is almost identical to the taste of the variant with alcohol. If you're wondering what you hear when you shake the can, it's a "widget," a plastic ball filled with nitrogen that creates a creamy head. 2. La Trappe Nillis - 0.0% ABV Untappd Score (worldwide): 3.1 Country: The Netherlands At number two we find the La Trappe Nillis: the very first non-alcoholic Trappist beer. If you thought La Trappe was a Belgian beer, nothing could be further from the truth. This beer is "normally" brewed at the Koningshoeven brewery near Tilburg. It is a nice sweet amber beer that is not inferior to a delicious non-alcoholic autumn bock. 3. Brulo - 7 Grain Hop DDH IPA 0.0% ABV Untappd Score (wereldwijd): 3.5 Country: Great Britain This brewery used to be called Coast, but now they go through life under the name Brulo. This brewery only brews alcohol-free and you can taste that knowledge and expertise in all their beers. This IPA is hopped with seven hops and seven grains, giving the beer an extra fruity character. 4. Vandestreek - Playground IPA 0.5% ABV Untappd Score (worldwide): 3.3 Country: The Netherlands Vandestreek's Playground IPA is at number four. This is perhaps the most famous non-ipa in the Netherlands and can be ordered in many cafes. We believe this beer has made people think, "Gee, that non-alcoholic beer isn't so bad." And it certainly isn't. A delicious fruity IPA that is much less malty than many non-alcoholic factory lagers. 5. Brulo - Dry Hopped Stout 0.0% ABV Untappd Score (worldwide): 3.3 Country: Great-Britain Brulo's second beer in this top 10 and rightly so. This is not an IPA and not a stout. Or this is both. It is a dry hopped stout. A light body with a toasted taste as you are used to from a stout with notes of toffee and caramel. This makes it Brulo's first dark beer and, as far as we're concerned, not the last. 6. Brulo - Lust for life 0.0% ABV Untappd Score (worldwide): 3.4 Country: Great-Britain We will stay in the Brulo's for a while, because there is also an IPA from this brewery at number six. This Lust for life is double hopped. That gives a rich taste in the nose and is guaranteed to stimulate your taste buds. A real everyone's friend because it is bitter and yet fruity and, like all Brulo beers, completely 0.0 to enjoy carefree. 7. Brulo - Sabro Galexy 0.0% ABV Untappd Score (world wide): 3.5 Country: Great-Britain All good things must come to an end, including the Brulo's in this top ten. On number seven we again find a double hopped IPA from Brulo hopped with (the name says it all) Sabro hops. In order to taste this. be a connoisseur. If you are not a connoisseur, then this is just a wonderfully fresh IPA that you will enjoy a second time. 8. Thrive - Recovery IPA 0,5% ABV Untappd Score (worldwide): 2.8 Country: Belgium The first sports beer on this list can be found at number 8. This beer was developed by the University of Leuven and contains no less than 10 grams of protein. Perfect for recovering from sports or an evening where you've been drinking just a little too long. The Belgian cycling team swears by it and that is saying something. 9. Van Moll - Wanderlust 0.5% ABV Untappd Score (worldwide): 3.2 Country: The Netherlands At number eight is this Wanderlust from brewery van Moll from Eindhoven (the craziest!!). The city of innovation, and you can taste that in this great IPA. We are not surprised that there are many IPAs in this list. Due to the large dose of hops (compared to lagers), the beer is a bit bitter and not too sweet. 10. Lindeboom - Radler Cherry 0.0% ABV Untappd Score (worldwide): 3.2 Country: The Netherlands Finishing in last place is often not good, unless it is the top ten best-selling beers of 2022. This cherry radler from the Lindeboom brewery in Limburg is very similar to a kriek and has a very pleasant acidity. Tim, if you're reading this, maybe this beer made the list because of your efforts. Even more promising beers in the spotlight So that's it guys, what a great year with so many great new beers. If we can hold your attention for a while, we would like to share a few more beers with you that did not make it to this top ten, but were scored very high by Untappd users. For the skeptics: yes it is true that these (new) beers still have relatively few check-ins, but if the early adopters are so positive about your beer then you deserve to be in the spotlight with us. Mash Gang - Stadium Craft 0,5% Country: Engeland Untappd Score worldwide: 3.9 Mash Gang - Rad Gold 0,5% Country: Engeland Untappd Score worldwide: 3.9 Mash Gang - Chug Gold 0,5% Country: Engeland Untappd Score worldwide: 3.8 Mash Gang - Anxiety Saint 0,5% Country: Engeland Untappd Score worldwide: 3.8 Lowtide - Simmer Down 0,5% Country: Engeland Untappd Score worldwide: 3.8 Galea - Holy Roasty 0,5% Country: België Untappd Score worldwide: 3.5 Curious about non-alcoholic beer? We have more than 200 varieties from 25 different countries in our shop. You can find the complete offer here.

