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Story By: Jodi Villa
The world of beer is getting a makeover. Shelf space once dominated by lagers and IPAs is now shared with 0.00% stouts, dealcoholized pilsners, and craft “no-and-low” offerings. However, not all “no-alc” beers mean the same thing”no-alc” can mean different things for different beers, and that distinction matters to consumers, brewers, and regulators. So, what is the difference between “non-alcoholic” beer and “alcohol-free” beer in the U.S.? To answer this, the United States Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) has separate, legal classifications for “non-alcoholic” (NA) and “alcohol-free” (AF) malt beverages.
Per the TTB, a beverage may be labeled “non-alcoholic” only if it contains less than 0.5% alcohol by volume (ABV). If the term “non-alcoholic” is used on the label, it must be accompanied by the phrase, “contains less than 0.5% alcohol by volume,” placed immediately adjacent in a readily legible manner. A non-alcoholic malt beverage cannot simply be labeled as “beer,” “lager,” “ale,” etc.; it must carry the appropriate class/type descriptors like malt beverage, near beer, or cereal beverage.
Read the full article here: https://beerconnoisseur.com/non-alcoholic-vs-alcohol-free-beer/