In the run-up to Tournée Minérale, Stefaan De Winter, beer lover and known from the fanfare Die Verdammte Spielerei, is testing thirteen non-alcoholic beers: ‘I drive to the store for this, but this tastes like old gym mats’.
Photo: fvv
1. Ramon, 33 cl can: ‘A very successful product’
Price: 1,35 euro
Brewery: Roman
Alcohol content: 0,3 %
Colour: blonde, cloudy
Review: ‘That can’t be anything other than Ramon. One of my favorite low alcohol beers. A very successful product from Roman, one of the oldest Belgian breweries. I often have it at home and can easily drink a few in a row, both in winter and summer. The fresh citrus touch ensures that it lies smoothly in the mouth. It resembles a light table beer. Because it resembles lemonade with a beer touch, I would put it in the soft drinks section, rather than with the beers.’
Points: 9/10
2. Viven Nada IPA, 33 cl bottle: ‘I immediately drive to the store for this’
Photo: fvv
Price: 1,95 euro
Brewery: They live
Alcohol content: 0,3 %
Colour: blond
Review: ‘Beautiful pearls bring life to the glass and the head is that of a real pint. It is full of flavor and reminiscent of a brown pub. It has a sweet touch, but not disturbing. The fact that I still want to drink this beer after twelve other pints says it all. I immediately drive to the store to buy a container for this.’
Points: 9/10
Photo: fvv
3. Boer Bloem, 33 cl can: ‘This makes me enthusiastic’
Price: 2,30 euro
Brewery: Trial brewery
Alcohol content: 0,3 %
Colour: orange with pink shine
Review: ‘Wow. Complex. This is a smell and taste bomb. Sweet and sour, floral, spicy… everything is nicely balanced. The beer is full on the tongue and at the end you get that sourness. This makes me very excited. When I find out what this is, I’ll immediately know what I’m going to buy in the store.’
Points: 8/10
4. La Trappe Nillis, 33 cl bottle: ‘Perfect for a winter evening’
Photo: fvv
Price: 1,99 euro
Brewery: King’s hooves
Alcohol content: 0,0 %
Colour: dark, amber
Review: ‘I always say that Belgium is no longer a beer country. That keeps us sharp. La Trappe’s Trappist beer is proof that they also make good beer in the Netherlands. This non-alcoholic variant smells like the classic, but sweeter, and is full of flavour. So more glass sandwiches per glass. (laughs) Perfect for a winter evening. I would sometimes buy four bottles of this, but not a whole container. It’s good that more and more non-alcoholic beers are being made, but I don’t really think that’s the job of a classic Trappist brewer.’
Points: 7,5/10
Photo: fvv
5. Trottinette Alcohol Free IPA, bottle 33 cl: ‘A winter taste, with a summer view’
Price: 2,30 euro
Brewery: DrinkDrink!
Alcohol content: 0,4 %
Colour: blonde, very cloudy
Review: ‘The cloudiness makes me very curious. It resembles organic apple juice. The smell of hops and the bitterness create confidence. That bitterness is reflected in the taste and I really like it. Pour this out during a night at the pub and it wouldn’t bother me. A wintery taste, with a summery view. Reminds me of a Witteke. I used to always put a slice of lemon in it. Afterwards I put all the lemons together and I could see how much I had drunk.’
Points: 7,5/10
Photo: fvv
6. Mikkeller Energibajer, 33 cl bottle: ‘The more I drink, the better it gets’
Price: 2,10 euro
Brewery: The Proefbrewery
Alcohol content: 0,0 %
Colour: blond
Review: ‘Very spicy. An attempt has been made here to create something rich in flavour. I taste the bitterness, that’s very nice. The more I drink of it, the better it gets. It is smooth in the mouth, but I wouldn’t drink much of it because of the spiciness. Two, but not three. It is a great alternative to a pint and is closer to beer than, for example, Ramon. (burps firmly) Burping is necessary and we should be less ashamed of it. That’s a kind of gratitude from the stomach. I know people who can’t farm and that must be awful’.