You must have noticed the success of the English brewery Mash Gang. That is why in this blog we will share some more information with you and give our personal view on the success of this group of friends from England. Start-up Let's start at the beginning. Times of corona have arrived and the lock-down makes the world a lot different. It seems as if other parts of the brain have been touched in some. One creative project after another shot up. As well with this group of friends from England. They started brewing beer. Why? Because they could. They brewed 9 beers in 3 months (which is really a lot) and people wanted to buy more of it. It was that simple. It was never their intention to start a business but it has come so far and we are very happy that they did. Non-alcoholic beer To distinguish themselves from the rest and to respond to the niche market, they started brewing alcohol-free. They saw that more and more beautiful beers appeared on the market with alcohol percentages of 8% and higher. That had to be changed. Now they mostly brew beers with an alcohol percentage of 0.5%, but in collaboration with other breweries they also brew low alcoholic beers, for example, 2.5% Phantom brewery They call themselves a phantom brewery, which is really just a gypsy brewery. This means that they brew at other breweries and you often see this with starting beer brands. It is also often advantageous to take benefit from the knowledge of other breweries. For example, one brewery is good at brewing stouts, while another brewery is good at brewing sours. Joining forces is something we see more often and that works well. They mostly brew with Northern Monk in Leeds and Fierce Beer in Aberdeen. Success Mash Gang has become a regular supplier of OnderNulPuntVijf. Mash Gang really touched us for several reasons. 1. Their non-alcoholic beer is distinctive from others What we like about Mash Gang is that their non-alcoholic beers always have a clear concept. Whether it concerns sweets from the 90s or existing products such as chocolate milk or cake mix: they know how to develop these flavors well and combine them in their beers. 2. Their designs are amazing In addition to the answer above: the designs also fit seamlessly with the concept of the beer. It's a total package. A story. A present. You see it, you want it. You taste it and you want to taste something else from them because you know that will too surprise you. 3. The variety in their collections is great What we also like is that all styles are shown. Steady lagers, sours, double IPAs. They even come up with their own style if it does not exist yet. That is courageous, and a bit funny sometimes. 4. They are releasing beer after beer at a rapid pace They respond nicely to a target group that likes to taste a beer, and then tastes another beer. Of course they also have some beers in their range that can be enjoyed multiple times, such as the Stoop Lagers or their RAD IPAs, but many beers are tasty once and make you want to move on to their next. 5. They make non-alcoholic beer cool Let's get back to that concept. Whether it's their podcasts, merchandise, marketing stunts, their social media content. You just see that these people believe in what they do. They take the world with a grain of salt. That they love madness but also high-quality products. That's what makes a brand a stunning brand, and that's what makes us fans of Mash Gang. Update Are there more Mash Gangs coming? Always. Here are the latest Mash Gangs on their way to us. We will of course update you guys when they are available. Cheers! Team ONP5 *These are the Mash Gang beers that we sold so far: Neskveik, Stoop, Stoop Extra Dry, Mangonada, Cap'n Krunk, Cryo Pop Tarts, Paradigm Shift, ADHD, Tears, Sour Batch Hops, Get Wavy, Rad, Very Small Moose and Chug.

