Photograph courtesy of BrewDog Atlanta
Atlanta’s zest for nonalcoholic beer has created a bit of a conundrum: The process to create the beer is so complicated that local breweries have struggled to meet the demand.
It’s not a lack of interest preventing more nonalcoholic beer options from being produced. Demand is as high as ever, with nonalcoholic drinks making up an estimated $2 billion industry, according to a study by International Wine and Spirits Record. What’s more, the desire for NA alternatives extends well beyond Dry January, especially as Gen Z continues to come of drinking age. Unlike previous generations, Gen Z drinkers are consuming far less alcohol. And when it comes to nonalcoholic beer, they’re expecting choices beyond O’Doul’s.
“If you can supply [nonalcoholic options] to the customer, [you] make them feel just as special as everybody else that’s getting a beer,” says Jon Shari, founder of Little Cottage Brewery in Avondale Estates, who is working on an NA option.
What inhibits NA beer production are the costs and the complicated process. NA beers are made using techniques such as reverse osmosis, which boils off the ethanol molecules from a traditionally brewed product, and vacuum distillation, which creates lower pressures and temperatures to remove the alcohol. Both tend to be labor intensive and costly and don’t work for every style of beer.
While some people casually interchange the two terms, there’s a difference between alcohol-free beer—which refers to 0 percent alcohol, like those from Guinness and Stella Artois—and nonalcoholic beer, usually 0.5 percent ABV. Those with certain health concerns may prefer the alcohol-free label.
Most NA beers you’ll find will be either dark, hoppy, or light because they are the easiest to re-create in terms of fidelity to the original, says Tim Schiavone, head brewer for Wrecking Bar Brewpub in Little Five Points.
“However long the research goes on for crafters to figure out what’s the best way to make nonalcoholic beer, I guarantee you’ll find it to be some sort of variation of those three,” Schiavone adds.
Photograph by Greta Biesel
For Shawn Cooper, co-owner of Summerhill’s Halfway Crooks Beer, it is important that any nonalcoholic beer stands up against the brewery’s existing lineup of German-style lagers. To accomplish this, he uses a mushroom derivative called Chiber, which keeps the yeast static. This is necessary because yeast ferments the sugar in the beverage to create alcohol, and Chiber halts its production. Cooper sent the NA beer to a lab to be tested to find the perfect amount of Chiber that produces the right taste and lengthens shelf life.
“It’s pretty difficult [for NA beer] to taste the same as [alcoholic] beer,” Cooper says. “It’s not beer—it’s kind of a hybrid. You basically have to heat the product up to get to a certain pasteurization unit in order to ensure that there’s no living organisms in the NA product for shelf stability.”
Photograph courtesy of Wild Heaven Beer
Wild Heaven makes Near Wild Heaven, which blends Trident, Centennial, and El Dorado hops for a piney flavor with unique yeast strains, maintaining the bitter and citrus mouthfeel of a traditional IPA.
“Any brewery can make quality NAs with these new [yeast] strains,” says Wild Heaven’s copresident and brewmaster Eric Johnson. “It is a project that me and my head brewer, Josh Franks, put a lot of energy into. There were people that paved the way, like Mitch Steele from New Realm [in the Old Fourth Ward].”
Consumers should be prepared for the costs associated with the difficult brewing process of an NA beer.
“I think a lot of consumers think, It has no alcohol. Why should it cost the same amount as a six-pack that has alcohol? Well, the brewer still had to make a beer. And then they remove the alcohol as a value add to you,” adds Johnson.
Atlanta’s NA beer options will continue to grow as local breweries benefit from the research performed by larger operations. In the meantime, sober beer enthusiasts are finally enjoying more frothy options around town, liberated from the tyranny of O’Doul’s.
WHERE TO FIND IT
If you’re looking for a nonalcoholic pint, these beers from Atlanta breweries are recommended and readily available to enjoy.
Near Wild Heaven Non-Alcoholic IPA
Find the beer at Wild Heaven’s Avondale, Toco Hills, and West End locations.
Brevet Pils Non-Alcoholic German-Style Pils
Visit Halfway Crooks in Summerhill to enjoy this refreshing nonalcoholic option.
Elvis AF IPA, Hazy AF
Hazy IPA, and Punk AF Pale Ale Scottish beer giant BrewDog carries its nonalcoholic options at its Old Fourth Ward outpost.
This article appears in our April 2025 issue.
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