5 things you should know about non-alcoholic craft beer

There’s nothing better than a great tasting brew that won’t leave you with a splitting headache and cottonmouth the morning after a night of drinking, which is what makes non-alcoholic craft beer so fantastic. Non-alcoholic craft beer is great for people who can appreciate the taste of a great beer but would rather do without the alcohol. A lot of people can’t get their head around the concept of non-alcoholic craft beer. You often hear questions like ‘Is it real beer?’ ‘Is it completely alcohol-free?’ ‘Does it taste like beer?’ Well here are 5 things you should know about non-alcoholic craft beer to get you started.

1. It’s really alcohol-free

Although non-alcoholic craft beer is actual beer and not soda like a couple of people might argue, it’s often a hundred percent alcohol-free. The brewing process starts off like any other beer the alcohol is either boiled or filtered from the beer during the brewing process.

2. You can make your own!

Certain brands pass off very low alcoholic beer as non-alcoholic beer. So if you are worried you might not be getting the real deal, you could just make your own. The process for making non-alcoholic beer is super easy, and anyone can do it. Non-alcoholic beer starts out as normal beer.

• You mash your malt, boil it with hops and let the beer go through its normal fermentation process which creates alcohol and carbon dioxide.
• After the fermentation process, the most common method used to remove alcohol from the beer is to heat the brew.

3. There are quite a number of brands to choose from

A quick glance at the drinks aisle at any supermarket might leave you dissuaded from the possibilities of finding non-alcoholic beer. But there are quite a number of brands that offer completely alcohol-free beer. Non-alcoholic beer may in some countries still contain a small amount of alcohol, due to national definitions. But 0.0% beers exist and are labeled as such. Although for a long time many breweries didn’t make non-alcoholic beer, of late non-alcoholic beer, is evolving, and gaining a growing popularity in the craft community. There are now quite a number of craft breweries solely dedicated to making non-alcoholic craft beer like Nirvana Brewery and Bravus Brewing Company.

4. It’s healthy

The results of a 2011 study published in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise indicates that consumption of non-alcoholic wheat beer may help athletes lower their risks for inflammation and certain physical illnesses. Drinking non-alcoholic beer can also improve sleep quality, - which in turn encourages a healthier lifestyle - because of the hops in the beer which have a sedating quality. Another study reveals the possibility of alcohol-free beer cutting the risks of having a heart attack. According to the scientists, as well as reducing the potentially dangerous build-up of fat in the arteries of those with high levels of cholesterol, alcohol-free beer also increased the amount of antioxidants in drinkers' blood, which could help to protect the heart. This effect was put down to vitamins contained in the beer, including vitamin B6 which helps to dampen the effect of a chemical linked to an increase in the risk of heart disease.

5. It has way fewer calories than regular beer

Non-alcoholic craft beer fits great into any diet plan. Because non-alcoholic beer tends to have fewer calories than alcoholic beer, choosing it over alcohol can reduce your calorie intake as part of a healthy diet. Non-alcoholic beer also contains at least 10 percent of your recommended amount of Vitamin B. A 16-ounce glass contains around 10 percent of your daily choline, a vitamin that keeps your brain and nerves working and 15 percent of your riboflavin which your body requires to break down food.

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