No need to elaborate on the fact that the quality and taste of alcoholfree beer is getting better all the time and more and more people discover and appreciate this. Prove of that is all over our web shop. Here we focus on the alcoholfree only brewer. Although the total is still small, the number of brewers that only make alcoholfree beer is growing. These are the real frontmen and woman in striving to get better nonalcoholic beers out there. Who are they? We came up with a list of the best alcoholfree beer brewers in the world. Of course, we can discuss on who should and who shouldn’t be here. We sure want to hear your input and standpoint. 10 Lowtide Brewing Co Starting with one of our personal favorites in the list is this contract brewer from Bath in the UK. Founded by Rob and Dave in Corona time they make great alcoholfree beers and have outspoken and hilarious can designs. There best beer (until now) is their “Who let the bees Stout” which was al collabs with C84 Brew Co. Unfortunately, not available anymore. 9 Nirvana Brewery Directly followed by another UK brand from East London is this great small brewer from East London. Where Ellen and her team is brewing her own beer with which she started when her dad was graving for a nice cold one, but wasn’t allowed to drink alcohol anymore. The result being a great line of vegan beers. 8 Two Roots Brewing Co We fly over to the US West Coast to find Two Roots Brewing Co. Starting off with experimental brews (with cannabis as an ingredient) and slim cans, they now grew to be a grownup brewer with a nice range of high-quality beers. And, as the region demands of them, growing fast. 7 WellBeing Brewing Company Staying at the land of the free we hop over to St. Louis where non-alcoholic Jeff Stevens founded this brewery in 2017. They are focusing on great quality beers and raise Wellbeing. Their signature beer is the Victory Citrus Wheat where they put in extra Electrolytes. Which makes it a great sport recovery beer. 6 FREEDL This new “kid” in town is from the north of Italy and produces high quality alcoholfree beer by using local ingredients. They now have two variations but will expand their range soon. In the land of wine and spirits this is a bold move. But tasting the great beer and hearing the enthusiastic Maria telling her story this is bound to be a success. 5 Force Majeure Triathlete Stijn Panis was bold enough to bring out a range of Belgian style beers without the alcohol. 5 beer styles are on the menu now, amongst which an alcoholfree tripel, which is still unique in the world. Since 2019 this brand is an unmissable part of the alcoholfree beer scene and bound to stay so for a long time. 4 Mash Gang The rebel in the alcoholfree beer scene is Mash Gang. A bunch of friends started brewing NOLO beers during the 1st lockdown and now they already delivered over a dozen different beers. All great quality and taste. They are very active on social media and create a great buzz around their brand. You can’t miss these guys. 3 Zero Point Yes! There is a Russian brewer in our list. Zero Point started an alcoholfree brewery in the heart of the land of vodka, and doing it the way Zero Point does, they must be in our top 10. Hopefully we can welcome them in our shop soon again. 2 Big Drop Brewing Co UK’s best marketed and widely distributed alcoholfree beer is the beer from Rob Fink and James Kindred. Since 2016 the brew a wide range of prize-winning beers and the memorable collabs series with renowned brewers from different European countries. And available literally all over the world, from Canada to Australia. These guys are going to be Big! 1 Athletics Brewing Co The number one in our list is Athletic Brewing from the US. Bill Shufelt and John Walker started this brewery in Stratford which was followed by a facility in San Diego. A brilliant move is their pilot program in which they produce and sell only a small number of cans of a new beer. Based on the response of the customers the beer becomes part of the core range or we won’t ever see it again. Their beers are listed in the top of the best reviewed alcoholfree beers in the world. A special shout out goes to BRULO. The Scottish brewer, formerly known as Coast, has a range of brilliant IPA, which are brewed by De Proef in Belgium. Their fabulous recipe of a 0.0 and vegan beer still amaze people of how an alcoholfree beer can taste. Their single hop series is a brilliant way to learn more about this essential ingredient of this magic drink. And of course, we can’t end this blog without a shout out to the great brewers that make great alcoholfree beers, but don’t focus on this category. Just to name a few: Brewdog (UK and US), Untitled (US) vandeStreek (Netherlands), Kehrwieder Kreativbrauerei (Germany) and Funky Fluid (Poland). And of course this list is much much longer. But perhaps we will mention them in a next blog.

