The production of low-alcohol and strong drinks is a complex technological process that includes many nuances and subtleties. If during such a process the manufacturer allows himself to deviate from the technology, then the consequences can be the most unpredictable and a huge batch of alcohol can simply be hopelessly spoiled, which is fraught with large losses.
Beer production is one of the areas where professional producers try to consistently follow all stages of technology, taking into account the recipe and composition of a certain variety or brand of intoxicating drink. One of the nuances that interests many users and beer connoisseurs is the alcohol content in the drink. What should it be? How is the alcohol content in beer determined? Do manufacturers add alcohol to the drink during its production process?
Beer is a drink made from malted barley wort, using hops and brewer's yeast. On average, the alcohol content of a drink ranges from 3 to 5.5%. During the beer making process, malt is boiled with hops for several hours, after which yeast is added to the wort and aged until fully matured. The ripening period depends on the type and brand of beer, and can vary from several days to several months. After maturation is completed, beer undergoes a complex filtration process, after which preservatives are added to it and then sealed in airtight containers, which are available in different shapes, materials and volumes.
The highest quality beer is considered to be one that contains barley, hops, yeast, water and nothing more. Some beers contain wheat, rice, corn or rye instead of barley.
The strength of beer can be determined by the inscription on the label, which emphasizes the lower limit of ethanol. According to the law, the manufacturer cannot indicate the amount of % or revolutions lower than what the drink actually contains.
In European countries, the alcohol content of alcohol is usually measured as a percentage. Therefore, if the label indicates 5%, it means that 100 liters of beer contain 5 liters of pure alcohol. In Western countries, alcohol content is usually calculated in weight fractions.
What determines the strength of the finished beer of a certain brand? This indicator is influenced by several factors. The strength of beer largely depends on its density, and this, in turn, depends on the raw materials and additional ingredients used. The thicker and more saturated the initial wort is, the higher the sugar content will be in it, and, accordingly, the higher the concentration of alcohol, which affects the strength of the drink. The final strength of beer depends on specific factors such as:
- Sugar content in wort;
- Yeast quality;
- Wort fermentation temperature;
- Subtleties and nuances of the technological process;
- Accurate adherence to technology stages.
In order to determine the alcohol content in beer, it is necessary to remember that the percentage of ethyl alcohol depends on the types and brands of the drink.
- Lung. Alcohol content no more than 2%.
- Classic. The content ranges from 3.5 to 7%.
- Strong. Ethanol content in beer ranges from 8 to 14%.
- Non-alcoholic. Ethyl alcohol is contained in amounts from 0.5 to 0.7%.
Beer connoisseurs and gourmets have long identified their favorite type and brand of beer, so they simply enjoy drinking it in friendly company and a pleasant atmosphere.
Sometimes users wonder whether beer manufacturers add alcohol to it during the manufacturing process. And if so, how does this happen and in what quantities?
This question arises quite reasonably, because strong beers contain a high percentage of alcohol, which means alcohol was added to the drink during production. In fact, in the production of classic beer, the yeast fermentation method is used, during which the alcohol concentration in the drink reaches up to 12%, after which the yeast dies. To increase the strength of beer, some manufacturers increase its fermentation period, so pouring pure alcohol into fermented wort is not only unprofitable from an economic point of view, but also risks deteriorating the quality characteristics of natural beer.
Legislation in most countries around the world prohibits manufacturers from adding alcohol to beer at any stage of its production and manufacturing. Only dubious manufacturers are engaged in this, whose products are sold at a low cost and do not pretend not only to receive the title of a brand, but also to the very concept of real natural beer.
It is believed that alcohol is added to Russian beer at the production stage, especially in strong varieties, for example, Baltika 9. In 2009, the chief narcologist of the Ministry of Health and Social Development, Evgeniy Brun, confirmed this assumption, which caused indignation among brewers, who immediately refuted his words. Next I will tell you whether domestic and foreign manufacturers add ethyl alcohol to beer.
Classic beer is made by yeast fermentation, so the drink initially contains a certain amount of alcohol. Most varieties contain 3.5-5% pure ethyl; manufacturers indicate the strength and density of beer on the label. There are also stronger types with 8-12% alcohol.
The smell of strong varieties has an alcoholic aroma, which is why the myth about adding ethanol to beer arose. But in practice this is unprofitable, since fermentation itself can achieve an alcohol concentration of up to 12% in beer (then the yeast dies).
