Photo: Michael Burmesch
Riverwest Stein NA
Riverwest Stein NA
There are many reasons to drink non-alcoholic (NA) beer, but one is the recent trend, Dry January, which follows New Year’s Eve—the most indulgent night of the holiday season. According to one report, one in five Americans plan to participate in Dry January.
Big names such as Heineken, Coors, Beck’s and Old Milwaukee produce NA beers along with familiar brews, while Sharp’s (Miller), Kaliber O’Doul’s and Clausthaler focus on the NA market.
Lakefront Brewery’s Local NA
A number of craft breweries have marketed NA beers. Locally, Milwaukee’s Lakefront Brewery leads the pack. Their Riverwest Stein NA Amber Near Beer is described as “medium-light body with a dash of caramel malt sweetness that’s quickly curbed by a pleasing crisp, near-lager finish.”
For beer aficionados, it is less than 0.5% ABV and 24 IBUs (International Bitterness Units scale, a gauge of beer’s bitterness) with Two-Row Pale, Caramel and Roasted Barley Malts, as well as Zeus, Willamette and Cascade Hops.
Low-to-no-alcohol beverages have become increasingly popular. It is one of the hottest markets these days, said Michael Stodola, brand manager of Lakefront Brewery. “Between older drinkers not wanting the drunk or the calories, to Millennials who see beer as fattening, NA beers are very popular. Breweries like Athletic Brewing have built fame and glory on NA.”
Lakefront founder and president, Russ Klisch, always sees opportunities out there and to develop a local NA was one he wanted to jump on. That turned out to be a great innovation, because the Riverwest Stein NA is selling well, Stodola added.
“We have our friends at Octopi (in Waunakee, Wis.) brew this beer for us because they have the equipment. They brew the beer with our exact recipe and then use their de-alcoholizer to remove the ethanol,” Stodola said, “The process isn’t so different, just one piece of key, very expensive machinery.”
Lakefront Brewery is realizing the desire for local NA beer. “We’ve been appreciative of our NA fans out there so much that talk of doing more is now a regular dialogue. Low-to-no-alcohol beers are becoming popular on a health trend,” he said. “Obviously, this trend is playing into the hands of the hundreds of Seltzer brands out there.”