We see it everywhere these days. Beer shops, breweries and even in the supermarket you will find the Beer Advent Calendar. OnderNulPuntVijf is selling an Alcohol-Free Beer Advent Calendar this year, so we went in search of where the phenomenon actually comes from. It will come as no surprise that the Advent calendar refers to the season of Advent. These are the 4 Sundays before Christmas in Christianity. The season of Advent can therefore start on November 27, but also on December 3. Especially in Germany and Austria, but also in Scandinavian countries, you still regularly see Advent wreaths. That is a wreath with 4 large candles (and sometimes 24 small candles in between). In the period before Christmas, a candle is lit every week (or every day). The advent of the Advent calendar has a very practical reason. In the period before Christmas, many children regularly asked their parents when it would be Christmas time. And adults also looked forward to Christmas. Combining the tradition of the Advent period with this way of counting down, calendars were created over 100 years ago. Chocolates were often hidden behind 24 shutters for the children to keep them sweet for a while. More recently, several variants have appeared. In 2005, the first "December Calendar" scratch card appeared. This one has 31 squares instead of 24 but has the same principle. And nowadays you can not think of it that there is an advent calendar. Socks, perfume, sex toys and of course beer. There are also countless digital advent calendars. A number of companies are counting down to Christmas in this way. Look here for an overview of all beer Advent calendars that are now available. We came across the first Beer Advent Calendar ourselves in 2012 in Germany. Since 2010, the Austrian beer shop Kalea has been making a Beer Advent Calendar. And they still sell them in different varieties. If you have come across a Beer Advent Calendar from before that time, we will adapt this paragraph with love. Of course you can also make your own Advent calendar (with or without beer). To do this, buy 24 items and package and number them. Very nice to give to someone else who then also makes a calendar for you. An (empty) beer crate is suitable for this. There are also empty beer-advent boxes for sale that you can fill yourself. We also come across these online. It is even more fun to design an Advent box yourself and design it to your house style and personal branding. Last year OnderNulPuntVijf released the first Alcohol-free Beer Advent Calendar. Because a customer brought us to this thought (thanks Kim) we were able to make some of you happy with this. It was a bit of cutting and pasting back then. This year OnderNulPuntVijf will present its first real branded advent calendar. Some of the beers in the calendar consist of our toppers from the shop. And some of the beers you can only get your hands on this way. If you bought it, it will come to you at the end of November and it will undoubtedly be a party.