To obtain strong beer, most producers simply increase the fermentation period. There is no point in pouring in expensive pure alcohol, changing the technology, when the yeast can do everything on its own. If the beer you see is less than 12% ABV, it was most likely brewed in a traditional way.
Adding alcohol to beer is prohibited by the laws of all developed countries; world-famous producers will not do this, they are afraid of exposure, which will ruin their reputation.
No alcohol is added to real beer. Pure alcohol in beer is found only in dubious breweries. True, due to other chemical additives, the product they offer cannot be beer in principle. But, this is a completely different question.
Conclusion
The statement that all manufacturers add ethyl alcohol to beer is nothing more than a myth, since it is not economically profitable and can destroy the brand’s reputation. Only dishonest pseudo-breweries that use chemicals instead of malt and hops violate technology.
When talking about excessive consumption of beer, we should talk about excessive consumption of alcohol or otherwise ethyl alcohol (ethanol). A dose that does not greatly affect the state of the body after a single use in a person is, on average, the ethanol content in the blood of 0.3 g/l, which is only ~ 15 grams per adult, which is approximately 20 ml, due to the density of the alcohol. If translated into beer, then for a beer with a strength of 5% grams will be ~ 20 grams per 0.5 bottle or ~ 25 ml.
It turns out that a relatively harmless dose will be equal to a bottle of light regular lager or ale with a volume of half a liter and a strength of no more than 5%. Or two half-vivas or, as another malt drink with an alcohol content of 1.5% was called at the beginning of the 20th century, “beer”, or two abbey very light beers that are brewed in monasteries for daily use, which is also about 2% or a little more. Accordingly, beer with an alcohol content greater than 5% will need less volume for safe consumption.
I calculated this myself. But what does Wikipedia tell us?
The definition of “moderate drinking” is subject to revision as new scientific evidence accumulates. The current US definition is no more than 24 g of ethanol per day for most adult men and no more than 12 g for most women (approximately converted to North American fl oz). 12 g of ethanol are contained in 32 ml of vodka, approximately 200-300 ml of beer or 80-90 ml of wine. (goo.gl)
The dose of beer is calculated for women; for men, we multiply the calculated dose by two.
Let's turn to another good site about alcohol:
The harm of alcohol is determined by the dose beyond which damage to internal organs begins - the toxicity threshold. To maintain health, the body needs to have time to recover from alcohol: to do this, you need to drink no more than 170 grams of pure alcohol no more than once every 8 days. The benefit of moderate doses of alcohol may be that the body is mobilized in response to small doses of harmful substances. Dry red wine and unpasteurized beer contain useful impurities: vitamins, antioxidants, microelements that are beneficial in small doses and harmful in large doses.
Every now and then you can hear the statement that moderate alcohol consumption is good for health. How true is this, and how moderate should drinking be?
The statement is generally true, but as we know, the devil is in the details. The great physician of the late Middle Ages, Paracelsus (real name - Phillip Aureolus Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim) wrote - “Only the dose makes a substance a poison or a medicine.” When talking about doses, one should keep in mind, first of all, the composition of the alcoholic drink, and secondly, the speed of development of addiction.
What is moderate drinking?
In terms of pure ethanol, the toxicity threshold (that is, the dose beyond which organ damage begins) for the liver is 90 g per day, for the brain - 19 g per day. This refers to a person of the white race with a healthy liver, kidneys and brain, and a body weight of 70 kg.
But it is not difficult to calculate that 90 grams of pure alcohol are contained in a glass of vodka. If you imagine a person who drinks a glass of vodka every day, then if he has a hereditary predisposition, he will develop alcohol dependence in six to eight months, in the absence of a hereditary predisposition - in three years. Not to mention that after a couple of months the dose of alcohol will constantly increase. The World Health Organization (WHO) believes that weekly consumption of strong (more than 25 vol.% ethanol) alcoholic beverages in quantities of more than 150 ml is sufficient to develop alcohol dependence. (
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In terms of consumption volumes it ranks third in the world among all drinks. In addition, the scale of production of this intoxicating drink is increasing every year. The worst thing about this frightening fact is that the ranks of people who abuse beer are being joined by young people and teenagers.
It's easy to become addicted to beer: it all starts with one bottle. The bill can sometimes reach up to ten liters. Accordingly, the concentration of alcohol in the blood reaches that of intoxication and even higher, but not because of the strength of the drink, but because of its quantity.
