Non-alcoholic (NA) beers are gaining more popularity over the years. It is considered a healthy alternative for those who are health conscious as these beers have little or no alcohol in them. But, even if they are called non-alcohol beers they still contain a small amount of alcohol. You might wonder if non-alcoholic beers can make you drunk and you might want to know how many NA beers equal one beer.
Non-alcoholic beers have an ABV of 0.0 to 0.5% while light beers have an ABV of 4 to 7%. If you do the math, 10 cans of NA beer that has 0.5% ABV is equivalent to one regular beer. If you have 20 NA beers, it is equivalent to two regular beers.
Aside from talking about how many NA beers are equivalent to one beer, in this article, we will also talk about how NA beers are made and if there are any side effects in drinking NA beers.
What Is Non-Alcoholic Beer?
Non-alcohol (NA) beers are beers that have little to zero alcohol content. Non-alcoholic beers typically have an alcohol by volume (ABV) of 0.0 to 0.5% which is significantly lower than regular beers which have an ABV of at least 4 to 7%. You will find that most non-alcoholic beers almost have the same taste and aroma as regular beers but, NA beers won’t give you that alcohol buzz after a couple of cans as they have a smaller amount of alcohol.
Unlike regular beers, the demand for NA beers is not that high. But, non-alcoholic beers have certainly been gaining popularity over the years. Many people who drink traditional beers switch to non-alcoholic drinks because they want to lessen alcohol consumption or completely cut it off.
How Are NA Beers Made?
Producing non-alcoholic beers is the same process as regular beers but, there are additional steps to remove the alcohol from the beer. There are also four main ingredients when making alcohol-free and traditional beers. These are water, malt, yeast, and hops.
To make traditional beers, the process of malting is done first. This is done by soaking the grain (barley) in water for several days. The water is then drained and the grains are transferred into germinating boxes to germinate and dry. This process produces malt.
The malt is turned into a sweet liquid (wort) and is boiled to add flavor and bitterness to the drink. After boiling, the liquid is fermented until it produces an alcohol content.
Now, after this are the additional steps to make NA beers. There are several methods for brewing NA beers – controlled fermentation, de-alcoholization, dilution, or simulated fermentation.
Controlled Fermentation
Unlike traditional beers, fermentation is stopped before the yeast can produce alcohol. This is the most common way to produce non-alcoholic beers and the process is also sometimes called arrested fermentation.
De-alcoholization
With de-alcoholization, the alcohol content is removed either by steam distillation, gas stripping, or reverse osmosis. In this process, the flavors of the beer are often removed along with the alcohol and this can affect the final flavor of the NA beer. Most breweries use equipment that can heat the beer under low pressure to keep the beer’s flavor.
Dilution
Dilution is simply a process of diluting the finished beer by adding water to it. This process is usually done before or after the fermentation process and the amount of water will depend on how much alcohol is in the beer.
Stimulated Fermentation
This process skips the fermentation process and removes alcohol by brewing non-alcoholic beers and adding other ingredients like malt extract and enzymes.
How Many Non-Alcoholic Beers Equal One Beer
While these kinds of beer are called non-alcoholic, most NA beers still have a small amount of alcohol in them. But, as we said earlier, you most likely won’t get intoxicated just by drinking a couple of NA beers.
Light beers typically have at least 4 to 7% ABV while a nonalcoholic beer only has 0 to 0.5% ABV. If we calculate the ABV of non-alcoholic beers. it would take 10 NA beers to equal one regular beer, assuming that the ABV is 0.5%.
If you do the math, 10 * 0.5 ABV beers would equal one 5% beer. So, in theory, if you drink 20 NA beers, it would be equivalent to two regular beers.
Unless you consume NA beers at an alarmingly fast rate, NA beers won’t intoxicate you. This is because your body will process the low alcohol content quickly when drinking alcohol-free beers. When your blood alcohol content (BAC) reaches 0.04%, you will already start to feel the effects of alcohol. Since a non-alcoholic drink has little to no alcohol content in it, your body will process the alcohol quickly before your BAC reaches 0.04%.
What Are The Side Effects Of Non-Alcoholic Beers
An alcohol-free beer still has a small amount of alcohol in it and it can still smell and taste like a regular beer. If you are recovering from an alcohol use disorder (AUD) or are trying to cut alcohol consumption, non-alcohol or low-alcohol drinks can trigger cravings and desire to drink alcoholic beverages again [1]. Most non-alcoholic drinks are also high in carbs and calories which can contribute to weight gain and other health-related issues. If you are trying to cut off alcohol and are switching to a non-alcoholic drink, make sure to drink in moderation as they can also be addicting.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Many Busch NA equal one beer?
Busch beer company has a non-alcoholic variant of the Busch Beer which is the Busch NA. According to Busch, the alcohol in Busch NA is removed through a low-temperature process. The beer has 0.4% ABV with 60 calories, 12.9 carbs, and 0.6 protein.
If we are going to calculate the number of Busch NA to get an equivalent of one beer, we would need to multiply several Busch NA beers to achieve at least 4 to 7% ABV which is the typical ABV for light beers. As we said earlier, 10 NA beers are equivalent to one regular beer. A can of Busch Beer has 4.3% ABV so at least 11 cans of Busch NA is equivalent to one regular Busch Beer.
Can You Get Buzzed Off Non-alcoholic Beer?
As we said earlier, you won’t get intoxicated by drinking a couple of NA beers as the body will be able to process the low amount of alcohol quickly. This is because NA beers have little to no alcohol content. If you drink a lot of NA beers in a short amount of time, your BAC might reach 0.4% which is when you will start to feel the effects of alcohol.
Why Is NA Beer Expensive?
NA beer is expensive as it has additional steps and requires other equipment to remove the alcohol from the beer. Most NA beers also use premium and high-quality ingredients to make low-alcohol beer taste good. Other than that, some countries and states in the U.S. impose alcohol tax on NA beers even if they are not considered alcoholic beverages.
Conclusion
10 cans or bottles of NA beer with 0.5% ABV is equivalent to one can or bottle of regular beer that has 5% ABV. If you like to drink non-alcoholic beer, drinking this much NA beer most likely won’t get you intoxicated as the body will process the alcohol more quickly since the alcohol content is lesser.
In this article, you learned how many NA beers are equivalent to one beer and we also talked about some side effects of drinking non-alcoholic beer. We hope this article helped you answer your question regarding non-alcoholic beers. If you have any other questions, let us know, and be sure to drink responsibly!