When I walk past a shop where they sell craft beers, I often can't resist: I have to take something with me. This will be recognizable for many beer lovers. Once they arrive home, they don't always go straight into the fridge, but find their place next to the other beers I plan to drink. But how do you store beer the best way and what should you pay attention to? In this article we give five tips for the best storage of your beer. Let's start by saying that there is a difference in beer type when it comes to storage. An IPA is best when it is fresh, where you can keep a dark beer longer and that often benefits the taste. Non-alcoholic beer has a shorter shelf life than beer with alcohol, so it's even more important that you store it properly. Besides the fact that the taste can change, cans can also expand and in some cases even start leaking at too high a temperature. That's a shame, but it's also messy. 1. Keep the beer at the constant temperature If you don't want to put your beer in the fridge right away, choose a place where there is a constant temperature of about 10-15 degrees. A kitchen cupboard seems obvious, but this is not the best place. Because appliances in the kitchen can get hot and because cooking is natural, the temperature changes here too often. Opt for a pantry or even more original: the crawl space of your house. Some people also keep their beer outside. This is not recommended because the weather is not really the most stable right now and the cap can rust. 2. Do not expose the beer too much to sunlight This goes without saying: always keep beer in a dark place. UV radiation will start a chemical process that ensures that your beer no longer smells (and tastes) so good. 3. Make sure it's not too humid If you store beer in a humid place, you will first see this on the label. Secondly, it can also affect your cap or can, causing mold and the beer to be no longer airtight. This way the beer can get infected and you obviously don't want that. 4. You put bottles with a crown cap upright To prevent the beer from coming into contact with the metal of the crown cap, it is best to store beer in bottles upright. Any sediment then also sinks to the bottom, where it belongs. This makes less difference for cans, but if possible put them upright. 5. Don't forget your beer! Last but not least: don't forget to drink your beer. An extensive collection is nice, but don't forget that beer is a natural product and that the taste changes. We recommend that you always keep a few tasty beers in the fridge so that there is always something cold and you can enjoy it right away.

After 3 months of practical experience Dry January, Sober October, Tournée Minérale, 40 days of fasting... there are plenty of initiatives that encourage you to temporarily abstain from alcohol. And of course we wholeheartedly support these initiatives. And of course we participate in it ourselves. I myself have not been drinking alcohol for more than 10 years in the period from Carnival to Easter. This was also the reason to start with OnderNulPuntVijf. During that period I enjoy our own non-alcoholic beer offer. This year I decided to use the "doubler" during my alcohol-free period. Instead of the more than 40 days that I normally do not drink, I decided not to consume C2H5OH (the chemical formula of alcohol) for 3 months. Or at least not above zero point five percent . Below you can read my experiences and I have some tips for you. Difficult At times I struggled with my decision. The seven weeks that is an annual non-drinking period normally fly by. It is no longer a problem for me not to drink during that period. So doubling that period didn't really seem like a problem to me. The big difference for me, however, was that I didn't see the end of the period well and that I found difficult. Not to drink a nice tripel or stout ("with" of course). on Fridays and Saturdays was sometimes hard. Additional challenges were that my birthday was during this period and we went on a short vacation during this period. There you are in the Jopen church in Haarlem with all that goodies and you can only limit yourself to a Jopen Non IPA Ginger (not a punishment by the way). Positive But what a wonderful time it is. I think the benefits are well known, but now I can enjoy them again: I sleep much better, I feel fitter and my daughter told me that my skin was a lot nicer. Problems become challenges all at once (and not just because it sounds more positive). And you get into action mode faster. And then of course the hangovers that you don't have and your liver that doesn't have to work overtime. And now? After the abstinence period, you are more aware when you drink a beer or a glass of wine "with". And I naturally do that more in moderation. A Friday afternoon drink is also nice with an alcohol-free beer and I have now “learned” again that it can also be done without alcohol. Tips As I write, it has occasionally been difficult not to drink. The most important tip I have if you also want to stop drinking (for a period of time) is that you really have to agree with yourself. You can have countless reasons to quit, but if you're not 100% behind it, you won't succeed. I also advise you to build up the duration of your alcohol-free period. Don't drink for a week and then a month. The fasting period of more than 40 days is a nice challenge after that. And who knows, you'll do like me and extend it to 3 months or even a year or more. The third tip I can give you is to keep it for a longer period of time not to drink is to read a lot about it and look up a lot of information about it. The book by Clare Pooley ("The Sober Diaries"), the Instagram account of Simon Chapple (@besoberandquit) and the podcast by Kate & Mandy (Love Sober Podcast) are three recommendations that I can give you. And as a final tip, I will of course say that you can continue to drink delicious alcohol-free beer during your abstinence. Check our shop for lots of goodies and then you will notice that quitting alcohol does not mean that you no longer have to enjoy yourself.