The speed of onset of intoxication depends on the type of beer. Its different varieties contain different amounts: light - less, dark - more, and strong - a lot. Accordingly, the state of intoxication occurs faster from strong and dark varieties than from light ones. We’ll look into what the ethyl alcohol content in beer depends on in this article.
What does strength depend on?
The strength of the intoxicating drink depends on the production technology. The brewing technological process includes several successive stages: preparation and boiling of the wort, fermentation, maturation and filtration.
Preparation and boiling of wort
Brewers call wort an aqueous solution of malt. Barley malt is ground into different particle sizes. Each type of foamy drink has a different ratio of large and small malt particles. The wort is mixed with water, which is called mashing. The wort after mashing is called mash.
To speed up the fermentation process of malt, the mash is boiled, and after boiling it is filtered. To do this, it is poured into a cauldron with a sieve at the bottom. The mashed malt settles: solid suspended particles - spent grain - are deposited on the sieve. The bottom of the kettle is then opened and the liquid wort is filtered through a sieve and collected into the next boil kettle.
The strained wort is boiled and hops are added to it. The amount of hops added differs for different types of foamy drink. By boiling the wort, the fermentation process of malt is stopped. The brewed wort is filtered again and settled.
Fermentation process
Clean wort is poured into fermentation tanks. After cooling to the desired temperature, special brewer’s yeast is added to the wort:
- top fermentation (at a temperature of 18-22°C) - for the production of ale, German wheat beer;
- bottom fermentation (at a temperature of 5-10°C) - for the production of lager beer, light and light varieties.
Fermentation is always accompanied by automatic heating of the wort, so tanks require constant cooling. The type of fermentation affects the taste of the drink and its strength. At the fermentation stage, the beer is saturated with carbon dioxide, the excess of which is removed from the tank through pipes. The fermentation process is considered complete when all the carbohydrates in the wort are converted into alcohol by yeast.
Foam maturation
After fermentation stops, the young beer must mature. The conditions and duration of ripening depend on its variety and affect its organoleptic qualities. The ripening of some varieties of hops is carried out at stable temperatures and pressures, while others - at changing ones. The ripening process can last from several days to several weeks and even months.
Clinical picture
What doctors say about alcoholism
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Filtration and bottling
At the end of the maturation process, the beer is filtered with different filters or not filtered at all. The diameter of the sieve openings differs for different types of beer. After filtration, the finished drink is sent for bottling, before which, if necessary, it is pasteurized.
As a result, the output is an intoxicating drink, which, depending on the variety, has a certain density and strength, regulated by the recipe and technological instructions.
How to determine strength
The strength of the foam is determined by the percentage of ethyl alcohol in it. There are several types of beer that differ in strength:
- Lungs. These varieties contain no more than 2% alcohol.
- Classic (light, semi-dark and dark). The ethanol content in them ranges from 3.5 to 7%.
- Strong. These varieties contain 8-14% ethanol.
- Non-alcoholic. Contain residual amounts of ethyl alcohol - 0.5-0.7%.
The percentage of alcohol in a foamy drink is indicated on its label. In European countries, to determine the strength, the indicator “volume fraction of alcohol” is used - % vol., and in the USA - “weight fraction of alcohol”. The ratio between these shares is defined as 2.5:2. This means that 2.5% by volume is equal to 2% by weight.
Beer alcoholism
Beer addiction is so widespread in the world that it even got its own name - “gambrinism”. Beer alcoholics never admit their addiction: they believe that drinking beer does not develop. However, it is a mistake to assume that if beer has less degrees than vodka, then it does not cause addiction.
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Beer alcoholics begin by drinking one or two bottles of beer daily. Gradually, the number of bottles they drink per day increases, because after one or two they stop getting drunk. When the euphoric effect does not occur even after several liters of the drink, gambrinists often switch to stronger beer varieties. Thus, they are trying to reduce the overall volume of foam consumption by increasing its strength.
Over time, passion for beer is fraught with the transition of beer alcoholism into true dependence on alcohol. To avoid this fate, beer lovers should limit their consumption to one or two bottles per week, and also avoid gradually increasing the strength of the drinks consumed.
Drawing conclusions
If you are reading these lines, we can conclude that you or your loved ones suffer from alcoholism in one way or another.
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Beer connoisseurs for whom alcohol is contraindicated replace it with an alternative intoxicating drink. But not everyone knows whether there is alcohol in non-alcoholic beer and how safe such a product is.
Is there alcohol or not?
The absence of alcohol in a drink labeled Alcohol free is a misconception. It is available, although in smaller quantities. The technology for preparing non-alcoholic beer does not differ from the production of a product with a degree, and the main ingredients are also water, malt, hops and yeast cultures.
