Low alcohol beer

Low-alcohol beer contains less alcohol than normal for its type — legal limits and category names (low-alcohol, non-alcoholic, alcohol-free) differ between countries (e.g. ≤0.5% ABV for ‘alcohol-free’ in many markets). It is made either by forming less alcohol — through interrupted or restricted fermentation with special/immobilised yeasts, low temperatures or low-gravity worts — or by removing alcohol from normally brewed beer by vacuum evaporation, reverse osmosis or dialysis. Sensory properties frequently differ from full-strength beer — thinner body, more worty notes — so brewers work to restore flavour; microbiological stability needs attention since alcohol’s preservative effect is reduced.