Vegan products are becoming increasingly popular in the Netherlands. We are often asked whether our beer is vegan. In this article we take you into the world of beer and explain which beers are and are not vegan. What do we mean by vegan? Vegan means: the product does not contain any animal raw materials, but no animal products are used during the preparation either. For example, a vegan does not eat animal products such as milk and cheese, but he also does not wear leather. But beer is a natural product, right? Beer is made from grain, water, hops and yeast. Those are products that are vegan. Sometimes, however, some things are added to the beer that makes it no longer vegan. Think of honey to sweeten the beer or lactose. Lactose is sometimes added to make the beer creamier and you see this more often with stouts. In these cases, the beer is no longer vegan, because it contains animal products. There is another reason why not all beer is vegan, and it has to do with the filtering. During fermentation, 'bits' often appear in the beer. They also call it sediment. It is not pleasant to have too much sediment in your beer, which is why the beer is filtered. These filters are often made from animal products because it is cheap and works well and quickly. If so, then the beer is no longer vegan. How can I know if the beer I buy is vegan? If brewers brew (and/or filter) vegan, they usually state this on the label. So do you see nothing on the label and are you vegan? Then it is advisable to check with the brewer whether they brew vegan. At OnderNulPuntVijf we have a separate page for all beers that are vegan. Below we describe a few breweries that brew vegan. BRULO: Formerly called Coast Beer Co. is an alcohol-free only brewer that makes beautiful vegan craft beers. Taste, quality and creativity are central. They have only been around since 2019 and have already released more than 10 beers. The eye in the design of the logo and the cans was chosen because of the sober and alert character of the beer. They are based in Edinburgh, Scotland . Freedl: When German expertise, Italian lifestyle and ingredients from the Alps meet, you know it's good. These two beers in. the flavors Classic and Calma are a chic and tasty vegan alternative to beer. Lowlander: This Dutch brewery mainly brews with botanical ingredients: flowers, plants, herbs. Besides that, they also give something back to nature to fight climate change. You can see more about this in this video.

We are getting more and more demand for gluten free beer. Not only from people who are allergic to gluten, but also from customers who are more conscious of what they (don't) eat and drink. Time for us to delve into the world of gluten and gluten-free beers. What exactly is gluten? The Nutrition Center has the answer to that question: "Gluten is a mixture of proteins that occurs naturally in certain grains, such as wheat." More specifically, they are the proteins gliadins and glutenins. These serve as reserve food for the plants and are water-soluble. Gluten is found in wheat, spelt, rye and barley. Gluten is therefore found in bread, pizza and pastries. But it's also found in pasta, soups, sauces, sweets, ice cream and... beer. How can it bother you? There are people who are allergic to gluten. They then lead to celiac disease and should actually not eat or drink gluten. There are also people who do not have celiac disease but are still sensitive to gluten. Why is it in (non-alcoholic) beer? Most beers are made from barley or wheat, which automatically means there is gluten in the beer. There is no difference between beer with or without alcohol. How is gluten-free (alcohol-free) beer made? This is possible by using oats or the ancient grain teff instead of the normal grain when brewing beer. It originally contains no gluten. But more commonly, the gluten is removed from a normally brewed beer. The beer is then "deglutanized". The product then contains less than 20 ppm gluten (= 20 mg/kg product) gluten in the product and can therefore bear the official Crossed Grain quality mark. You can find more information on this at the the National Celiac Association (NCA). Which gluten-free non-alcoholic beer is there? We have a range of gluten free alcohol free beers in our shop. You can find the complete overview here. We carefully check whether a beer is gluten-free before placing it in this category. If you come across gluten-free non-alcoholic beers yourself, please let us know.

