Beer without alcohol, you say? Why would anyone want to drink such a thing?
Not for the taste, to be sure. Most of the non-alcoholic beers I have tasted
more closely resemble iced tea than they do beer, usually because of their
higher aromatic hop character and inherent sweetness. Personally, I’ve
always considered beer without alcohol to be much like sex without an
orgasm. I don’t see the point of either one.
The intended market for such beers seems to be underage people, those who
can’t drink alcohol for various reasons, people who don’t want to get to
drunk but still want to drink a “beer” during the football game, and
designated drivers. Non-alcoholic beer may not be a good idea for recovering
alcoholics, since it may only further the temptation to drink the real
stuff.
Non-alcoholic beer is not truly non-alcoholic. Most NA’s, Sharps included,
have a trace amount of alcohol in them, usually about one half of one
percent by volume. Before you run off to the local temperance meeting in a
fit of outrage, however, you should know that the glass of orange juice you
had with breakfast this morning has about the same alcohol content from
natural fermentation. Bread contains about the same amount too.
At a half percent of alcohol, you’d have to drink about ten Miller Sharps
to get the same alcohol content you’d find in a bottle of High Life
or Miller Genuine Draft. Or sixty to equal a six-pack. Of course, the
body filters alcohol over time, so you’d better drink up if you want to
catch that buzz.
Alcohol adds flavor and character to a beer. It is an essential component to
any brew, and its absence will definitely detract from beer. The brewer can
compensate of course with aromatic hopping that will impart soft, flowery
notes to the NA beer without a lot of bitterness, though bittering hops are
needed too to balance off some of the sweetness.
Alcohol, in moderation mind you, also generates a relaxed sensation that is
welcome at the end of the workday or before bedtime, much as the stimulus of
caffeine wakes us in the morning. I can’t stress enough how moderation is
the key in both cases. Too much caffeine and you’ll be bouncing off the
walls; too much alcohol and you’ll be drunk. Still, there is definitely
something missing in a beer with virtually no alcohol.
There are two main ways to produce non-alcoholic beer. One is a process
called vacuum evaporation, in which beer is brewed as it normally
would be and the alcohol is removed by taking advantage of the different
evaporation points of water and alcohol. In my opinion, this produces
non-alcoholic beers that more closely resemble real beer.
For Sharp’s, Miller uses a method commonly referred to as arrested
fermentation. In this procedure, unfermented beer (called wort by
brewers) is pitched with yeast but before any significant fermentation can
occur the wort is cooled to a temperature that renders the yeasts dormant.
These beers, in my view, have a sweeter character to them. This shouldn’t be
surprising, since the job of yeast is to ferment out sugars and magically
transform them into alcohol and carbon dioxide. In arrested fermentation,
that doesn’t happen to any significant degree.
Miller Sharp’s beer pours to a golden-amber color with a spritzy,
short-lived head formation and a slightly hoppy nose. The palate is rather
bland, sweetish, and holds an underlying light floral hop note. The finish
is very sweet, not really quenching, and somewhat tea-like. There just isn’t
enough character here to make me want to drink Sharps instead of a regular
beer. If you’re serving as designated driver or don’t want alcohol at the
moment, my advice is to just pass on the Sharps. Have a Diet Coke instead.
At least you’ll be honest with yourself.
And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.
*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For
reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.