Points: 7/10
7. Brugse Sportzot Alcohol-free, 33 cl bottle: ‘The bitter taste is an asset’
Photo: fvv
Price: 1,80 euro
Brewery: The half Moon
Alcohol content: 0,4 %
Colour: blond
Review: ‘I’d drink four of these. Initially it doesn’t really have a beer taste, but the aftertaste compensates for that. It tends to triple. It is nice, but heavier in the mouth. I like that bitter taste. This is not seasonal. Put it in front of me any month and I’ll drink it. Where I would put that Ramon with the soft drinks, this is much more like a real beer to me.’
Points: 7/10
Photo: fvv
8. Pico Bello, can 33 cl: ‘It smells like beer but tastes like something else’
Price: 2,19 euro
Brewery: Brussels Beer Project
Alcohol content: 0,3 %
Colour: blond
Review: ‘If you told me that this is a new product from Bionade, I would believe it. It smells a bit like beer, but it has a very spicy, fruity taste that doesn’t remind you of beer. This beer is not too sweet and easy to drink. For those who don’t drink beer, this is a nice alternative.’
Pbelow: 6,5/10
9. Lervig No Worries Grapefruit, can 33 cl: ‘Lovely summer’
Photo: fvv
Price: 2,29 euro
Brewery: Lervig Vierveien
Alcohol content: 0,5 %
Colour: blonde and cloudy
Review: ‘This also fits better in the soft drinks rack. It doesn’t immediately remind me of beer. It’s nice and summery and I could easily drink a piece or two of it. I find that fruity, especially citrus, successful. Citrus has been in our beers for a long time. Duvel Triple Hop Citra was originally a temporary beer, but has since become a permanent fixture.’
Points: 6/10
Photo: fvv
10. Cornet Oaked Alcohol Free, bottle 33 cl: ‘Meaningful’
Price: 1,89 euro
Brewery: The Horn
Alcohol content: 0,3 %
Colour: blond
Review: ‘It looks a bit like a regular pint, but with little smell and little taste. Does it contain elderflower? This is meaningless moisture. It is very light in the mouth. I would drink this in the summer when nothing else is available.’
Points: 4/10
11. Force Majeure Tripel, 33 cl bottle: ‘No beer and no tasty soft drinks’
Photo: fvv
Price: 2,10 euro
Brewery: Force Majeure
Alcohol content: < 0,5%
Colour: amber
Review: ‘It looks like a Palm, but a little darker. The scent reminds me of peach, apricot and other ripe fruit. Does that have to be in beer? The taste is sweet to syrupy again. Like grenadine added. I think this is too sweet. It’s not beer and it’s not a nice soft drink either. I’m not against fruity beer, but it has to be done right.’
Points: 3/10
Photo: fvv
12. Thrive Performance beer, 33 cl can: ‘Give me a coke’
Price: 2,60 euro
Brewery: Trial brewery
Alcohol content: < 0,3 %
Colour: blond
Review: ‘Wow, so sweet. Both the smell and the taste. This isn’t my thing. Exactly sugar water with no personality. That non-alcoholic Jupiler also has that problem. I can’t even finish one glass. In the mouth it is too viscous and it is not thirst-quenching. If I felt like it anyway, I’d rather order a coke or an ice tea. I hope it at least has a nice label.’
Points: 3/10
13. VandeStreek Playground, 33 cl tin: ‘Tastes like old gymnastics mats’
Photo: fvv
Price: 2,39 euro
Brewery: Water Streak
Alcohol content: 0,5 %
Colour: dark, amber
Review: ‘I had to check that it wasn’t the glass, but no. This beer has the dusty smell of my grandmother’s attic. The taste reminds me of old gym mats and sweat. To drink this completely is torture. The brewer has searched and tried, but found nothing. He should know that sometimes it’s better to start all over again from scratch.’
Points: 2/10