Last Tuesday was World Women's Day. As part of that, I interviewed someone from Pink Boots Society, the network of female professionals in the beer industry. In that conversation she said something that got me thinking about my taste development in non-alcoholic beer. She talked about the beer (with alcohol) that has become her favourite: Cantillon artisanal kriek. And how there was once a time when she found it necessary to add crumbled sugar cubes in order to drink that mildly sour beer. I like to drink non-alcoholic beer, but there was a time when I drank it with considerably less pleasure. Is that because the non-alcoholic beer was less tasty then? Or does it mainly have to do with how my own taste has developed? Did you like 'real' beer right away? The first is undeniably true. But like all beer, you have to learn to drink non alcoholic. Many aficionados who say they only like beer with alcohol think that's just nonsense. Because if something is good, you don't have to learn to drink it. At times like that, I like to start a discussion. Then I take my conversation partners with me in a small thought experiment: to the moment in their secondary school days when they tasted 'real' beer for the first time. Did you like that right away, I ask? Most have to admit that beer with alcohol also takes some getting used to. It is not strange that this is the case. It has to do with the primal function of taste. It is in our genes that we like or dislike certain smells and tastes. Our brain automatically likes aromas and taste impressions of foods that are originally good for you. But there are also smells and tastes that act as an alarm signal for things that are not good for our health: sour or bitter, for example. “Blèh!” our consciousness shouts If there is one thing that is not good for our body, it is alcohol. It is therefore not surprising that our consciousness automatically shouts 'Blèh!' the first time we allow an alcoholic snack to reach our mouth. We need to train our awareness that it's okay to have a beer. And most of us manage to do that quite nicely. The reverse situation occurs if you start drinking non-alcoholic beer. Your consciousness has created certain schemas about how beer should be. And that non-alcoholic beer only partially meets that requirement. It doesn't taste nearly as exuberant as beer that does contain alcohol. To really enjoy beer without alcohol, you don't just have to first wean off a whole load of deep-seated subconscious expectations that your taste has about beer. You also have to put everything you've taught yourself about how beer 'should' be with the garbage. Really so good that you don't miss the alcohol There used to be a brewery that advertised with the slogan: “So good, you don't miss the alcohol.” That was definitely a bold statement, because in that 'Stone Age' of non-alcoholic beer it was really something for go-getters. Fortunately, non alcoholics have undergone enormous development. I now really come across beers that can easily stand up to that claim. From the Polish Maltgarden, for example, or from the Rügener Insel-Brauerei. In the Netherlands, too, brewers are marketing non-alcoholic beers that are particularly worthwhile. How about vandeStreek, Maximus or De Leckere. From this perspective, Utrecht appears to be the alcohol-free beer epicenter of the Low Countries. In the past, non-alcoholic beer was less tasty. One last tip in this regard. If a newly released non-alcoholic beer doesn't convince you, don't just serve it off. Certainly for smaller, craft breweries, they constantly adapt and improve their beers where necessary. For example, I often come across that an alcohol-free product that is only 'so-so' at first has really improved a bit later. Just like a lanky teenager with greasy hair and acne on his face can stand in front of you at some point further in time. Grown into a nice young man.

