A review of methods of low alcohol and alcohol-free beer production

• Published in: Journal of food engineering 2012-02, Vol.108 (4), p.493-506
• Main Authors: Brányik, Tomáš, Silva, Daniel P., Baszczyňski, Martin, Lehnert, Radek, Almeida e Silva, João B.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Alcohol-free beer; Alcohols; Beer; Beers; Biological and medical sciences; Brewing; Dealcoholization; Ethyl alcohol; Fermentation; Fermented food industries; Food engineering; Food industries; Foods; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General aspects; Limited fermentation; Low alcohol; Low-alcohol beer; Production methods; Strategy
• ISSN: 0260-8774; 1873-5770
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2011.09.020

► Ethanol is one of the most commonly used recreational drugs worldwide. ► Beer market is witnessing a significant increase in the consumption of low-alcohol beer. ► Strategies to produce low alcohol beers can be of physical and biological origin. ► Production methods, sensorial properties and additional improvements are reviewed. The increasing interest of consumers in health and alcohol abuse issues motivates breweries to expand the assortment of products with low alcohol content. The goal of producing beers with low alcohol content can be achieved by two main strategies; namely by gentle removal of alcohol from regular beer and by limited ethanol formation during the beer fermentation. Within these two basic strategies, there are a number of techniques that vary in performance, efficiency and usability. This paper presents an overview and comparison of these techniques and provides an evaluation of sensorial properties of low-alcohol and an alcohol-free beer produced as well as suggests possibilities for their additional improvement.