Information about how much alcohol is in non-alcoholic beer must be indicated on the label. Different varieties of the product contain from 0.2 to 1.5% alcohol, which is explained by the technology of beer production. Since the process is accompanied by the natural release of ethyl alcohol, it is impossible to completely avoid its appearance. It is important to keep in mind that even a small dose of ethanol poisons the cells of the liver and kidneys and leads to various pathologies.
When consumed in moderation, a high-quality soft drink does not lead to systematic abuse of alcoholic beverages. The product has a calming effect, which is explained by the sedative properties of hops.
There is one in which alcohol is almost completely absent. It is important to study the components indicated on the label, since sometimes it is not a non-alcoholic beer, but a beer drink that contains substances that are harmful to the body. Such a chemical cocktail is dangerous to health.
Despite the reduced amount of alcohol, drinking non-alcoholic beer is prohibited under certain circumstances:
- During antibiotic therapy, alcoholic drinks are contraindicated, since ethanol reduces the effectiveness of drugs, worsens the effect of drugs, and increases the risk of adverse reactions.
- If you are allergic to the grains from which the drink is made (barley, wheat, rye, corn, etc.).
- When taking psychoactive drugs of the benzodiazepine type (Phenazepam, Valium, Nitrazepam, etc.), with which hops cannot be combined.
Cooking process
The drink is produced at the same enterprises as alcoholic beer. Making a product similar to beer, but with virtually no alcohol, is a more complex procedure. This also explains the high cost. To reduce the percentage of alcohol, the fermentation process is carefully controlled, and sometimes completely eliminated. There are several options for dealcoholization of the product: 
- Interruption of the fermentation process. Yeast is added to the wort, which does not process sugar. Fermentation is also stopped by sharply cooling the drink, as a result of which the yeast cultures die.
- Strain through a fine fine mesh cotton cellulose membrane. It sifts out ethanol molecules.
- Vacuum distillation and heat treatment. This is necessary to evaporate the alcohol. The boiling point of alcohol is 78°C, and that of water is 100°C. But heating to these temperatures leads to deterioration of the product. Under vacuum, the alcohol evaporates at a lower temperature, which allows the taste and quality of the drink to be preserved as much as possible.
Later, enterprise specialists determine how many degrees there are in non-alcoholic beer. According to Russian standards, non-alcoholic drinks are those in which the alcohol content by volume does not exceed 0.5%.
Intoxication and non-alcoholic beer
Beer without alcohol tastes and smells like alcoholic beer, although it does not have the usual strength. But experts do not recommend consuming the product in large quantities. According to research, even 1 liter. drink affects the speed of a person’s reaction. As the amount increases, signs of intoxication appear:
- increased heart rate;
- redness of the skin;
- dilated pupils;
- impaired clarity of consciousness;
- deterioration in concentration;
- slowing down the reaction rate.
The intensity of the symptoms depends on various factors:
If you need to get behind the wheel, it is better not to drink more than 1 liter of beer and wait about an hour for the alcohol to be processed and begin to be eliminated from the body - even a small dose slows down a person’s reaction and can provoke an accident.
Benefit or harm
As in the product with degrees, the non-alcoholic version contains useful macro- and microelements: potassium, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, vitamins PP, A, group B.
It is generally accepted that non-alcoholic beer does not harm the body, but this stereotype has no relation to reality. Although the ethanol content is reduced, the drink often contains flavorings, dyes, heavy metal compounds, and other dangerous chemicals. It is important to choose high-quality varieties without harmful ingredients.
Research proves for human health. Some health problems that are caused by excessive use of this type of alcohol:
- Inflammatory processes in the gastrointestinal tract as a result of the addition of cobalt, a foam stabilizer. Also, this toxic element causes thickening of the walls of the heart and expansion of its cavities, increasing the risk of necrosis in the heart muscle, leading to a heart attack.
- Hormonal levels change due to phytoestrogens contained in beer - an analogue of female hormones.
- Negative effect on kidney function, since the product has a diuretic effect, washing away beneficial substances from the body.
- Some components of the drink, especially herbal ones, cause the risk of allergies.
The best intoxicating drinks (including non-alcoholic ones) are made in Germany and the Czech Republic. Products with reduced alcohol content are also produced in Russia. Below are some popular and sought after brands:
In Russia, you can purchase products with or without a minimum degree - the choice is dictated by individual preferences.