Afgelopen dinsdag was Wereldvrouwendag. In het kader daarvan interviewde ik iemand van Pink Boots Society, het netwerk van vrouwelijke professionals in de bierindustrie. In dat gesprek zei ze iets dat me aan het denken zette, over mijn smaakontwikkeling bij alcoholvrij bier. Ze vertelde over het bier (met alcohol) dat inmiddels haar favoriet is: ambachtelijke kriek van Cantillon. En hoe er ooit een tijd was dat ze het nodig vond om er verkruimelde suikerklontjes bij te doen om dat zachtzure bier te kunnen drinken. Ik drink graag alcoholvrij bier, maar er was een tijd dat ik het met aanzienlijk minder plezier dronk. Ligt dat eraan dat het alcoholvrije bier toen minder lekker was? Of heeft het vooral ermee te maken hoe mijn eigen smaak zich heeft ontwikkeld? Vond je ‘écht’ bier meteen al lekker? Dat eerste is ontegenzeggelijk ook waar. Maar net als al het andere bier, moet je non alcoholic leren drinken. Veel liefhebbers die alleen van bier mét alcohol zeggen te houden, vinden dat maar onzin. Want iets dat goed is, hoef je het niet te leren drinken. Op dat soort momenten ga ik graag de discussie even aan. Dan neem ik mijn gesprekspartners mee in een klein gedachtenexperiment: naar het moment in hun middelbare schooltijd dat ze voor het eerst ‘écht’ bier proefden. Vond je dat toen al meteen lekker, vraag ik dan? De meesten moeten toegeven dat bier met alcohol ook bepaald wennen is. Dat dat zo is, is niet raar. Het heeft te maken met de oerfunctie van smaak en proeven. Het zit in onze genen dat we bepaalde geuren en smaken wel of niet lekker vinden. Aroma’s en smaakindrukken van voedingsmiddelen die van oorsprong goed voor je zijn, vindt ons brein automatisch lekker. Maar er zijn ook geuren en smaken die werken als een alarmsignaal, voor dingen die niet goed zijn voor onze gezondheid: zuur of bitter bijvoorbeeld. ‘Blèh!’ roept ons bewustzijn Als er iéts niet goed is voor ons lijf, is het alcohol wel. Het is dan ook niet verwonderlijk dat ons bewustzijn automatisch ‘Blèh!’ roept, wanneer we voor het eerst een alcoholische versnapering toelaten tot onze mond. We moeten ons bewustzijn trainen dat het oké is om wel een biertje te drinken. En de meesten van ons lukt dat vrij aardig. De omgekeerde situatie doet zich voor als je alcoholvrij bier gaat drinken. Je bewustzijn heeft bepaalde schema’s gecreëerd over hoe bier hoort te zijn. En dat alcoholvrije bier voldoet daar maar ten dele aan. Dat smaakt lang zo uitbundig niet als bier waar wel alcohol inzit. Om echt plezier te beleven aan bier zonder alcohol, moet je niet alleen eerst een hele vracht diepgewortelde onderbewuste verwachtingen afbouwen die je smaak erop na houdt over bier. Je moet ook nog eens alles wat je jezelf hebt aangeleerd over hoe bier ‘hoort’ te zijn, bij het oud vuil zetten. Echt zo lekker dat je de alcohol niet mist Er was vroeger een brouwerij die reclame maakte met de kreet: “Zo lekker, dat je de alcohol niet mist.” Dat was absoluut een boude uitspraak, want in dat ‘Stenen Tijdperk’ van alcoholvrij bier was het nog echt iets voor doorzetters. Gelukkig heeft non alcoholic een enorme ontwikkeling doorgemaakt. Ik kom nu echt bieren tegen die aan die claim moeiteloos stand kunnen houden. Van het Poolse Maltgarden bijvoorbeeld, of van de Rügener Insel-Brauerei. Ook in Nederland brengen brouwers alcoholvrije bieren op de markt die bijzonder de moeite waard zijn. Wat dacht je van vandeStreek, Maximus of De Leckere. Zo gezien lijkt Utrecht het alcoholvrij-bier-epicentrum van de Lage Landen. Vroeger was het alcoholvrije bier minder lekker. In verband daarmee nog een tip tot slot. Als een pas uitgebracht alcoholvrij bier je niet overtuigt, serveer het dan niet zonder meer af. Zeker voor kleinere, ambachtelijke brouwerijen geldt, dat ze hun bieren steeds aanpassen en verbeteren waar dat nodig is. Zo kom ik vaak tegen dat een alcoholvrij dat eerst maar ‘zo-zo’ is, een poos later echt stukken is verbeterd. Net zoals een slungelachtige puber met vet haar en acné op z’n gezicht, op enig moment verderop in de tijd voor je kan staan. Uitgegroeid tot een leuke jongeman.